Poet Laureate. Born one of twelve children of Elizabeth Ffytche and George Clayton Tennyson, a clergyman, in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England. His childhood was reported as difficult, living with a heavy drinking and abusive father. He would leave home in 1827, attending Trinity College, Cambridge. That same year his first volume of poetry, now regarded as juvenilia, 'Poems by Two Brothers' was published; it was written in collaboration with by his brothers Frederick and Charles. 'Poems, Chiefly Lyrical ' appeared in June 1830, and included 'The Kraken,' 'Ode to Memory,' and 'Mariana.' In 1831, he left Cambridge following the death of his father. His third volume of poetry, 'Poems' was published in 1832, and included versions of some of his most recognized works; 'The Lady of Shalott,' 'The Hesperides,' 'Oenone,' and 'The Lotos-Eaters,' though at the time, reviews were scathing. In 1833, the death of his best friend led to an outpouring beginning with the elegy, 'In Memoriam.' After ten years of writing but refusing to publish, the two volume 'Poems,' which included such works as 'Ulysses' and 'Locksley Hall,' appeared in 1842 to critical success. In 1845, he was granted a government civil list pension of £200 a year in recognition of his achievements. 'The Princess,' published in 1847, was his first attempt at a long narrative poem, others such as 'Maud,' and 'Idylls of the King' followed. In 1851, he was selected at the queen's Poet Laureate. His 'Charge of the Light Brigade' (1854) was written after he read accounts of the Battle of Balaclava in Crimea. It was published a week later in 'The Examiner,' and became so popular it was distributed in pamphlet form among the soldiers serving in the Crimea. At age of sixty-five, he wrote his first play, 'Queen Mary '(1875), followed by Harold (1876), Becket (1884), The Cup (1884), The Foresters (1892), and The Promise of May (1886), none of which were particularly successful, and he abandoned his effort as playwright to return to poetry. In 1883, he was offered a peerage, and was created Baron Tennyson of Aldworth and of Freshwater. The death of his younger son at sea in 1886 led to two years of silence. Eventually, 'Demeter and Other Poems ' (1889) contained works addressing the loss. He succumbed to natural causes at age 83, and was buried in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. He has been called the definitive English poet of the Victorian era.