Duke of Wellington (title)
Duke of Wellington is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The name derived from Wellington in Somerset. The title was created in 1814 for Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington (1769–1852; born as The Hon. Arthur Wesley), the Anglo-Irish military commander who is best known for leading the decisive victory with Field Marshal von Blücher over Napoleon's forces at Waterloo in Brabant (now Walloon Brabant, Belgium). Wellesley later served twice as British prime minister.
| Dukedom of Wellington | |
|---|---|
Quarterly 1st & 4th: Gules, a cross argent in each quarter five plates in saltire (Wellesley); 2nd & 3rd: Or, a lion rampant gules ducally collared gold (Colley) over-all in the centre chief point an escutcheon of augmentation charged with the Union badge | |
| Creation date | 3 May 1814 |
| Created by | The Prince Regent (acting on behalf of his father, King George III) |
| Peerage | Peerage of the United Kingdom |
| First holder | Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington |
| Present holder | Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke |
| Heir apparent | Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington |
| Remainder to | the 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten |
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| Seat(s) |
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| Motto | Virtutis Fortuna Comes (Fortune favours the brave) |
The first Duke's father, Garret Wesley, had been granted the title of Earl of Mornington in 1760. His male-line ancestors were wealthy agricultural and urban landowners in both countries, among the Anglo-Irish Protestant Ascendancy. The dukedom has descended to heirs male of the body, along with eleven other hereditary titles.