Born: 6 August 1809 · Died: 6 October 1892 · Age: 83
Victorian Poet Laureate who wrote In Memoriam, The Lady of Shalott and The Charge of the Light Brigade
Did you know?He remains one of the most frequently quoted writers in the English language, with many of his phrases becoming common everyday idioms.
Quick facts
Date of birth6 August 1809
Date of death6 October 1892
Age at death83
NationalityBritish
BirthplaceSomersby, United Kingdom
Occupationpoet, politician, writer
Editor's Take:
Alfred Tennyson was the voice of Victorian Britain. He was Poet Laureate for more than 40 years, longer than anyone else. The sudden death of his friend Arthur Hallam haunted him, and his long poem In Memoriam turned that grief into a meditation on faith and doubt. The Charge of the Light Brigade made a military blunder in the Crimean War into a legend. His poems are musical, rich in sound and full of feeling. Many of his lines became everyday sayings. He was made a baron in 1884.
Key Milestones
1830: Publishes his first solo collection, Poems, Chiefly Lyrical
1850: Publishes In Memoriam A.H.H. and becomes Poet Laureate
1854: Writes The Charge of the Light Brigade
1884: Raised to the peerage as Baron Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign.