Greece, Lord Byron's Death, 1823-1824

The Age of Bronze

Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron. The Age of Bronze: Or, Carmen Seculare et Annus Haud Mirabilis. 1st ed. London: Printed for John Hunt, 1823.

Byron Society Collection.

“In 1823 he published The Age of Bronze, a satirical poem on the Congress of Verona, and The Island.

In Jan. 1824, after various mishaps and escapes, he arrived at Missolonghi. He formed the ‘Byron Brigade’ and gave large sums of money, and great inspiration, to the insurgent Greeks; but before he saw any serious military action he died of fever in April.”

Byron, George Gordon in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature

"Lord Byron at Age of 19." Byron Society Collection.

“On 16 July 1823, Byron left Genoa, arriving at Kefalonia in the Ionian Islands on 4 August. When Byron travelled to the mainland of Greece on the night of 28 December 1823, Byron's ship was surprised by an Ottoman warship, which did not attack his ship, as the Ottoman captain mistook Byron's boat for a fireship. To avoid the Ottoman Navy, which he encountered several times on his voyage, Byron was forced to take a roundabout route and only reached Missolonghi on 5 January 1824.”

Brewer, David (2011). The Greek War of Independence. London: Overlook Duckworth.

Greek Byron Medal. Byron Society Collection.

Greece 1824

“On 15 February, Gamba found Byron lying on the sofa on the upper floor of the house, calling out that he was not well. In the late evening, Byron had a fit and Dr. Bruno and Dr Millingen were with him. He had had a change of countenance. He complained of a pain in his knee, and tried to stand up, but could not walk. His mouth was drawn to one side and, while in the fit, he foamed at the mouth, gnashed his teeth and rolled his eyes like one in an epilepsy (Millingen). After remaining in this state about two minutes, his senses returned. The next day he was still very weak but got up at noon. Drs Bruno and Millingen decided that Byron should be bled and applied eight leeches to his forehead but there was excessive bleeding as they had been applied too near the temporal artery, causing Byron to faint. Byron recovered slowly and had been deeply disturbed by the attack, asking whether it would prove fatal and saying that he was not afraid to die. Two days later his eyes were acutely inflamed.

On l March Byron complained to Gamba that he was often afflicted by vertigo, which made him feel as if intoxicated. He had also very disagreeable nervous sensations resembling the feeling of fear. Later in the month, Byron was prevented from riding because of heavy rains and he complained of frequent feelings of oppression on his chest, but nevertheless continued evening exercises.”

A.R. Mills, The Last Illness of Lord Byron, Edinburgh

The Deformed Transformed; A Drama

Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron. The Deformed Transformed; A Drama. 1st variant ed. London: Printed for J. and H.L. Hunt, 1824.

Byron Society Collection.

The Deformed Transformed written in 1822, published in 1824

The play tells the story of a deformed and disfigured man named Bertram who is shunned by society and seeks revenge against those who have wronged him. As the play progresses, Bertram becomes more and more consumed by his desire for revenge, leading to tragic consequences for himself and those around him. The Deformed Transformed explores themes of revenge, isolation, and the destructive power of obsession, and is considered one of Byron's most powerful and haunting works.

Plaster Cast of Lord Byron's Hand. Byron Society Collection.

“By 4 April Byron was able to go riding. While doing so, on 9 April, he was overtaken by heavy rain. He arrived at Mesolongi wet through and in a violent perspiration, having instead of riding returned in an open boat, a journey of half an hour. Two hours later he was seized by shuddering and complained of fever and rheumatic pains. Overnight he was feverish but not enough to deter him from riding out again the next morning, an hour earlier than usual, for fear that it would rain if he waited. He still had pains in his bones and a headache. That evening, 10 April, he was visited by Dr. Millingen, and later by Dr. Bruno to whom he complained of wandering pains over his body and chills alternating with hot spells. During the night he slept little and restlessly and in the morning Bruno, as usual, recommended bleeding but when Byron refused firmly, he dosed his patient with castor oil and gave him a hot bath.”

A.R. Mills, The Last Illness of Lord Byron, Edinburgh

"Lord Byron Philhellene." Byron Society Collection.

The 18 April was the Greek Easter Sunday, but as Byron was delirious and very ill, the celebrations in the town were suppressed in deference to him. Dr. Bruno returned with the one remedy he knew and, getting the consent of the other doctors, applied 12 leeches and extracted two pounds of blood. For a while Byron was calm and discussed letters with Gamba, who had arrived at noon. By the middle of the afternoon Byron realised that he was in mortal danger. He was nevertheless able to walk across the chamber leaning on his servant. Later he became delirious again and talked wildly. The doctors gave him a clyster of senna, three ounces of Epsom salt and three of castor oil. Byron got out of bed to relieve himself. This was the last tire he left his bed. At 6 pm Fletcher heard Byron say 'I want to sleep now'. These were his last words. The doctors applied leeches to his temples and the blood flowed all night. On Easter Monday 19 April his breathing became stertorous and his pulse intermittent. He remained unconscious, moaning a little from time to time. At 6.15 pm Byron was seen to open his eyes and close them again. Byron was dead. The next day Drs Bruno and Millingen attended by Dr Meyer, a Swiss editor of the Greek Chronicle carried out a post-mortem examination. Millingen's account is given. It will be noted that the state of the spleen is not mentioned in the autopsy report but is included in the official certificate of the authorities regarding the disposal of the body.

A.R. Mills, The Last Illness of Lord Byron, Edinburgh

Miniature statue after George Sanders. Byron Society Collection.

Death, so called, is a thing which makes men weep,

And yet a third of life is passed in sleep. 

Lord Byron

Brass Relief of Lord Byron. Byron Society Collection.

Commemorative Silver Medal. Byron Society Collection.

“Byron’s cares and anxieties in these last days drove him once more to seek release in writing. This agonized poem seems to have been the last he ever penned.”

I watched thee when the foe was at our side,
Ready to strike at him—or thee and me.
Were safety hopeless—rather than divide
Augth with one loved save love and liberty.

I watched thee on the breakers, when the rock
Received our prow and all was strom and fear,
And bade thee cling to me through every shock;
This arm would be thy bark, or breast thy bier.

I watched thee when the fever glazed thine eyes,
Yielding my couch and stretched me on the ground,
When overworn with watching, ne’er to rise
From thence if thou an early grave hadst found.

The earthquake came, and rocked the quivering wall,
And men and nature reeled as if with wine.
Whom did I seek around the tottering hall?
For thee. Whose safety first provide for? Thine.

And when convulsive throes denied my breath
The faintest utterance to my fading thought,
To thee–to thee–e’en in the gasp of death
My spirit turned, oh! Oftener than it ought.

Thus much and more; and yet thou lovs’t me not,
And never wilt! Love dwells not in our will.
Nor can I blame thee, though it be my lot
To strongly, wrongly, vainly love thee still.

Leslie Marchand, Byron: A Biography