Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of

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Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of (1769–1852) British general and politician, prime minister (1828–30). He commanded Allied forces in the Peninsular War (1808–14) against Napoleon, driving the French back over the Pyrenees. He represented Britain at the Congress of Vienna (1814–15). Together with the Prussian General von Blücher, he defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. He became a Tory cabinet minister in 1818 and prime minister in 1828.

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