Contents
Lord Byron
Writing Don Juan and embodying the rebellious Romantic poet.
Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage · Manfred
- Born
- 22 January 1788
- Birthplace
- London, UK
- Died
- 19 April 1824
More people
Lord Byron
Lord Byron was a British poet whose wit, restless travels and public controversies became inseparable from his literary reputation. His work ranges from brooding journeys to sharp comic attacks on social convention.
Early life
Scottish childhood
Grew up in Aberdeen before inheriting his title and the family estate as a boy.
Harrow and Cambridge
Attended Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge.
Career
- 1807
First collection
Published Hours of Idleness, followed by a satirical response to its critics.
- 1812
Literary fame
The first cantos of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage made him widely known.
- 1816
Life abroad
Left Britain and lived in Switzerland and Italy.
- 1823–1824
Greek independence
Travelled to Greece to support the struggle against Ottoman rule.
Selected work
Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage
A poetic journey through Europe marked by disillusionment.
Manfred
A dramatic poem about guilt and defiance.
Don Juan
An unfinished comic epic that satirises politics, desire and respectable society.
Beyond work
Family
His daughter Ada Lovelace became a pioneering figure in computing.
Literary friendships
Spent time with Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley during his European years.
Sources & photo credit
Life and career ↗Institutional or specialist reference ↗Photo: Thomas Phillips. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
