Accounts of Waterloo are two a penny. Few writers, however, have considered what came afterwards, how the battle was celebrated, and later commemorated. This talk addresses such omissions. Beginning with Wellington and his iconic Waterloo Despatch, it goes on to consider contrasting representations of the battle in art and literature, especially with respect to landmark anniversaries. The talk also takes account of the fluctuating reputation of the Iron Duke down to his state funeral in 1852. But the Waterloo story is taken further, down to Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe novels, Blackadder and even beyond the 2015 bi-centenary. Can do at short notice or book up to 10 months in advance.
Views: 52 | Enquiries: 0R. E. FOSTER graduated with a First in History from the University of Southampton. Recipient of a major state studentship from the British Academy, he became the first graduate to work on the Wellington Papers when they were deposited at Southampton in 1983. After 28 years’ teaching, he resigned in order to research and write full time. He has written four books: The Politics of County Power (1990), Wellington and Waterloo (2014), Sidney Herbert (2019) and Wilton Women (2022). He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
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