Did the Duke of Wellington really fight a duel about Kings College London?
Yes. The background to the incident involved proposals by the Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington, and by Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel, to grant emancipation to Irish Catholics. Wellington and Peel, hitherto steadfast opponents of the reform, dropped their opposition when confronted with the prospect of civil war in the kingdom. They were accused of betrayal by their former allies and their motives for sponsoring the new King’s College called into question. Supporters of the religious status quo among subscribers to King’s College were outraged and withdrew their financial support to the College. George Finch-Hatton, 9th Earl of Winchilsea, who had earned a ferocious reputation as a vocal critic of Irish leader, Daniell O’Connell, led the boycott. Winchilsea went further than most, however, authorising the publication of a letter addressed to the Secretary of the College’s Provisional Committee. In this letter he accused Wellington of dishonesty in championing the cause of a prote
