Why did Arthur Wellesley attend a military academy in France?

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Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, oil on canvas by Sir Thomas Lawrence.

Arthur Wellesley was sent to a military academy in France because he was considered too withdrawn to benefit from his schooling at Eton. His mother, who viewed him as "food for powder and nothing more," believed this specialized training was a more suitable path for him.1