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Alfred Tennyson Facts & Worksheets

Alfred Tennyson was an English poet who wrote famous works like In Memoriam, Charge of the Light Brigade, and Idylls of the King.

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Alfred Tennyson was an English poet who wrote famous works like In Memoriam, Charge of the Light Brigade, and Idylls of the King. He was Queen Victoria’s poet laureate and probably the most renowned poet of the era. In 1883, he accepted the proposal of a peerage, earning him the title Baron Tennyson of Aldworth and Freshwater or Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

See the fact file below for more information on Alfred Tennyson or alternatively, you can download our 22 page Alfred Tennyson worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Early Life

  • On August 6, 1809, Alfred Tennyson was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England. He was one of 12 children of George Clayton Tennyson, a church rector, and Elizabeth Fytche, daughter of a vicar.
  • In 1816, he attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Louth until 1820. From then, young Alfred was homeschooled by his well-read father.
  • In 1827, Tennyson entered Trinity College in Cambridge along with his two older brothers. That same year, Tennyson’s brothers published their first poetry entitled Poems by Two Brothers. While in Trinity, Tennyson joined a secret society of intellectuals called the Cambridge Apostles. He met Arthur Henry Hallam and William Henry Brookfield who became his closest friends.
  • Tennyson did not finish his degree after the death of his father in 1831.
  • In 1836, Tennyson fell in love with Emily Shellwood, his brother’s sister-in-law. The two were engaged but later called it off because of Tennyson’s presumed illness. By 1850, they got married after confirming that he did not inherit his father’s epilepsy.

Alfred Tennyson’s Literary Career

  • By 1829, he won the Chancellor’s Gold Medal for his poem Timbuctoo. After a year, Tennyson published his first solo collection of poetry titled Poems, Chiefly Lyrical.
  • In 1833, Poems by Alfred Tennyson was published but gained unfavorable reviews. The result greatly affected him and he stopped publishing for a decade.
  • In 1842, he published his two-volume Poems, which included a revised The Lady of Shalott and Locksley Hall.
  • The volume received positive reviews. That same year, Tennyson lost most of his money in an unsuccessful wood-carving investment.
  • In 1847, The Princess was published and identified as one of Tennyson’s notable works.
  • By 1850, he reached the peak of his career upon publishing In Memoriam, which showed his sorrow after the death of his friend, Arthur Hallam.
  • In 1850, after the death of William Wordsworth, Tennyson was made Poet Laureate, a position he held for 42 years.
  • As he became famous, Tennyson released The Charge of the Light Brigade, highlighting an episode in the Crimean War. By 1859, he penned the first four books of Idylls of the King, followed by Enoch Arden and Other Poems in 1864. The latter sold 17,000 copies on its first day.
  • Some of his admirers included Prince Albert, Queen Victoria and Hawaii’s Queen Emma.
  • In 1875, he tried writing poetic drama and produced Queen Mary as his first work. Although some were performed, its fame did not match his poems.

Later Life, Legacy, and Death

  • Tennyson befriended Queen Victoria after the death of Prince Albert in 1861. Although he turned down offers of a baronetcy, by 1883 he accepted a higher rank.
  • In 1889, Lord Tennyson published Demeter and Other Poems expressing his loss over the death of his son in 1886.
  • On October 6, 1892, at the age of 83, Lord Tennyson died at his Aldworth home in Surrey. He was buried at the Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.
  • Tennyson received honorary doctorates from Edinburgh and Oxford Universities.

Alfred Tennyson Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about poet Alfred Tennyson across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Alfred Tennyson worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Alfred Tennyson who was an English poet who wrote famous works like In Memoriam, Charge of the Light Brigade, and Idylls of the King.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Alfred Tennyson Facts
  • Lord Tennyson
  • Poet Laureate
  • Matching Poets
  • Tennyson Wheel
  • The Eagle
  • Tennyson Glossary
  • The Lady of Shalott
  • Quote Tennyson
  • Poetry Investigation
  • My Poet’s Corner

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Link will appear as Alfred Tennyson Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, April 11, 2018

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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