Tennyson, Alfred Lord

Alfred, Lord Tennyson was one of the most renowned English poets of the Victorian era. He was born in 1809 in Lincolnshire, England. Tennyson began writing poetry in his youth and published his first collection of poems together with his brother Charles in 1827. However, it was not until the 1830s that Alfred gained critical and popular acclaim for works like “The Lady of Shalott” and “Ulysses” which displayed his talent for narrative verse and lyricism.

Tennyson was named Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom after the passing of William Wordsworth in 1850. He continued to cement his status as the preeminent poet of the Victorian age through masterworks including “In Memoriam A.H.H.” a long memorial poem written for a close friend, as well as the epic “Idylls of the King” his retelling of the legends of King Arthur in poetic form. The latter established him as one of England’s most renowned writers.

Beyond his literary achievements, Tennyson was made a peer in 1884 being granted the title Baron Tennyson of Aldworth by Queen Victoria. He continued to produce poems into his advanced years until his death in 1892 at age 83. Over the course of his prolific career spanning nearly seven decades, Tennyson came to embody the voice of poetry for Britain in the 19th century. His works ranging from intimate personal verses to nationalistic epics depicted both the internal landscape and the rapidly changing wider world around him. Today, he ranks among the most outstanding English poets of any era.