Lord Byron: Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know

[@Biographics]

Check out Squarespace: squarespace.com/BIOGRAPHICS for 10% off on your first purchase.

[@JonManProductions]

Yes Simon. You did a Ana Lovelace video 3 years ago, a time when you sat in front of a gaming PC and your beard was less glorious as it is now.

[@NickCADA]

Another great episode. Thank you.

[@sumitup8109]

I am a great admirer of this channel. Based on this episode, I would recommend Rudyard Kipling, an interesting author. Thanks for all the great videos over the years.

[@steveshoemaker6347]

Awesome video🤩....Well said and l do think you for it....👍👀

[@phanagorian9275]

A really good video will be on Vlado chernozemski and for it to be called number 1 terrorist in europe

[@tophers3756]

The fact that Byron's little daughter asked for her father in her deathbed is crushing. That's the true tragedy

[@DHFlip18]

I can't look past that, don't care how creative he was, all I'll remember was his cruelty.

[@areiaaphrodite]

When Simon said that "she died unwanted and unloved" at 5/6 years old... that's a soul crushing statement. RIP little angel ❤

[@babscabs1987]

@@DHFlip18 I agree. What an evil bastard to do that to a little girl, not to mention her mother.

[@perfectstorm8204]

that poor baby

[@mancunianace8428]

Yep no time for the pompous upper glass evil poet.

[@ryastor]

That bit about his 5 year old dying begging to see her daddy got me crying. How horrible.

[@ivannovak4711]

A TRUE CHAD

[@varolussalsanclar1163]

@@ivannovak4711 just no

[@AnniePee]

@@ivannovak4711 take your medication

[@semaj_5022]

Yeah that had me tearing up immediately upon him saying that she called for him on her deathbed and died unloved. Such a tragic and heartbreaking short life for that little girl, and that alone is enough to instill a deep hatred in me for Byron. I can't imagine being that cruel and indifferent to a child, let alone your own.

[@masqueilluminati4038]

@@semaj_5022 you gonna hate a dead man that's been gone for 100s of years

[@areiaaphrodite]

Simon being surprised about Ada Lovelace being Lord Byron's daughter is hilarious because he did a Biographics video on her 3 years ago 😂😂

[@DerptyDerptyDUM]

As he tends to say on his more laid back channels, "in through the eyes, out through the mouth." 😅

[@colz848]

Well you dont think news readers actually have a clue what they are talking about do you, same here

[@oscaranderson5719]

it surprised him so much he went from narrator voice to fact-boy 😂

[@areiaaphrodite]

@@colz848 Nah but usually when Simon talks about a person who he's already done a video about, he'd say "and we already done a video about this person and I'll link the video here" etc. So I was surprised that he forgot 🤷‍♀️

[@sazonada]

LOL. I will cut him a break since he films like, 30 one hour videos every day 😂 Honestly... How many hours a week does he film? Damn

[@-MarcusAurelius]

Fun fact: the Countess Teresa Guiccioli, that Byron had an affair with, is the character “the Countess G______” in Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo. The reason Dumas wrote her name as the “Countess G_____” is because it was extremely common for authors to be sued for libel back then, so by writing her name with a line he made it clear who she was to contemporary readers but without the risk of being sued.

[@traviswebb3532]

Very interesting, never heard of that before. Thanks for the interesting tidbit.

[@martinjames6431]

Please don't prefix with "fun fact" as it makes you come off a like a pub bore

[@galloe]

@@martinjames6431 I don't know, that fact was sort of fun.

[@martinjames6431]

@@galloe okay I'll agree a stopped clock etc etc. That one was kinda cool I just hate the prefix. Makes people sound like Sheldon!

[@martinjames6431]

@@galloe i.stopped reading that book when I lost my job. Since then I am never going to start it all over again!

[@kristenmccaig1637]

Just wanted to let Simon know that the Ada Lovelace video was the first of his videos I ever watched and now I'm in an endless loop of Biographics, Geographics, Brain Blaze, Casual Criminalist ect.

[@annemettefrederiksen7751]

And very soon there will be a video of the latest cult of the KZbinr with the 100 channels and his loyal followers brainwashed into fun and frightening facts by the one and only Fact Boy 😂a k a , Boy with the Blaze 🔥

[@--enyo--]

The one on Burke and Hare was my gateway video.

[@naumche1]

Allegedly.

[@oriel9347]

Allegra Byron. Ada was a nickname being her middle name. Lovelace was her husbands title, whereas Byron is her own.

[@SoberOKMoments]

Byron's poetry changed my entire concept of literature. I devoured his books as a teen and, at 80, can still today quote much of his poetry. He was a man of his time. Abused and abuser. Tragic for all concerned. But his words vibrate through the ages.

[@ionz75]

In a poetic world, Byron would have died abandoned and alone, begging to see someone he loved...

[@ArakkoaChronicles]

He did mutter his half-sister's name, so if you believe these stories, he did.

[@brushdogart]

I was thinking "drowns slowly in a cesspit" but your suggestion works too. (I have a five-year-old daughter so I may be a bit biased.)

[@Nephthys-ness]

Yes, Agreed. (But weak from blood loss and illness; one very well might feel abandoned and alone (& I do think he actually felt this deeply his whole life)) I wonder if it's Poetic Ironic that it was others that were begging to see more of him. Those Slashed by his knife want justice, redemption & love. Others, Witnessing his cruelty, sit enthralled by the debauchery. Experiencing a Voyeuristic delight, both in the scandals caused by and surrounding Lord B, and by brushing so close and remaining un-ruined.

[@brushdogart]

​@@Nephthys-ness A historian friend of mine noted that Lord Byron was essentially the Kardashian of his time. A person who was famous for being scandalous. I hadn't even realized the similarities until she explained it to me.

[@joesr31]

@@brushdogart Lord byron did possess great skill and ability though, I doubt many would say the same to the Kardashians

[@spirosgreek1171]

Byron is still remembered as a hero in Greece. Statues and roads bearing his name are everywhere. Even an entire District in Athens is named after him. Thank you for this great video

[@leonieromanes7265]

My favourite thing about Byron. And probably his most redeeming feature is his fight to liberate Greece from the Ottoman empire. I wonder if it ever crossed his mind to liberate his equally oppressed neighbours in Ireland.

[@EMMYK1916]

@@leonieromanes7265 Well put, and thank you for remembering our history here...unfortunately it seems many english so called liberators failed to see the utter balls up they made in Ireland.

[@leonieromanes7265]

@@EMMYK1916 or the double standard of freeing people from one repressive empire. While glorifying how the sun never set on their own.

[@enver_hoxha1908]

At that time greece does not exist At that time greece was South Albania🇦🇱❤

[@phanagorian9275]

@@enver_hoxha1908 you are illyrians it’s true but Greece did indeed exist at that time

[@beatenbytheclown]

I had to study the poetry of Keats, Byron and Shelley when I was in school. I can barely remember a single line of any of it but the words that always stuck with me were those of my English teacher - “Byron makes the Rolling Stones look luck a bunch of choirboys”.

[@beverlykandraceffinger3764]

Ohhh, definitely "rough trade". Not all human complexity is pleasant...I rather miss the colourful term of "rake-hell" for such a personality as Lord Byron's. There's no doubt that the poet was not alone in his nature within the times...but he is certainly the one we'll always remember.

[@CarolFremel-my4hs]

The Assyrians came down like a wolf on the fold x their banners all gleaming in purple and gold etc - magnificent!

[@DC11-ns7vf]

@beatenbytheclown. Yes. I've read some thing's Byron wrote and I dont see the fascination at all! In this story alone there's several different pictures of the guy, but none of them look like the same person!

[@Tmanowns]

I must say I'm disappointed to see that you left out the the vampire in Vampyre was directly based on Byron. Using his monstrous reputation to draw in women interested in the bad boy, thinking they could redeem him. Yet the Vampire, and Byron, may have had a second layer, but that was merely a façade: his true self was just as awful, soulless, and cruel as the surface suggested, and then some.

[@inlikeflynn7238]

you are wrong in this, to say he was a monster or lacked a soul. He was simply a callous man who made cruel decisions when they suited him. To say that he was soulless and vampire-like smacks of the implication that he had no choice or that he was evil and would have always been drawn to commit more evil. I don't like this as it takes the presumption of choice away from a person's decisions and makes all of their actions the result of some devil's plotting. Human beings are responsible for their own actions.

[@Thebookishjamaican]

Hey I think your confused they’re saying the vampire in the game that was based on Byron was soulless lmao 🤣 but I understand what you also mean and you’re right. Humans like to justify the wickedness of people by referring them as soulless animals etc….but no animal is evil by nature only humans!

[@lindosland]

​@@Thebookishjamaican Doing 'evil' is about breaking the implicit agreements with people that society relies on. Animals are not referred to as evil, because they enter into no agreements (though you might argue that wolves or apes can be evil - apes attack and eat other groups of apes). Animals do the same terrible things though that we would call cruel. It's clear to me that both Byron and Percy Shelley were Psychopaths, meaning that they were callous, felt no guilt and showed no remorse. This is something that may be genetic, or just lack of example in early life (which fits - lousy background). The women in their lives and their kids all suffered as a result and some killed themselves or died of neglect. Anyone who has lived with a psychopath knows the impossibility of reforming them - they simply don't see any significance in hurting others in pursuit of their own ends - hard to understand, but the feelings are simply not there! This is a deadly trap for women, who are often attracted to the 'bad boy' who can give them an exciting life.

[@Tmanowns]

@@Thebookishjamaican No, I'm saying the novel, The Vampyre, which Byron's physician wrote while in the Geneva mansion with Mary (soon to be) Shelly and Byron and the like. He was basing the vampire in it on Byron's behavior, which is where the modern vampire got its seductive yet still destructive behavior from. It wasn't enough for the vampire to kill, it wanted to destroy their lives for fun.

[@Thebookishjamaican]

@@Tmanowns Apologies I was thinking about the game Vampire.

[@wildborr5290]

I can't get over the part where his little girl was left to die alone. I was interested untill that point, but now I couldn't care less about anything he did. Absolute piece of s#$t

[@mancunianace8428]

Me too, what a Fing thwat!!!

[@janetkolstein]

She died in the convent surrounded by the nuns who loved her.

[@MsMesem]

@@janetkolstein I'm just reading how although Byron thought to remove her he left her at the convent because she was so happy there. In those days what was a 30 year old man with a bohemian lifestyle supposed to do with an enfant under 5 years? In those days everyone cried for someone on their death bed because travel was long and slow; this is before trains for heavens sake!

[@lallimj]

"He is the best known English poet next to Shakespeare." Really? Can anyone quote anything he wrote other than "So We'll Go No More a Roving'" and "She Walks in Beauty" (which is hard to stomach after knowing how he treated women)? Surely the works of Tennyson, Wordsworth, Keats, and Shelly (and Browning too) are more famous than he is now. If it weren't for the Libertine, "Rock Star" life-style, and the heroic Greek-warrior ending, he'd be a second-tier poet.

[@CorazonMexica]

Finally someone said it.

[@dollkosmos8455]

that's what I thought too

[@SoberOKMoments]

"For I have loved thee, ocean. And my joy in youthful sports was ... " yeah, I can quote the works of Byron that lifted my heart to places poetry had never taken me before. He was a man of his time and a word God unequaled to this very day.

[@pinkyteel525]

MILTON!!!

[@rimjhimdhusiya699]

Like , John Donne anyone???? Byron is better than Donne ??? like come on, man

[@zaubermaus8190]

it always amazes me how well connected prominent people of the past really were...

[@MsMesem]

Society was society. Letters of introduction . A fantastic network enabling young adults to travel far and wide.

[@cathyb1273]

He may be one of Britain great poet, but he was also a monster. He died at 36 and this probably saved the lives of many people and who knows to other children. Why removing this poor little girl from her mother to let her die without mercy in a convent.... Thanks for the video, it was really interesting.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:40 - Chapter 1 - The limping devil 4:45 - Chapter 2 - Boys & bards 8:10 - Mid roll ads 9:35 - Chapter 3 - The grand tour 13:05 - Chapter 4 - Walking in beauty 17:20 - Chapter 5 - Escape to the continent 20:40 - Chapter 6 - " A grand object"

[@thenujayakaluarachchi1766]

Thanks mate, appreciate your work

[@Thebookishjamaican]

So he separated his daughter from her mother, abused the child ignored the mothers plea for her child and instead of giving the child back cause he got bored he decided to orphaned her? That’s beyond evil, cruel and heartless.

[@lisaellis2593]

What do you expect? He is an arrogant aristocrat( Hint - Prince Charles).

[@elizabethsohler6516]

It isn't as if he had good role models. This is not merely an excuse. As this bio makes clear, it must be considered as a mitigating factor.

[@markusaurelius83]

His family damaged him and turned him into a sociopath and he did the same to the next generation. He was most likely a true satanist.

[@davidcartmell2141]

byrons dog bosun. a lovely little tale.

[@carmelmulroy6459]

He was also a rapist

[@Morbos1000]

I didn't know much about him and thought he was a tragic figure persecuted for being gay. He seems to have been a truly shitty human being that by chance was good at writing and happened to be gay.

[@akiraasmr3002]

I didn't know gay men had sex with so many women.

[@terryenby2304]

He was bi. Bi erasure is so popular, even amongst gay, lesbian and trans people. We exist. Not confused, not greedy, not experimenting, not gay, not straight, bi.

[@akiraasmr3002]

@@terryenby2304 Thank you im bi as well and I was like what is this person saying gay when clearly he was having relations with both boys and girls so he was bi. Even with ppl like Freddy Mercury ppl still call him gay and deny his bisexuality since they think we dont exist and that we are either gay or straight in denial smh.

[@AndersWatches]

@@akiraasmr3002 see no. Freddie Mercury was not bisexual. He was gay. There are plenty of actually out actually bisexual people who have faced erasure of their identity, Freddie was not one of them. As a bisexual man and someone for whom Freddie is a hyperfixation, stop.

[@akiraasmr3002]

@@AndersWatches stop that you cant decide who is bisexual and who is not you are contributing to the bi erasure esp when Freddie himself said he was bisexual and he loved his ex gf

[@bluebelle8823]

I'm sorry Simon's reaction to finding out Byron's daughter is Ada Lovelace is gold. So few people know for remember that tid bit. Ada was a genius that comes from her mother's intelligence and her father's creativity. The story about Allegra is interesting. Putting the emotional hit aside because I so cannot deal with that right now. Percy Shelly was the one who visited her? From all that's said about him that feels out of place. Not in a bad way. That said by that point he had lost a child. There was likely some guilt involved there too.

[@ellaeadig263]

It makes you wonder, was he realising by that point that his buddy was a jerk.

[@janetkolstein]

@@ellaeadig263 Shelley and Byron both thought each other MAD.

[@mitchellneu]

Could you please do one on Mary Shelley, similar to how you did Bram Stoker. See how Frankenstein impacted Shelley’s life, as Dracula did Stoker’s?

[@bobfg3130]

I think he did.

[@mitchellneu]

@@bobfg3130 only a brief mention in the Mount Tambora vid about how she wrote it, but nothing much else

[@kendrickoyola4290]

16:30 we have confirmation, "Simon has done so many video, he can't keep track." Lovelace is a must watch video.

[@Chuck-PK]

Re: Allegra Byron A lovelier toy sweet Nature never made; A serious, subtle, wild, yet gentle being; Graceful without design, and unforeseeing; With eyes - O speak not of her eyes! which seem Twin mirrors of Italian heaven, yet gleam With such deep meaning as we never see But in the human countenance. - Percy Bysshe Shelly

[@Caelia7]

Shelley seemed like a really decent man.

[@teijaflink2226]

At least someone showed little bit of empathy for that little girl, this beautiful poem shows to me that he must cared some, at least more that her father. That part about Allegra was heartbreaking.

[@lindosland]

@@Caelia7 No way - Shelley was just as much the bastard - leaving his first wife and child (the wife killed herself) and then going on to mistreat Mary (Godwin) Shelley. They were both psychopaths - callous with no ability to feel guilt or show remorse. It's not a thinking thing, it's the complete absence of the guilt response, so that they actually do not see why causing hurt to others in the persuit of there desires is significant at all! Psychopaths learn to act well; say what they know will produce the right effect, without feeling anything - as above.

[@Caelia7]

@@lindosland well, maybe. But he gave that little girl some attention and was there when she died.

[@regan3873]

@@lindosland I also heard that he could have helped return Allegra to her mother but refused.

[@annettefournier9655]

He also had a child with his half sister. His legitimate daughter also died at 36. She had her fathers personality , addicted to laudinum and opium. Almost ruined by gambling trying to discover mathematical formulas for gambling. She also did the loose aristocracy bed hoping. So she was similar to her dad without the sexual abuse as a cause. It's a personality trait. Byron was also gonorrhea and syphilis riddled.

[@Catlady77777]

I wondered how he could have possibly escaped VD.

[@maebandy]

I would never assume anyone was spared from sexual abuse. But yes a ravenous ego and a adrenalated mind can certainly be inheritable traits that flourish with substances and money.

[@maebandy]

Ps your gangrene is the worst thing I have ever seen. Now I have to go lookup the name and read through my fingers to block images.

[@ScorpionFlower95]

She was abused by her mother. And if anything, from what we know, at least Ada wasn't abusive as well. So it's easier for me to feel bad for her and admire her because she was a mathematical genius in an era where women were only viewed as walking uteruses

[@janetkolstein]

@@Catlady77777 He had it and was cured.

[@madamplatypus313]

I immediately had to inform my father, English teacher and lover of all things Byronic, about this video’s existence. Also, gotta love those historical figures who must’ve seen the future and gone out of their way to make sure historians couldn’t call them straight.

[@badmash5190]

But did you immediately inform him, before you informed us that you "immediately had to" inform him. Enough about him how's your mother?

[@madamplatypus313]

@@badmash5190 I sent him and my sister a screenshot within minutes of its upload. I’m sorry, do I know you? It’s just kinda weird you bring up my mom since she’s also an English teacher.

[@maebandy]

Straight hasn't always been the brag the last 150 yrs make it seem. Sex has always been a strategic tool, if you found yourself attracted to both sexes, all the more power wielding for you.

[@JanetCaterina]

Buggery was common in English public schools until recently. Read Diana's brother's book about the tortures he endured in his "good" school. Childrearing almost always included child abuse. Sexual abuse is hard to get over. Doesn't fit the modern definition of Bi, does it?

[@suchanhachan]

History is full of people who are remembered more benignly because of their accomplishments and fame. While average people might be considered strange, dangerous or even monstrous for their various behaviors, figures such as Byron are seen as "eccentric" or "tortured souls with a dark side". But sometimes we need to see them for what they truly were; weak, soulless assholes without the courage or decency to face the consequences of their actions...

[@smkh2890]

I was travelling in Turkey, on a bus, and the man next to me saw what I was reading, a biography of Byron. " Ah! Lor Viron! " he said " Enemy of Turks!" Another time, with some Greeks, I was laughing at Byron's dietary habits, dousing his food in vinaigre to keep his weight down. " You really hate the Greeks, don't you!" was the only comment. I learned to steer clear of Byron.

[@ethanramos4441]

“The great art of life is sensation, to feel that we exist, even in pain.” Lord Byron

[@tophers3756]

I'm sure his abandoned little daughter might have a different take.

[@joelboothroyd334]

Its great how Simon reads the script on the record don't ever read them ahead of time the shows would not be the same

[@demilembias2527]

lmao i know his job is clearly entirely just to read

[@bellsy4622]

@@demilembias2527 he's a host, not a writer. That's not his job.

[@pcarebear1]

Just to be fair, we shouldn't thank Byron for our favorite Byronic Characters like Heathcliff. The one who gets that award is Lady Caroline Lamb, with her novel Glenarvon, we have to give credit where it's due.

[@phillipchavez1321]

That’s fuc*ked up: his mother used his self-consciousness about his leg problem to make him feel bad

[@ethanbell6762]

Can we please have a Biographics on Zhuge Liang? I'm constantly reminded of the story he defeated one of the largest armies in China by just sitting at a table and drinking tea in the middle of the street.

[@davemooney2075]

How weird! I'm currently writing a book on Nottinghamshire's Literary heritage. My plan for this evening was to start researching Lord Byron - and up pops this video on my subscriptions list! :)

[@ginnrollins211]

I once did a project on him back in high school. He was pretty much a proto-rock star. He may have been an outright bastard, but then again so is alot of famous historical figures, from Columbus to Mother Theresa. Lord Byron: Pens a great 19th century equivalent of a diss track. Ice Cube and Eminem: We should hang out sometime.

[@TulilaSalome]

The comparison to 'rock star' fits the bill for many celebrities of old, Liszt made maidens scream and faint, and Lars Laevi Lestadius (a preacher) also, and fans kept cutting bits of his coat as keepsakes. Nothing new under the sun, I guess?

[@ellaeadig263]

I was thinking the same thing about the rockstar comparison, he sounds like the R Kelly of his day.

[@janetkolstein]

@@ellaeadig263 Byron was the pursued, not so much the persuer. Her was never known for rape.

[@janetkolstein]

"HE"

[@BergmitetheBlueandPointy0712]

Lord Byron is probably one of the most badass name I've ever heard.

[@eightykakes15]

The opposite

[@clintstewart5545]

@@eightykakes15 agree with you, the name sucks

[@Thedude27659]

Anything with lord in it is badass

[@mastertwitch1]

It made "No Vaseline" seem like something by Vanilla Ice... Yep. Simon just made me shoot coffee out of my nose.

[@WolfMaiden11]

Oh, dear! Are you alright?

[@shellcase20]

When I took British literature in college, I remember that we had to read some of Don Juan that was in our textbook. We also discussed his connection to Mary Shelley. I personally have never been a big fan of poetry but I did understand how he directly and indirectly influenced literature to come.

[@bolormaa3218]

Did he have any relationship with mary shelley?

[@Gwailo54]

Not just literature but music. Berlioz - Harold in Italy, Robert Schumann- Manfred spring to mind.

[@jamesmartin6050]

Here are some suggestions for another video - all interesting people April Ellison/William Ellison Jr. (1790-1861) - a freed slave from South Carolina who became a successful slaveowner and planter himself before the civil war. Anthony Johnson (1600-1670) - a former indentured servant who became one of the first African American property owners in America and a successful tobacco farmer. Lord Mountbatten (1900-1979) - Prince Philip’s uncle and Queen Elizabeth’s second cousin once removed who was assassinated by the IRA Yukio Mishima (1925-1970) - Japanese poet, author, playwright, actor and nationalist who committed seppuku after a failed attempt to overthrow Japan’s 1947 constitution. Robert Walpole (1676-1745) - British politician who was the first prime minister of Great Britain from 1721 until 1742 under King George I and King George II. Eamon DeValera (1882-1975) - prominent political leader in 20th century Ireland who, after the Irish war of independence from 1919 to 1921, was in the public eye for over forty years from 1922 until his death were he served as head of government (Taoiseach/prime minister) and head of state (president). He was nearly executed in the Easter Rising in 1916 and was key in putting into place the new constitution on 1937. A very prominent Irish figure and one of the most important in Irish history. George Eastman (1854-1932) - American entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak company. He was a pioneer of photography and a major philanthropist. He commit suicide at the age of 77 because of chronic pain from health problems. Emile Zola (1840-1902) - French novelist and journalist who is an early practitioner in the literary genre, naturalism. He was involved in the Dreyfus affair, a political scandal in France. He died in 1902 at the age of 62 from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. ryoichi sasakawa (1899-1995) - Japanese businessman, politician, sports administrator, philanthropist and was criminal who helped Norman Borlaug with his Green Revolution. Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) - Irish poet, playwright and translator who won the 1995 Nobel prize for literature and wrote a poem about The Tollund Man comparing his cause of death to The Troubles in Northern Ireland. W.B. Yeats (1865-1939) - Irish poet, dramatist and writer with an interest in the occult who helped found the Abbey Theatre and was a senator for the Irish Free State. He is one of the most important historical figures in Irish history. Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021) - husband and consort to Queen Elizabeth who served in the navy as a young man, serving in the Second World War. He died recently so it would be a good choice. Jordan Belfort (born 1962) - former stockbroker, author, motivational speaker and convicted felon who committed fraud via stock market manipulation. His book was the inspiration behind the film The Wolf of Wall Street starring Leonardo DiCaprio in 2013. Andrew Cunanan (1969-1997) - spree killer responsible for five murders before his suicide via gunshot. His victims include Gianna Versace and Lee Miglin. Lee Miglin (1924-1997) - American business tycoon, real estate developer and philanthropist who was spree killer, Andrew Cunanan’s third murder victim. “The Count of Saint Germain” (1691 or 1712 -died 1784) - European Adventurer who achieved prominence in high society in the 1700’s. His real name is unknown while his background is obscure. He claimed to be the son of Prince Francis II Rakoczi of Transylvania. He was arrested for suspicion of espionage during the Jacobite rebellion but was released without charge. Julia d’Aunigny (1670 or 1673 -died 1707) - 17th century French opera singer who was known for her flamboyant lifestyle. Her father was a secretary to the master of the horse to King Louis XIV. She was a keen sword fighter, cross-dressed and tried to run away with a female lover after killing a man in a duel. She died at the age of 33. Past American presidents, British prime ministers, monarchs and Roman emperors would be good as well.

[@CoolAdam247]

A horribly dull list.

[@jamesmartin6050]

@@CoolAdam247 what makes it boring? No one is boring

[@bigfan5069]

@@jamesmartin6050 I like the list

[@lisakaz35]

It's kinda amazing how bad Byron's childhood was and he turned around and did the same thing himself, esp. to Allegra. No self-reflection there, eh?

[@Talirus]

If only life were so simple.

[@lisakaz35]

@@Talirus I know he had a contentious relationship with Claire, who may have not made a great mother herself. Perhaps nuns weren't a bad idea, though I'm not sure why the Shelleys didn't play a bigger role (they had lost more than 1 child themselves). Child mortality was pretty bad for all classes at that time, I think, so maybe Allegra wasn't as badly off with the nuns as we'd imagine. I think she did of a fever that was making the rounds then (not an atypical thing).

[@ThatGUY666666]

Sadly that is often how these cycles of abuse go

[@pranakhan]

Many creative people fear self reflection. I did, for many years. It was when tragic circumstances beyond my control almost destroyed me that I gave over to the process of healing. Now I see, my pain was a parasite on my creativity. The force of creation is an infinite wellspring, and its source is pure love.

[@mangot589]

@@Talirus ikr? By now, everyone would be peachy keen. Gee, that wasn’t nice, I’m not going to do that! In a couple generations, it’s all gone, eh?

[@robertalpy9422]

I could forgive almost anything. But his treatment of his own beautiful little daughter was monstrous. How only syphilis could explain it. I find it difficult to believe that a mind not riddled with mercury voids could do such a thing.

[@alimc1867]

What really caught me undescribably off guard was where he said Ada Lovelace

[@draymanil]

Lord Byron was the enemy of Thomas Thorne. Who as you know fell victim to a duel after being set up by his cousin Francis button. RIP Thomas

[@jeffrichards1537]

How anyone could neglect their child especially when they're sick is unthinkable to me as a father of 2. Don't get it.

[@greatexpectations6577]

You have to understand to nature of the Aristocratic family dynamics; it was such as the one described above.

[@pamelamays4186]

Your reaction to Ada Lovelace being Byron's daughter was, well, adorable! In the film The Bride Of Frankenstein, which starts with that stormy night of telling ghost stories, one of the characters is named after Byron's physician. Dr. Polidori coaxes Victor Frankenstein into creating a mate for his creation. Your writers are top notch!

[@DneilB007]

The Ada Lovelace Biographics is from about three years ago, back before Simon’s beard entered its epic stage.

[@jackhamilton9604]

It was Dr. Pretorius and Frankenstein’s first in that film was changed to Henry

[@cass.undefined]

As far as I understood, financial issues were another cause for his marriage to Annabelle, as suggested and pressured by his friends. He'd been forced to sell his estate recently. Also another issue with the whole Byron and Augusta affair is how much he wanted people to believe he slept with his sister. I suggest reading "His Very Self and Voice: Collected Conversations of Lord Byron" for more information if you haven't! If I'm recalling correctly, he is reported to have said he wanted to make it into a scandal because he loved the story. Another point is Hobhouse's suggestion that Byron was always trying to get people to pay attention to him with fictional stories, such as suggesting to people that he'd murdered someone, etc. It's a fascinating aspect of Byron, how he reveled in that space between reality and fiction, always leaving the truth in question. Another thing to know about Byron is his obsession with Napoleon, especially regarding how Napoleon manipulated his image and made himself into a heroic figure, which Byron imitated. He even took to signing his name "N. B." for Noel Byron after inheriting the name Noel from a relative.

[@Gwailo54]

Bonaparte was seen as progressive by several in his time but he was also divisive among those who supported him. As time went by his popularity became less guaranteed. Beethoven removed the dedication of his Eroica symphony when he learned of Bonaparte’s self proclamation as emperor. Until then he had been more in favour. Charismatic (in modern speak populist) leaders can, and do have that effect. European politics from the 1980s onwards has had its fair share of that sort.

[@paryanindoeur]

Yes, you did know Ada Lovelace was Lord Byron's daughter. You mentioned him in your video about her few years ago.

[@KaytaRaven]

If it’s a few years ago it’s understandable that he’d forget - he puts out like a billion videos a day

[@paryanindoeur]

@@KaytaRaven Simon should do a Biographics video on Simon

[@owenshebbeare2999]

Most narrators (and actors) don't intimately remember every detail of their work.

[@mendjelire8392]

Learned about him and studied his Child Harold in school during the communism in Albania . Not a peep about his sexual orientation, only how much he traveled in southern Albania and how much he loved Albanians.

[@joseybryant7577]

Once called Wordsworth "turdsworth." Absolute legend.

[@Gatecrasher257]

Tell that to his 5 year old girl.

[@pyewackett5]

He branded Keats' work as 'piss a bed' poetry'

[@celtickshatriya4306]

His put downs 😂

[@williamleach6195]

Hey Simon could you do a biographic on Constantine the Great? I always thought that later roman emperors have amazing lives that are worth looking into.

[@fidelio9301]

Caracalla and Elagabalus too

[@treydodson4726]

This is a figure that I teach. He and Justinian are the most important aside from Augustus. Much needed when there is time.

[@TheEternalElir]

Justinian and Theodora would be cool.

[@fidelio9301]

@@treydodson4726 I don’t really count Byzantium as real Rome though. It’s post Rome let’s be honest.

[@fidelio9301]

@@TheEternalElir Aurelian would be good too. Legend.

[@romelnegut2005]

I love that sense of realisation from Simon and that big smile.

[@eightykakes15]

As I get older (having had kids) it’s harder for me to detach the person from their work. “Yeah, I wrote 100 great songs, or won several sport championships, or won multiple acting awards… but I also left a 5 year old alone to die… CELEBRATE ME!” 😐 … no.

[@somekindofflower2024]

True that

[@janetkolstein]

Byron heard she was ill and sent a doctor to the convent. Then he heard she was better. Then he heard she died. He had earmarked money for her future dowry. She died surrounded by the nuns who adored her.

[@archivesoffantasy5560]

“ I was considered myself some time, the grand Napoleon of the realm of rhyme “ - Lord Byron

[@kindcounselor]

Beautifully researched and presented.

[@josephschultz3301]

The fact that the critics attacking him inspired the poetry that would make him famous is honestly rather hilarious. There's a few modern rappers today that became known because of a few well-worded dis tracks.

[@susanhepburn6040]

Thanks for this. I lived near Newstead Abbey when I was young in the 1950s & '60s, and often visited. For fans of horror, I heartily recommend 'The Stress of her Regard' by Tim Powers, much of which revolves around Byron, Shelley and the others on the continent. It's both brilliant and very, very creepy...

[@ferociousgumby]

Unfortunately, he'd fit right in in 2021. Disabled, bisexual, narcissistic, multiple messy relationships - he'd have his own reality show.

[@byronnotbryon8605]

As a Byron, I always love hearing about his mad life.

[@a.m.theshinyjohtohunter4287]

Anyone here because of that one episode from “The Grim adventures of Billy and Mandy”? Where billy ends up channeling the ghost of Lord Byron?

[@ginnrollins211]

Imagine if the ghost of Lord Byron was true to his real life. That episode would've never seen the light of day.

[@a.m.theshinyjohtohunter4287]

@@ginnrollins211 my thoughts exactly... which is surprising when you think about some of what that show for its day pulled off. Not risqué or anything but definitely for the older youth to watch only. I know I never would’ve watched it as a kid because I knew better. Too busy enjoying the new anime of the times, Full Metal Alchemist, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach and Kirby: Right back at ya!.

[@murder13love]

I have waited for this one for years!

[@christina1wilson]

And a few hours before you posted this I finally watched your biography of Ada.

[@AscensionOfAuriel]

You can say that Augusta was the precursor of What are you doing step bro.🤣🤣🤣

[@CoolAdam247]

Byron was a horrible and despicable person.

[@jameswatters2012]

John de Lancie based his persona of the omnipotent character of Q in Star Trek: TNG, DS9 and Voyager on Lord Byron in that he was “mad, bad and dangerous to know”.

[@LearningNeverStopsEX]

Simon's reaction was my exact reaction. I heard Ada and thought "the Ada know??" and then boom, No way!

[@Stormblessed__]

“Mad, bad, and dangerous to know.” I wish someone would write a badass statement like this about my life.

[@lisakaz35]

And that was his wife, I think. Nearly -- oops.

[@johnstevenson9956]

Someone once said about me, that I was the kind of guy who would never fart in public. It's hard to ask for higher praise, and I've tried hard to live up to it. 😄

[@gerarduspoppel2831]

you're talking about someone who killed his own 5 year old daughter. that's how I see it. so you are already 2-0 ahead

[@lisakaz35]

@@gerarduspoppel2831 He didn't exactly kill her BUT he coulda done a lot more to ensure her well being. Negligence? Sure. But many kids died of illnesses in much better situations.

[@gerarduspoppel2831]

@@lisakaz35 .it's not really murder. but murder by negligence. and just too disgusting for words. Of course that guy was in serious trouble. but protecting your child is such a primal instinct. Which should be stronger than once mental problems

[@CareyTisdal]

Good video! I have never had a clear through line of his life and when his major works were written. This is an excellent summary of a sad, perhaps bad, life and a great artist.

[@discord204]

Only Simon Whistler can say the phrase “Byron wasn’t just thinking with his dick.“ and it still sound completely like Sir Aristocratic language 💯 imo 😂

[@KlaximumSkroeft]

I love it when writers put pop-culture references in the scripts and I often rewind to try to figure out is Simon gets it. You've never heard 'no vaseline' have you, Whistle boy?

[@katwernery6505]

Just to let you know there is no way that his mother wore a corset while pregnant. Corsets were not invented until the mid-19 century and prior to that women wore stays. Whether corsets or stays they were worn by every woman of every status to do everything including maternity ones. But yeah she couldn’t wear something that hadn’t been invented.

[@frederickstudenheimer3378]

everything in your comment is off a. Stays are actually corsets and are recognized as such. B. even in England at the time it was mainly more aristocratic folk who wore stays. and yeah they probably weren't as bad as most people think but they still did cause some terrible problems. C. Even the term corset didn't come around in the mid 19th century it just became much more popular then.

[@Nothingness00000-o]

Thankyou Simon, for recognising the connection of a horrid childhood, to the psychological damage and behaviour of of the adult. I always try to attach this contemplation to any soul who is deemed problematic, violent, severely mentally disturbed. I believe it is rare for anyone to be acting on pure 'evil'. ✌️

[@robbiethepict2783]

Lord Byron was a former pupil at my old school, one of the three houses is named after him and there's also a statue of Byron in the courtyard.

[@hamishwallace596]

Unfortunately Lord Byron is English It is incredibly bizarre that Scottish nationalists try to claim England’s Lord Byron. He was Born in London, lived there a few years, then lived in Scotland a few years, including a very short time at Aberdeen grammar school (Which makes it extremely humorous that they have a statue of an adult Byron outside their school when he only spent a short time as a very young child there). The vast majority of his education was in London, Eton and Cambridge. He then returned to his ancestral English home at the young age of 10 to take up his title. He never again returned to Scotland. So to try and claim him as Scottish is very funny. It’s kind of reminiscent of Rod Stewart, JK Rowling and Peter Higgs who are English but pretend to be Scottish when it suits. Pretenders are insulting to true Scots. Additionally ‘Scottish’ culture icons of the haggis and kilt are English Trojan horses designed to covertly oppress real Scottish culture. Haggis is originally from England and the modern kilt invented by an Englishman. The only way to get back to our true culture is to vote for Scottish independence. I implore any true Scot reading this to vote yes in indyref2. It might be difficult for a while after economically but it is essential for the long term preservation of Scotland. Our home.

[@Mkdkm906]

You’re such a treasure. Love your stuff so much

[@norvikvoskanian4294]

Dostoevsky and Tolstoy! I was surprised not to find them in biographics

[@stevendaniel8126]

OMG. I'm so in love with Simon.......

[@lipingrahman6648]

Never much cared for his writing. The best thing Lord Byron made was his daughter Ada, who along with others, was a pioneer in computer science.

[@Pavlos_Charalambous]

He also took part in the Greek revolution or at least tried .. and his death during a siege that it can only be discarded as the " tet offensive " of it's time in a way helped the Greek cause even more , causing a huge wave of international sympathy for the Greek rebels that couldn't be ignored by the superpowers of the time

[@teijaflink2226]

The worst he ever did was what he did to his other daughter Allegra.

[@majesticllama1405]

@Biographics lol you did make a video on Ada 3yrs ago. Im so happy you found that out now lol

[@Jarial7]

What a horrendous monster a complete demon of excess and cruelty It just horrifes me what he did to that poor darling child a complete horror story.

[@OdysseyStoriesUntold]

I've been tracking your chosen shirts for the last few videos. Amazing to see you film so many in one day. That's dedication

[@Angel_1394]

I see why he isnt really taught about in school but he made such great works available.

[@kathymccarthy8158]

J.W. Goethe was a huge fan of Byron. Huge! He mentioned Byron more than he did any other author.

[@Nick-sc2ep]

It'd be awesome to see an episode on philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell (teacher of Wittgenstein who already has an episode) he's very interesting, won a nobel prize in lit, and was very involved with anti-war movement and politics

[@skyden24195]

-Biographics: "Make Ice Cube's 'No Vaseline' look like something by Vanilla Ice." -Captain America: "I understood that reference."

[@NightMystique13]

Byron sounds like a malignant narcissist; makes sense, with all his childhood trauma.

[@Geroundios]

You forget to mention Byron was veru critical to British imperialism, and monarcy and he supported every revolutionary movemenet. When the British Foreign Minister, Robert Stewar, killed him self, byron wrote a satirical poem, where he recomend to the readers, to take a pish on the ministers grave. His anti-authority spirit made him very infamous in whole Europe. When he died noone in britain wanted to write about him and recognise his legacy, for years. The fact that everyone knows about him now is because he beacame a Greek national hero, and Greeks keeps his memory alive till some european schoolars learned about him from Greeks and made him famous again in Europe. The Elite of British empire want him to be forgoten.

[@mr88cet]

Only Simon Whistler has done so many videos that he could say, “I feel like I must know that … I must have made a video about it!”

[@lundworks9901]

The lake behind my house in McLeod County Minnesota is named for him, no idea why. Lake Byron, is "land-locked" private owned farm land except for a Gopher Campfire Club & gun range where my township precinct votes .

[@wingkaty]

He may have had bipolar disorder as well as being a narcissist (his awful childhood would have put him at increased risk of narcissism). But he was still responsible for his actions.

[@robertsollory7475]

About time you did Lord Byron. Also do one on George IV and also Beau Brummel. Departing from the early 19th century also do one on Agatha Christie and also Enid Blyton.

[@JesusKnowsAllComeToHim]

Can you do a video on António Salazar the Portuguese dictator who ruled Portugal for 48 years.

[@J13-h6y]

I am so glad I took British literature in college and was introduced to Byron’s wonderful poems.

[@josecabrera4902]

Simon why did your Nebuchadnezzar II video get taken down?

[@fidelio9301]

Seriously?

[@frisianprideworldwide]

I can still see it

[@davidhess7410]

He cannot be forgiven for what he did to that child. He deserves to be forgotten.

[@israelhernandez145]

I always remember that part in Jay and Silent Bob, when Eliza Dushku is making fun of Shannon Elizabeth because Jay was kissing her hand like lord fucking Byron.

[@highlandoutsider]

His early years sound more like those of someone covered on the Casual Criminalist lol

[@AwareWolfOnWheels]

The book Vampyr that was about him was a really good read.

[@claudettedelphis6476]

Thank you for sharing with us 🦋

[@tomsmith4542]

19 Aπριλη 2024, σαν σημερα συμπληρώνονται ακριβως 200 χρονια απο το θανατο του Λορδου Βυρωνα στο Μεσολόγγι. Ο Βύρωνας εδωσε τη ζωη του για την Ελλαδα, και το ονομα του στη γειτονια του Βυρωνα, στην Αθήνα. Ο Λόρδος Βύρωνας ειναι ο καλύτερος αγγλος ποιητης του 19ου αιώνα.

[@Remianen]

YAY! Finally I have something over Fact Boy. I knew Lord Byron was Ada Lovelace's father decades ago. (It was covered in a programming class I took in my 20s).

[@librasgirl08]

My beloved Byron, thank you for finally releasing a video about him. And it's hilarious, that Simon didn't realise, that Ada Lovelace was Lord Byron's daughter. I didn't learn anything new, 20 years of following Byron, but it's nice to see his biography in video form.

[@KelseyBloomfield-bn4mi]

today when I sat down in the library and read byron and shelley's poems, I realized how short a life thay had lived! I just felt so sad and frustrated.

[@dannycampbell6223]

Great video, beards coming on a treat. The tragic life of Allegra is the prominent part of this story for me. Byrons greatest work was at the expense of someone who lived only 5/6 yrs, his cruelty toward the child and her mother is hard for modern audiences to comprehend. I feel Allegra deserves the main credit for ‘Don Quixote’ simply because she scarified the most in order for it to be created.

[@mangot589]

It still happens every day🤷‍♀️. Sadly.