Monday, June 4, 2018

Romantics in Arms - The Case of Edward John Trelawny



Edward John Trelawny
(1792-1881)

"Adventurer" , "Novelist", "Fighter", "Biographer", "Revolutionary"

These are some words used to describe Edward John Trelawny.  His life was the embodiment of the ideals that the Romantic movement stood for. But instead of reading about them, he lived accordingly. To the fullest!

"Trelawny then travelled to Greece with Lord Byron in order to fight in the Greek War of Independence. Byron and Trelawny split up near Greece and Trelawny travelled into Greece to act as the agent of Lord Byron. After Byron died, Trelawny oversaw the preparations for the funeral and the return of his body to England. He also wrote his obituaries. Trelawny joined the cause of the Greek Warlord Odysseas Androutsos and helped to provide him with additional arms. He also married Odysseas' sister Teritza. After Odysseas fell out of favour with the Greek government and was arrested, Trelawny took control of his mountain fortress. 

Portrait of the Hellenic warlord Odysseas Androutsos.
Trelawny's brother in law.
 
During this time, Trelawny survived an assassination attempt. After leaving Greece, he divorced Teritza and returned to England. In England he was well received by members of London society. He then wrote a memoir titled Adventures of a Younger Son. After the book was published he travelled to America for two years before returning to England. He then became politically active but soon remarried and moved to the English countryside.
He then lived the life of a country squire for 12 years and raised a family with his third wife. They eventually separated and he moved back to London with a mistress. He then wrote a well received book about Shelley and Byron. He soon became friends with several prominent artists and writers in London. He was able to share his firsthand experience with Romantic Era writers with the leading Victorian writers of the day. He later retired to Sompting, where he led an ascetic lifestyle. He died in Sompting at the age of 88, having outlived almost all of his friends from the Romantic era."
 (wikipedia )

You can read Edward John Trelawny's in depth biography HERE

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