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What was the duke of wellington horse called
Executive summary
The Duke of Wellington’s best‑known war horse was named Copenhagen; the chestnut stallion (foaled 1808) carried Wellington at Waterloo and was retired to Stratfield Saye, dying in 1836 [1] [2]. Contemporary and later accounts emphasize Copenhagen’s stamina—Wellington rode him for about 17 hours at Waterloo—and his mixed Thoroughbred–Arabian breeding [1] [3].
1. The name and why it mattered
Copenhagen was explicitly named in honour of the 1807 Copenhagen campaign and that name became inseparable from Wellington’s public image: museums and regimental collections refer to “Copenhagen” as Wellington’s war horse, and the horse’s name is used repeatedly in histories and commemorations of Waterloo [2] [4].
2. What kind of horse was Copenhagen?
Reporting across museum descriptions and horse‑history pieces describes Copenhagen as a chestnut stallion of about 15 hands, sired by Meteor (a son of Eclipse) and of mixed Thoroughbred and Arabian parentage; these sources stress his endurance rather than speed [2] [1] [5].
3. Copenhagen’s career before and during the wars
Copenhagen began as a racehorse with limited success (racing in 1811–12) before being shipped to the Iberian Peninsula during the Peninsular War; he entered Wellington’s stables after being sold by Sir Charles Stewart (or his agent) and subsequently served as the Duke’s mount in several engagements, most famously Waterloo [5] [6] [7].
4. The Waterloo story that made the name famous
Multiple accounts record that Wellington rode Copenhagen throughout the Battle of Waterloo—reportedly for some 17 hours—and that after the battle the Duke patted him and Copenhagen kicked, narrowly missing Wellington’s head; that anecdote features in museum text and popular histories as a vivid moment linking horse and commander [1] [4].
5. Retirement, death, and legacy
After the wars Copenhagen retired to Stratfield Saye, the Duke’s estate, where he lived out his life until dying in February 1836 at an age around 28; his burial received military honours and his fame led to portraits, paintings, and later museum displays and memorial references [1] [8] [7].
6. How historians and institutions treat the story
National Army Museum, specialist histories and dedicated horse‑memorial sites present consistent details about Copenhagen’s breeding, service and temperament; art institutions such as the Rijksmuseum preserved portraits painted from life, showing institutional interest in Copenhagen as both an individual animal and a symbol of Wellington’s success [2] [5] [8].
7. Points of agreement, and small disputes in secondary accounts
Sources broadly agree on the essentials—name, role at Waterloo, breeding, retirement—while differing mainly in colour: estimates of purchase price, the precise route by which Copenhagen entered Wellington’s possession, and the degree of emphasis on anecdotes [6] [7] [9]. These are variations of emphasis rather than contradictions about his identity or his key role at Waterloo [5] [4].
8. Why the horse’s name keeps appearing in public memory
Copenhagen’s association with a decisive historical moment (Waterloo), his long service and survival into a ceremonially honoured retirement, and the physical portraits and memorials that survive have cemented the single‑word identifier “Copenhagen” in public memory; museums and popular histories repeatedly use that name when discussing Wellington’s mounted image [1] [8] [4].
If you want, I can pull the specific Wellington quote about Copenhagen’s endurance, list primary portraits and where they are held (e.g., Rijksmuseum painting), or compile a short timeline of Copenhagen’s life using the sources above [1] [8] [5].