He often wrote about sentimental love and pursued it. Byron was a member of English nobility, with some of the financial and social privileges that entailed. And this allowed him to make distinctions between love, which he admired, and marriage, which he did not – unless it offered transactional or financial benefits. In 1812, Byron published his poem titled Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, which he considered an insignificant trifle, but it was well received and made him a celebrity.
His couplings, though, defined him among his contemporaries in England and eventually forced him to flee to Europe. After years of scandalous behavior, Byron took an interest in Greek indepen- dence. It became the cause he was willing to fight for. He sold his house in England and used the money to help the Greek war effort against Ottoman rule. Byron was preparing to lead Greek freedom fighters in an attack on a fortress held by the Turks when he became sick and died. He was 36.
The painting "Lord Byron in Albanian Dress," 1813 Artist: Thomas Phillips Public Domain
English writer George Gordon Byron was born on this day in 1788. Known as Lord Byron, he is one of the most prominent poets of the Romantic literary movement.
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