Wellington - The Iron Duke 1 1/5

[timotheosdavis]

Can't get it on DVD. Thanks for this.

[j3parrots]

But its unlikely a different man as PM at that time wouldnt mind killing a couple of hundred chartists

[j3parrots]

as a Mancunian (ignores the abuse) I think more people should remember the Peterloo masacre

[Hughes1Callum]

Wellesley may well have been one of the greatest military leaders of all time, but contrastingly his short time as Prime Minister is surely regarded as a failure?

[larsstrik]

everything in this serie is authentic. The clothes, locations and interior. Then why is the music not played on historical instruments. Historians needs to know more about music performance. But very very good serie. Is it possible to buy this somewhere. I've tried Amazon uk with no luck. Can someone help me.

[Wraithlord102]

Shout, shout and shout again. Beeerrp

[jdlr64]

Great series, thanks for posting.

[LeHappiste]

Those who want to see what wellington did against the French when there were no prussians to save his asses, just type "siege of Burgos" and "Battle of Redinha" in wikipédia

[lubi125]

@LeHappiste Even with no Prussians, Ney still did screw up miserably with his cavalry charge at Waterloo

[11nytram11]

@LeHappiste So...what about Rolica, Vimeiro, Grijo, 2nd Porto, Talavera, Bussaco, Torres Vedras, Fuentes de Onoro, Cuidad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vitoria, 1nd San Sabastian, Pyrenees, Sorauren, Bidassoa, Nivelle, Nive, Garris and Orthez? All battles which Wellington won without the aide of the Prussians, all battles which Wellington successfully defeated the French tactically or strategically.

[11nytram11]

@LeHappiste Interesting that you pick the only siege Wellington failed to win and a minor skirmish that did nothing to prevent Wellington achieving his overall campaign aims as examples of his inabilty to defeat the French where there are so many examples of him beating them, sometimes on his own, sometimes with allies. You just make yourself look foolish when you do that.

[ShawdsterEP]

Vive Napoleon! Vive la France!

[transonicbuoy1]

RIP Richard Holmes. He spoke as a natural Englishman, full of passion. Rationally proud of his great country. He brought all these things to life.

[brentlydroberts]

Hey where did you get this DVD from

[MrDeano324]

Goodbye Richard. Arthur and you will have many a great conversation wherever you both are, of that I am sure. Thank you for the great work you did while you were with us. You will be sorley missed...

[sandynathan]

Rest in Peace Prof Holmes, loves reading your books on the Iron Duke, and like some many have said before im sure The Iron Duke will be waiting for you!!

[bjmolitor]

Rest in peace Prof. Richard Holmes. I learned about his death only now on youtube, very sad thing, but I am sure the Duke will salute him "on the other hand of some celestial hill" (to quote Prof. Holmes' own work).

[CommadantCipher]

This excellent documentary just gives me more reasons for me to admire the Duke of Wellington.

[totaldynamix]

RIP Richard Holmes.

I was surprised to find out about his death on the 1st of may!!  why, it was the birthday anniversary of his and our hero!

[Saberfencer10]

It's so sad, I can't believe he is actually gone. R.I.P. Prof. Holmes, you are a true gentleman and have a way with presenting military history that I fear we won't see again for quite some time. You will be sorely missed by military history enthusiasts the world round.

[Octavius0]

Prof. Richard Holmes R.I.P.

A true soldier gentleman

[CapitanFiro]

this man fought in Spain ... great man !!

[mikeriggs391959]

RIP Richard Holmes, one of favorite British historians, from a Yank living across the Pond.

[FourGirlRumba]

great man, great documentaries, now all we have are 'quest' or 'discovery' style docummentaries aimed at the lowest common denominator presented by 'experts' aka childrens presenters.

[willbren2408]

Rest in peace Richard Holmes, what a great historian.

[thyuiooo]

RIP richard holmes one of the best documentary historians :(

[vidman163]

Napoleon would have easily won Waterloo. Blucher won Waterloo not Wellington, if it was not for Prussians Britain would lose. Wellington's line broke and most of his cavalry dead, everyone was going to retreat, then Blucher's and his army appeared to the horizon.

[ThePeeterd]

@vidman163

right my friend,but as you will know every country needs his heroes.

like ramses 2 lost his war against the hettiets,he also turn his propaganda machine to proclame himself the winner of that war.

wellington was extremely lucky that blucher was in time on the right place.

but after all the allied forces won that battle.

[11nytram11]

@vidman163 The night before the battle Wellington sent a message to Blucher telling him that if at least 1 Corps of Prussian could be brought in support he would fight at Waterloo but if not he would concede the field without a fight. Blucher's reply reached him the morning of the battle and he promised to bring most of his army. Wellington's plans were to delay until Blucher arrived so they could counter-attack together thus. Blucher's arrival was a part of Wellington's plan.

[11nytram11]

@vidman163 It was not Blucher alone who won the battle. His forces arrived at the right time to tip the scales in the Coalitions favor however Wellington had only conducted the battle as a static defensive with the sole purpose of waiting for Blucher's arrival so he could overwhelm Napoleon's forces with numbers. Wellington's part in the victory is therefore not lessened in anyway by Blucher's arrival, nor does Blucher's arrival render Wellington's conduct before that worthless.

[11nytram11]

@vidman163 A famous quote by Wellington at the Waterloo was "Give me night, or give me Blucher". It was a close run thing but Wellington's army was still on the field as the Prussians began to arrive and they counter-attacked in tandem with the Prussians and drove the French from the field. To try to portray Wellington's Army as a beaten force before Blucher's arrival is to do that army a great disservice. Wellington couldn't win without Blucher and Blucher couldn't win without Wellington.

[TheLiberalKnight]

@vidman163 BS, it was a team effort. Wellington's entire plan was for the Prussians to arrive and launch a counter offensive. All Wellington needed to do was hold the line until the Prussians arrived, which he did. Napoleon was already losing to Wellington because he tried (and failed) to occupy the center. Saying that Blucher rescued Wellington is utter bollocks, because Blucher's arrival was part of Wellington's grand plan.

[cogidubnus1953]

@vidman163 Waterloo was only fought because Blucher was due to arrive...Napoleon didn't win Waterloo and never would've...he always underestimated his enemies (describing Wellington as the Sepoy General) ... this is always a fatal trait..

[progressiverebel]

Here's to Arthur-- My 5th Cousin..

[zenoist2]

Much better general than that sad sack napoleon.

He proved it decisively at waterloo.

Before that he had been beating every french army sent against him in the peninsula war in a long string of victories.

[Hussarer]

napoleon too played the violin. but one day he decided to work in the military so he burned his violin.

[Hussarer]

without gebhard he wouldn't have done it.

[anzacproud]

The Capital city of my Country is named after him and we have towns and roads all over the Country named after great British leaders.

[matt2house]

sharpe!!!

[HoneyMonster666]

Irish blood english heart. To arthur!

[MrExtremerightwing]

@HoneyMonster666 No. English blood, English heart. Wellington was not Irish you prat!

[HoneyMonster666]

@MrExtremerightwing

I don't give a give a toss, thanks for your comment

[GGSDavejones]

@MrExtremerightwing I'm afraid wellington was Irish, he just hated that part so much that he never called himself Irish, only English, always introduced himself as english and so and so on.

Either way Arthur Wellesley as he was known before he became a lord (he got his name changed to wellington so he wasn't confused with his brother) was a brilliant man

[MrExtremerightwing]

@GGSDavejones First off he did not change his name to wellington, that was his title. Wellington is a place and he was the Duke OF Wellington, His name was allways Arthur Wellesly, did you think his name was Arthur Wellington?? And secondley. To quote A leading authoritey in the matter '' his father was born a Colley of castle Carbury, a member of a family that had originated in the English midlands and had lived in ireland for 300 years without a single irish name appearing on its pedigree.

[karma212]

If any of you read The Duchess of Devonshire blog you can find out many interesting things about this man like the women he slept with, read some of his letters, and other crazy stuff. I'd recommend the blog (not mine) for any history lover. I like Wellington as a man but I am a Bonapartist when it comes to anything militarily. It's strictly sexual though: as soon as I saw that picture of napoleon riding through the alps I was his!!!:)

[Thanks4TheClues]

im sorry but how can you just cut people out of the family. i should go take that castle back.

[Thanks4TheClues]

bastard looks like me 

[Thanks4TheClues]

ok im gonna watch this because im his bastard grandchild but i dont like the guy because he sent away my great grandpa when he was a kid. how do you just send away your grandkids? fucking asshole grandpa wellington.

[GusF]

I'd love to have seen the faces of his classmates who remembered him only for playing with his dog when he defeated Napoleon and later when he became Prime Minister. They probably didn't amount to anything.

[MrGezamo]

The duke of wellington, Admiral Nelson, all British heroes, by god im glad they were not on the french side hehe, or we would all probably be speaking french :D

[Freez57fr]

Nelson was a really good admiral and I understand that british consider him as a hero.

But Wellington?? This guy accomplished nothing...

Peninsula war: he left Spain and hid on Portugal during most of the war letting the Spanish guerilla alone, and he managed to reconquer Spain WITH Spanish and Portuguese armies only after 1812 because 95% of the French army was on the eastern front fighting Prussia, Austria, Russia, Sweden and other minor states...

Waterloo: he hid again. Thanks Blücher...

[MrExtremerightwing]

@Freez57fr Do you know i could not work out if you were insane or just bloody stupid, then i checked your page and found that you were french. Mystery solved. You are just bloody jealous.

[Neverrace]

@Freez57fr played deffensive, and won, fair enough dont you think?

far fewer casualties if that means anything good at the time, or any other time...

[11nytram11]

@Freez57fr Wellington beat every French Commander ever sent against him and some of them had their reputations ruined by him. He never lost a major battle against any French Commander and his victories at Assaye, Salamanca and Vitoria were as good as any won during the Napoleonic War. His only comtemporary in term of battle/campaigns won for the period is Aleksandr Suvorov.

Waterloo wasn't won because of Blucher's arrival - it was fought becasue Blucher was going to arrive.

[donorleone]

@11nytram11 as far as i am concerned that is the perfect answer to all those who try to undermine wellington's contribution in the napoleonic wars

[stevenhaful]

@Freez57fr wellington was fighting constantly in the peninsular war the french left a huge force in spain and never left a light garriosn there it was called an ulcer for the french army for a reason the only reason he couldn't push the french army out of spai quickly was that they hugely outnumbrered him yet he still won impressive victories and waterloo he done most of the fighting

[CapitanFiro]

In Spain hero too : D

Fernando VII awarded him the Duchy of Ciudad Rodrigo with Grandee of Spain, dated 01/30/1812. This title is maintained to this day his descendant Arthur Valerian Wellesley. He was also granted the rank of Captain General of the Royal Spanish Army.

[totaldynamix]

This is really great. Thanks for uploading. I've always be intrigued by this man, sometimes even more than his antagonist, Napoleon. 

[055697]

Ironic how his military education started in France!

[Immortal4Aday]

@055697 ironic now lol but people seem to forget that Napoleon was one of the greatest military minds of his age, and France was once a Superpower, what happened lol.

[CapitanFiro]

It is obvious that Spanish and English have always been enemies but in Spain always hated the British without knowing that perhaps the issue of Gibraltar painful but this man saved Spain from the French, is not only hero in Uk is also a hero in Spain! Spain, France, England sometimes friends sometimes enemies now friends thanks God !

[lonestar2779]

cant find this on dvd anywhere

[Pooshhead]

Thank you very much.

[GerryDisthename]

Thanks for this.