Richard Wellesley ,1st Marquess Wellesley

The Most Honourable Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley (20 June 1760 - 26 September 1842), was the eldest son of Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington, an Irish peer, and brother of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (779x1200, 263 KB) Summary Woodcut of Richard, Marquess Wellesley, K.G.&. From a Painting by Sir T. Laurence P. Ret. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (779x1200, 263 KB) Summary Woodcut of Richard, Marquess Wellesley, K.G.&. From a Painting by Sir T. Laurence P. Ret. ... The prefix The Most Honourable is a title of quality attached to the names of marquesses in the United Kingdom. ... June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... 1760 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 96 days remaining. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington (19 July 1735–22 May 1781) was an Irish politician and composer, best known today for fathering several distinguished British politicians. ... The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those peers created by British monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. ... Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ...

Education and Early Career

He was educated at Eton College, where he distinguished himself as a classical scholar, and at Christ Church, Oxford. By his father's death in 1781 he became 2nd Earl of Mornington, taking his seat in the Irish House of Lords. In 1784 he entered the House of Commons as member for Beeraiston. Soon afterwards he was appointed a lord of the Treasury by William Pitt the Younger. in 1793 he became a member of the Board of Control over Indian affairs; and, although he was best known for his speeches in defence of Pitt's foreign policy, he was gaining the acquaintance with Oriental affairs which made his rule over India so effective from the moment when, in 1797, he accepted the office of Governor-General. The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, commonly known as Eton College or just Eton, is a prestigious and internationally known independent school for boys. ... College name Christ Church Named after Jesus Christ Established 1546 Sister College Trinity College Dean The Very Revd Christopher Andrew Lewis JCR President William Dorsey Undergraduates 426 Graduates 154 Home page Boat Club Christ Church (Latin: Ædes Christi, the temple or house of Christ, and thus once commonly and still... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and is now the dominant branch of Parliament. ... The new eastern entrance to HM Treasury HM Treasury (Her/His Majestys Treasury) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for and putting into effect the UK Governments financial and economic policy. ... The Right Honourable William Pitt, the Younger (28 May 1759–23 January 1806) was a British politician during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. ... 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1797 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Work in India

Mornington seems to have caught Pitt's large political spirit in the period 1793 to 1797. Both seem to have formed the design of acquiring a great empire in India to compensate for the loss of the American colonies; the rivalry with France, which in Europe placed Britain at the head of coalition after coalition against the French republic and empire, made Mornington's rule in India an epoch of enormous and rapid extension of British power. Robert Clive won and Warren Hastings consolidated the British ascendancy in India, but Mornington extended it into an empire. On the voyage outwards, he formed the design of annihilating French influence in the Deccan. Soon after his landing, in April 1798, he learnt that an alliance was being negotiated between Tippoo Sultan and the French republic. Mornington resolved to anticipate the action of the enemy, and ordered preparations for war. The first step was to effect the disbandment of the French troops entertained by the Nizam of Hyderabad. The invasion of Mysore followed in February 1799, and the campaign was brought to a rapid close by the capture of Seringapatam. In 1803, the restoration of the Peshwa proved the prelude to the Mahratta war against Sindh and the raja of Berar, in which brother Arthur took a leading rôle. The result of these wars and of the treaties which followed them was that French influence in India was extinguished, that forty million people and ten millions of revenue were added to the British dominions, and that the powers of the Mahratta and all other princes were so reduced that Britain became the true dominant authority over all India. He found the East India Company a trading body, but left it an imperial power. Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Plassey (September 29, 1725 - November 22, 1774) was the statesman and general who established the empire of British India. ... Warren Hastings (December 6, 1732 - August 22, 1818) was the first governor-general of British India, from 1773 to 1786. ... The Deccan Plateau is a vast plateau in India, encompassing most of Central and Southern India. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Tipu sultans summer palace Tipu Sultan, also known as Tipu Sahib (1753 - May 4, 1799) was ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1782, and one of the primary native sources of resistance to the establishment of British rule in India. ... Nizam-ul-Mulk was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad state from 1724 to 1949. ... Hyderabad and Berar, 1903 Hyderābād was an autonomous princely state of south-central India from 1724 until 1948, ruled by a hereditary Nizam, and an Indian state from 1948 to 1956. ... Mysore (Kannada: ಮೈಸೂರು) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. ... 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1803 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Maratha Empire at its peak in 1760 AD Statue of the great Baji Rao, near Shaniwar Wada, Pune The Peshwa (also known in Marathi as Peshwe) were Brahmin Prime Ministers to the Maratha Chattrapatis (Kings), who began commanding Maratha armies and later became the hereditary rulers of the Maratha... Extent of the Maratha Confederacy ca. ... Sindh (Sind) (Sindhi: سنڌ ;Urdu: سندھ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and is home to the Sindhis, Muhajirs and various other groups. ... Berar is a former province of British India, located in central India. ... Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ... The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was a joint-stock company string of investors, which was granted a Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intent to favour trade privileges in India. ...

He was an excellent administrator, and picked two of his talented brothers for his staff: Arthur was his military adviser, and Henry was his personal secretary. He founded Fort William, a training centre intended for those who would be involved in governing India. In connection with this college, he established the governor-general's office, to which civilians who had shown talent at the college were transferred, in order that they might learn something of the highest statesmanship in the immediate service of their chief. A free-trader like Pitt, he endeavoured to remove some of the restrictions on the trade between Britain and India. Both the commercial policy of Wellesley and his educational projects brought him into hostility with the court of directors, and he more than once tendered his resignation, which, however, public necessities led him to postpone till the autumn of 1805. He reached England just in time to see Pitt before his death. He had been created a Peer of Great Britain in 1797, and in 1799 became Marquess Wellesley in the Peerage of Ireland. Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ... Henry Wellesley (born Wesley), 1st Baron Cowley, GCB (20 January 1773 - 27 April 1847) was the younger brother of the Duke of Wellington, and became a notable diplomat in his own right. ... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1797 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Napoleonic Wars

On the fall of the coalition ministry in 1807 Wellesley was invited by George III to join the Duke of Portland's cabinet, but he declined, pending the discussion in parliament of certain charges brought against him in respect of his Indian administration. Resolutions condemning him for the abuse of power were moved in both the Lords and Commons, but defeated by large majorities. In 1809 Wellesley was appointed ambassador to Spain. He landed at Cádiz just after the Battle of Talavera de la Reina, and tried unsuccessfully to bring the Spanish government into effective co-operation with his brother, who, through the failure of his allies, had been forced to retreat into Portugal. A few months later, after the duel between George Canning and Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, and the resignation of both, Wellesley accepted the post of Foreign Secretary in Spencer Perceval's cabinet. 1807 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... George III (George William Frederick) (4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ... William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, (April 14, 1738 - October 30, 1809) was a British statesman and Prime Minister. ... 1809 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Nickname: Tacita de plata (little silver cup) Official website: http://www. ... Combatants Spain Britain France Commanders Duke of Wellington Gregorio de la Cuesta Baron Sebastiani Joseph Bonaparte Strength 20,000 British 33,000 Spanish 50,000 Casualties 6,500 dead or wounded 7,390 dead or wounded The Battle of Talavera was a battle of the Peninsular War. ... George Canning (April 11, 1770 - August 8, 1827) was a British politician who served as Foreign Secretary and, briefly, Prime Minister. ... Lord Castlereagh Foreign Secretary 1812–1822 Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCH, PC (18 June 1769 – 12 August 1822), known until 1821 by his courtesy title of Viscount Castlereagh, was an Anglo-Irish politician born in Dublin who represented the United Kingdom at the Congress of Vienna. ... The position of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs was created in the United Kingdoms governmental reorganization of 1782, in which the Northern and Southern Departments became the Home and Foreign Offices. ... -1...

He held this office until February 1812, when he retired, partly from dissatisfaction at the inadequate support given to Wellington by the ministry, but also because he had become convinced that the question of Catholic emancipation could no longer be kept in the background. From early life Wellesley had, unlike his brother, been an advocate of Catholic emancipation, and with the claim of the Irish Catholics to justice he henceforward identified himself. On Perceval's assassination he, along with Canning, refused to join Lord Liverpool's administration, and he remained out of office till 1821, criticizing with severity the proceedings of the Congress of Vienna and the European settlement of 1814, which, while it reduced France to its ancient limits, left to the other great powers the territory that they had acquired by the Partitions of Poland and the destruction of the Republic of Venice. He was one of the peers who signed the protest against the enactment of the Corn Laws in 1815. 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Catholic Emancipation was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity and the Test Acts. ... Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool (June 7, 1770 - December 4, 1828) was a British statesman, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827. ... 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Congress of Vienna was a conference between ambassadors from the major powers in Europe that was chaired by the Austrian statesman Klemens Wenzel von Metternich and held in Vienna, Austria, from September 1, 1814, to June 9, 1815. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, commonly known as the Partitions of Poland (Polish: Rozbiór Polski or Rozbiory Polski; Lithuanian: Padalijimas) took place in the 18th century and ended the existence of the sovereign Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... The Most Serene Republic of Venice (Venetian: Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta; Italian: ) was a Venetian city-state in Northeastern Italy, based around the city of Venice. ... The Corn Laws, in force between 1815 and 1846, were import tariffs ostensibly designed to protect British farmers and landowners against competition from cheap foreign grain imports. ... The Battle of New Orleans 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Ireland and Later Life

Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland was painted by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun in 1791.

Wellesley lived together with Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland, an actress at the Palais Royal (and by some accounts a prostitute) for many years. Her mother's husband was Pierre Roland, but she was said to be the daughter of an Irishman named Christopher Alexander Fagan. She had three sons and two daughters by Wellesley before he married her on 29 November 1794. He moved her to London, where Hyacinthe was generally miserable, as she never learned English and she was scorned by high society. Their daughter Anne was an ancestor of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later Queen Consort). Another daughter, Hyacinthe Mary Wellesley, married Baron Hatherton. Following his wife's death in 1816, he married, on 29 October 1825, Marianne (Caton) Patterson, whose mother Mary was the daughter of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence. They had no children. Image File history File links Lebr017. ... Image File history File links Lebr017. ... Self-portrait, 1782 Marie-Louise-Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun (April 16, 1755 - March 30, 1842) was a French painter, the most famous woman painter of the 18th century. ... Gardens of the Palais-Royal: The illustration, from an 1863 guide to Paris, enlarges the apparent scale. ... November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon as Queen Elizabeth. ... Baron Hatherton is a peerage title created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1835. ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 63 days remaining. ... 1825 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Charles Carroll Charles Carroll of Carrollton (September 19, 1737–November 14, 1832) was a lawyer and politician from Maryland who was a delegate to the Continental Congress and later a United States Senator. ... U.S. Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence is the document in which the Thirteen Colonies in North America declared themselves independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain and explained their justifications for doing so. ...

In 1821 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Catholic emancipation had now become an open question in the cabinet, and Wellesley's acceptance of the viceroyalty was believed in Ireland to herald the immediate settlement of the Catholic claims. The Orange faction was incensed by the firmness with which their excesses were now repressed, and Wellesley was on one occasion mobbed and insulted. The hope of the Catholics remained unfulfilled. Lord Liverpool died without having grappled with the problem. Canning died; and on the assumption of office by Wellington, who was opposed to Catholic emancipation, his brother resigned the lord-lieutenancy. He had, however, the satisfaction of seeing the Catholic claims settled in the next year by the very statesmen who had declared against them. In 1833 he resumed the office of Lord Lieutenant under Earl Grey, but the ministry soon fell, and, with one short exception, Wellesley did not take any further part in official life. 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Official standard of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (plural: Lords Lieutenant), also known as the Judiciar in the early mediaeval period and as the Lord Deputy as late as the 17th century, was the Kings representative and head of the Irish executive during the... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Right Honourable Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC (13 March 1764–17 July 1845), known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was a British Whig statesman and Prime Minister. ...

On his death, he had no successor in the marquessate, but the earldom of Mornington and minor honours devolved on his brother William, Lord Maryborough, on the failure of whose issue in 1863 they fell to the 2nd Duke of Wellington. William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington (1763–1845) was an Irish politician and an elder brother of the Duke of Wellington. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ...

Sir Alured Clarke (c. ... The Governor-General of India (or Governor-General and Viceroy of India) was the head of the British administration in India. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst (22 May 1762 - 27 July 1834), the elder son of the second earl. ... The position of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs was created in the United Kingdoms governmental reorganization of 1782, in which the Northern and Southern Departments became the Home and Foreign Offices. ... Lord Castlereagh Foreign Secretary 1812–1822 Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCH, PC (18 June 1769 – 12 August 1822), known until 1821 by his courtesy title of Viscount Castlereagh, was an Anglo-Irish politician born in Dublin who represented the United Kingdom at the Congress of Vienna. ... Official standard of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (plural: Lords Lieutenant), also known as the Judiciar in the early mediaeval period and as the Lord Deputy as late as the 17th century, was the Kings representative and head of the Irish executive during the... Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey (17 May 1768–29 April 1854) was a British military leader and politician, now chiefly remembered for leading the charge of the heavy cavalry against dErlons column during the Battle of Waterloo. ... Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1776-1839), was the son and successor of George Nugent-Temple-Grenville, 1st Marquess of Buckingham and the grandson of prime minister George Grenville. ... almLord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household, in England, an important official of the Royal Household. ... George William Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll GCH PC (22 September 1768–22 October 1839) was the son of John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll and his wife, Elizabeth. ... Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey (17 May 1768–29 April 1854) was a British military leader and politician, now chiefly remembered for leading the charge of the heavy cavalry against dErlons column during the Battle of Waterloo. ... Official standard of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (plural: Lords Lieutenant), also known as the Judiciar in the early mediaeval period and as the Lord Deputy as late as the 17th century, was the Kings representative and head of the Irish executive during the... Thomas Hamilton, 9th Earl of Haddington (21 June 1780 - 1 December 1858) was a British Conservative politician and statesman. ... The Right Honourable George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey PC (August 19, 1773–October 3, 1859) was the son of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey. ... The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom, and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the great offices of state. ... The Most Honourable Sir Francis Nathaniel Conyngham, 2nd Marquess of Conyngham KP PC (June 11, 1797–July 17, 1879) was the son of Henry Conyngham, 1st Marquess of Conyngham. ... The title Earl of Mornington was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1760 for Garret Wellesley. ... Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington (19 July 1735–22 May 1781) was an Irish politician and composer, best known today for fathering several distinguished British politicians. ... The title Earl of Mornington was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1760 for Garret Wellesley. ... William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington GCH PC (1763–1845), known between 1821 and 1842 as The Lord Maryborough, was a British politician and an elder brother of the Duke of Wellington. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.