Alphonse de Lamartine
A Romantic poet who turned his lyrical passion into political action, briefly steering France as a revolutionary leader.
1790–1869 (age 79)·French author, poet and statesman·Birthday: October 21
Biography
Alphonse de Lamartine was a man who lived at the intersection of profound feeling and tumultuous history. He first captured France's soul with his book of poetry, 'Méditations poétiques', which gave voice to the Romantic generation's melancholy and spiritual yearning. But Lamartine was not content to remain in the drawing room. Elected to parliament after the 1830 Revolution, his eloquent oratory made him a leading voice of the liberal opposition. When revolution erupted again in 1848, he stepped onto the balcony of the Hôtel de Ville and, with sheer force of words, persuaded an angry mob to adopt the tricolor flag over the red banner of class war. As the de facto head of the provisional government, he championed abolition and universal suffrage. His moment of power was fleeting, however, as he was overwhelmingly defeated by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte in the first presidential election. He spent his final years writing history to pay off debts, a poet who had briefly held the reins of a republic.
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Alphonse's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1790Born
1795Started school
1803Became a teenager
1806Could drive
1808Could vote
1811Turned 21
1820Turned 30
1830Turned 40
1840Turned 50
1850Turned 60
1860Turned 70
1869Died at 79
President: Ulysses S. Grant
Key Achievements
- Published 'Méditations Poétiques' (1820), a landmark work that defined French Romantic poetry.
- Played a pivotal role in the Provisional Government of 1848, helping to prevent a radical communist takeover in Paris.
- Largely responsible for the abolition of slavery in the French colonies in 1848.
- Served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and was effectively the head of state for a few months in 1848.
- Wrote a monumental and popular 'Histoire des Girondins' that influenced public opinion before the 1848 revolution.
Did You Know?
He was an accomplished horseman and loved to travel, journeying through the Orient and writing about his experiences.
He was deeply affected by the death of a woman named Julie Charles, whom he immortalized in his poetry as 'Elvire'.
He sold his family estate, Milly, and later his Paris home, to pay creditors, dying in relative poverty.
A large crater on the moon is named after him.
“Sometimes, only one person is missing, and the whole world seems depopulated.”
