Percy Shelley

-1792-1870

-became baronet in 1844 but ignores it, gives him sobriquet of "Red Knight" though

-married to Harriet Westbrook in 1811 but marriage collapsed in 1814

-instead he takes Mary Godwin, writer of Literature > Ruthven; or the Modern Prometheus as mistress

-and Harriet takes a lover herself

-though she does have a son from Percy


-in 1819 writes The Masque of Anarchy, and it ends up published same year by Leigh Hunt

-a direct condemnation of British government as demonic and call for campaign of civil disobedience

-this becomes accused of being seditious libel due to its extreme radicalism

-Leigh Hunt arrested, Shelley tried in absentia, packed juries find them guilty

-Hunt to jail, Shelley however continues to stay in Italy and his name becomes fairly popular


-with British Wars > Popular Revolution (1827-9) Shelley and Godwin return to British Isles

-hoping for a good constitution ending brutalities of the old order

-they both conclude it's nowhere near enough but are impressed to an extent by Radical Party

-he quickly also becomes involved in ultra-radical circles which flow into Ideology > Associationism


-briefly arrested by Heads of British Isles > 1840-1844 Lord John Russell (Moderate) administration

-refused to pay taxes because despises Russia's Wars > Turkish War of Succession (1841-4)

-opposed harshly by many radicals, sees opposition within the halls of Parliament

-and he is released

-writes an influential essay on civil disobedience afterwards


-in contrast, writes poems in praise of British Wars > New Granadine War of Independence (1848-52)

-views it as a war of liberation


-last writing is poem in praise of martyred American Presidents > 1869-1870 George Bancroft (Justice) †

-and emancipation proclamation

-he views Liberty and Union War (1868-76) as one of the most just wars ever fought