Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo

Online Course

University of Southampton

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Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo

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Prerequisites & Facts
Cost, Certificate & Degree
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What is the course about?

Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo

The course Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo is an online class provided by University of Southampton through Future Learn. It may be possible to receive a verified certification or use the course to prepare for a degree.

Find out about the Battle of Waterloo and explore the Duke of Wellington’s archive with this free online course.

Course description

3 weeks

The Battle of Waterloo was a key event of nineteenth-century European history, but why was it fought, who was involved and what were the consequences? We will use original documents from the University of Southampton’s Wellington Archive to contextualise the battle and the role of Wellington in commanding the allied forces against Napoleon. Sources from the battle itself — from official despatches to soldiers’ journals — will help you consider how different interpretations arise. You also will learn about the immediate consequences of the battle and its longer-term place in British culture.

Placing Waterloo in context: the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, the conclusion of a world war and the settlement of 1814.
The road to war: Napoleon’s dramatic return from exile, the Congress of Vienna and urgent preparations for further European war.
The forces that fought at Waterloo, how they were deployed and commanded.
Interpreting accounts of the battle, from official despatches to soldiers’ memoirs.
After the battle; the occupation of France by the Allied Powers and the exile of Napoleon.
How the battle was commemorated in the years immediately after 1815, from monuments and banquets to museums and battlefield tourism.
How the battle was depicted in popular paintings and literature, and how Wellington was depicted through sculpture and publication of his correspondence.
Wellington’s later life, his grand state funeral and his enduring place in British culture.

Explore the background to the Battle of Waterloo, accounts of the battle, its immediate aftermath and its longer-term impact on British culture.
Discuss different accounts of the battle and how they have arisen.
Evaluate original documents to see how they were written and what they tell us about the politics of the time.
Debate the ways in which wars are commemorated.

This course is aimed at both A-level students and anyone with an interest in politics or European and military history.

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Prerequisites & Facts

Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo

Course Topic

British History, History, Military History

University, College, Institution

University of Southampton

Course Skill Level

see course summary

Course Language

English

Place of class

Online, self-paced (see curriculum for more information)

Degree

Certificate

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Degree & Cost

Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo

To obtain a verified certificate from Future Learn / University of Southampton you have to finish this course or the latest version of it, if there is a new edition. The class may be free of charge, but there could be some cost to receive a verified certificate or to access the learning materials. The specifics of the course may have been changed, please consult the provider to get the latest quotes and news.

University of Southampton

Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo

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