Robert Southey

Date of Birth: August 12, 1774

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Date of Death: March 21, 1843

Biography

Robert Southey was an English poet of the Romantic school, born on August 12, 1774, in Bristol, England. He is best known for his long narrative poems and his role as one of the “Lake Poets” alongside William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Southey was educated at Westminster School and later at Balliol College, Oxford, although he left the university without a degree. Southey initially gained attention with his radical political views, reflected in works such as “Joan of Arc” (1796). Over time, his political views shifted, and he became more conservative. He wrote extensively, producing not only poetry but also historical and biographical works. Among his most famous prose works are “The Life of Nelson” (1813), a biography of Admiral Horatio Nelson, and “The History of the Peninsular War” (1823-1832). In 1813, Southey was appointed Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, a position he held until his death in 1843. Despite his prolific output, Southey struggled financially for much of his life due to his large family and the need to support various relatives.

5 Interesting Facts about Robert Southey

1. Robert Southey was a close friend and collaborator of Samuel Taylor Coleridge; they even planned to create a utopian society in America called Pantisocracy.

2. He wrote the famous children’s story “The Story of the Three Bears,” which later evolved into the well-known tale of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”

3. Southey coined the term “autobiography” in English.

4. He was married to Edith Fricker, the sister of Coleridge’s wife, Sara.

5. Despite his conservative turn later in life, Southey initially sympathized with the French Revolution and opposed Britain’s involvement in the Napoleonic Wars.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Robert Southey

1. “If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives.”

2. “No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth.”

3. “The march of intellect, which lulls us asleep.”

4. “A kitten is in the animal world what a rosebud is in the garden.”

5. “Not where I breathe, but where I love, I live.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Robert Southey struggled financially for most of his life, and specific figures for his net worth are not well-documented. However, it is known that he was not wealthy despite his literary success and his position as Poet Laureate.

Children

Robert Southey and his wife Edith Fricker had eight children, though several of them died young. Their children included: 1. Margaret Edith Southey (died in infancy) 2. Edith May Southey 3. Charles Cuthbert Southey 4. Herbert Southey (died young) 5. Katherine Southey (died young) 6. Bertha Southey 7. Isabel Southey 8. Cuthbert Southey