The Emperor and the Duke

Wellington and Napoleon never met or corresponded and fought against each other only once. Both were born in 1769 to the lesser nobility from island possessions of their respective kingdoms. In quite different ways both of their careers were family affairs. Napoleon privately praised Wellington for his ruthlessness yet publicly condemned him as a mere “sepoy general”; the Duke described the Emperor’s “whole life, civil, political and military...a fraud.” But in the end, it was Wellington who saved Napoleon when there were calls for him to be executed, as he stood strongly against it. This class will chart, contrast and compare their similarities, marked differences and unique military political journeys during a period of upheaval and change.

Michael Budd, Ph.D., is the author of “The Sculpture Machine: Physical Culture and Body Politics in the Age of Empire” (Macmillan UK/ NYU Press 1997). He has written for scholarly and popular venues, including the International Journal of Sport History, and Afterimage. Michael’s current research focuses on global consumer identity and the national body in relation to technology, memory, violence and authoritarian ideas. He earned his B.S. degree from the University of Oregon and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Modern European history from Rutgers University. He is a professor in Salve Regina University’s history department and the humanities Ph.D. program.