Why did Wellington fight a duel with the earl of Winchilsea?

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

The Duke of Wellington fought a duel with the Earl of Winchilsea in 1829 because Winchilsea, an "ultra-Tory," had publicly abused and criticized Wellington for his role in passing Catholic Emancipation.1

Wellington had successfully persuaded the King and a majority of the Tory party to support the reform, which allowed Catholics to sit in Parliament—a policy that many ultra-Tories, including Winchilsea, viewed as anathema. The duel served as a dramatic conclusion to the political tensions surrounding this legislative victory.1