A sitting British Prime Minister fought a duel in 1829 over religious rights
The Duke of Wellington took his political battles to a literal battlefield in 1829, when he challenged a fellow nobleman to a duel over the rights of British Catholics.
In a shocking breach of decorum, Prime Minister Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, met the Earl of Winchilsea for a duel at Battersea Fields. Winchilsea had publicly accused the Duke of 'treason' for supporting the Catholic Relief Act, which granted civil rights to Catholics.
Continue Reading in App
1 more paragraph · plus a 3-question quiz