Alphonse de Lamartine

He married Maria Ann Birch in 1820. The couple had a daughter Julia who died in the town of Hebruit, while Lamartine had set on the voyage to the orients with his wife and daughter.

The death of her daughter marked a turning point in his life, as he renounced Catholicism and converted into a Pantheist.

He died on 28th February, 1869, at the age of 78 in Paris, France long forgotten by his friends and supporters

Alphonse was born on 21st October, 1790 in Burgundy, France, in the royalist family which believed in the policies of the emperor Napoleon. His father, an aristocrat, was arrested during the Thermidorean era of ‘French Revolution’, but luckily escaped the ensuing chaos and massacre.

After being tutored at home by his mother in his early days, Alphonse continued his schooling in Lyons, a French town, in 1805. However, later that year he was shifted to the religious institution ‘Peres de la Foi’ (Fathers of the Faith), located at Belley. The young lad pursued his education there for the next four years.

Though his parents were loyal supporters of the royal family, Lamartine joined the troupe ‘Gardes du corps’ in 1814, which guarded the famous monarch Louis XVIII, when the emperor Napoleon was ousted from France and the Bourbons rose to power.

He took refuge in Switzerland after Napoleon returned to France in 1815. Lamartine even started writing poetry during this time. After the end of the battle of Waterloo, a clash between the French and other European forces, the poet returned to Paris.

Continuing to write poetic verses, he relocated to Aix-les-Bains, a place located in South-Eastern France, in 1816, to recuperate from his ill health. During his stay, he met Julie Charles, a woman to whom he dedicated many verses after her death.

During the next three years, he revisited Switzerland and also went to Italy. His experiences while staying at these places inspired this writer to create works of literature.

In 1820, ‘Les Méditations Poétiques’ a collection of poetry by Lamartine was published. The book was a huge success and brought about a radical change in French poetry.

Lamartine is famous for his partly autobiographical poem, "Le lac" ("The Lake"), which describes in retrospect the fervent love shared by a couple from the point of view of the bereaved man.