Who Owned Waterloo?: Battle, Memory, and Myth in British History, 1815-1852

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Luke Reynolds (Assistant Professor in Residence, Assistant Professor in Residence, University of Connecticut, Stamford Campus)

Who Owned Waterloo?

Battle, Memory, and Myth in British History, 1815-1852

Luke Reynolds (Assistant Professor in Residence, Assistant Professor in Residence, University of Connecticut, Stamford Campus)

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English

Oxford University Press
10 September 2022

British & Irish history; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; Social & cultural history; Napoleonic Wars

Between 1815 and the Duke of Wellington's death in 1852, the Battle of Waterloo became much more than simply a military victory. While other countries marked the battle and its anniversary, only Britain actively incorporated the victory into their national identity, guaranteeing that it would become a ubiquitous and multi-layered presence in British culture. By examining various forms of commemoration, celebration, and recreation, Who Owned Waterloo? demonstrates that Waterloo's significance to Britain's national psyche resulted in a different kind of war altogether: one in which civilian and military groups fought over and established their own claims on different aspects of the battle and its remembrance. By weaponizing everything from memoirs, monuments, rituals, and relics to hippodramas, panoramas, and even shades of blue, veterans pushed back against civilian claims of ownership; English, Scottish, and Irish interests staked their claims; and conservatives and radicals duelled over the direction of the country. Even as ownership was contested among certain groups, large portions of the British population purchased souvenirs, flocked to spectacles and exhibitions, visited the battlefield itself, and engaged in a startling variety of forms of performative patriotism, guaranteeing not only the further nationalization of Waterloo, but its permanent place in nineteenth century British popular and consumer culture.

By: Luke Reynolds (Assistant Professor in Residence Assistant Professor in Residence University of Connecticut Stamford Campus)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 160mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 542g
ISBN: 9780192864994
ISBN 10: 0192864998
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 10 September 2022
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Luke Reynolds received his PhD from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and also holds degrees from Trinity College, Dublin, Hunter College, CUNY, and the University of Cambridge. A born-and-raised New Yorker, he is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut's Stamford Campus.

Reviews for Who Owned Waterloo?: Battle, Memory, and Myth in British History, 1815-1852

A wide ranging, scholarly and well written study of how the victory at Waterloo came to occupy a central place in British culture long after the last shot was fired. * Rory Muir, author of Wellington: Waterloo and the Fortunes of Peace * Narrated in a lively, engaging style, with a sure-handed mastery of its sources, Who Owned Waterloo? marks the debut of an historian of exceptional promise. Luke Reynolds documents an astonishing array of Waterloo tributes and mementoes, making us comprehend how deeply the battlefield victory shaped the British psyche and polity for more than a generation. Not just an important work of history, but a vastly entertaining one. * Ron Chernow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Alexander Hamilton and Washington: A Life *

Winner of Winner, 2023 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Awards, First Book category Shortlisted, Best First Book Prize, The Society for Army Historical Research.
Winner of Winner, 2023 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Awards, First Book category.
Winner of Winner, 2023 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Awards.
Winner of Winner, Society for Military History 2023 Distinguished Book Award, First Book Category Runner Up for the Society for Army Historical Research 2023 Best First Book Prize.