Benjamin Disraeli

In 1834, Benjamin had come in close contact with Henrietta Sykes, a woman who was in a relationship with Lord Lyndhurst, a statesman. Henrietta fell in a relationship with Disraeli. This open liaison was widely criticized, and also became an inspiration for the book ‘Henrietta Temple’ which was published in 1837.

In 1839, Benjamin got married to Mary Anne Wyndham Lewis, who was a widow. Mary was twelve years elder to Disraeli. It was claimed by many that Disraeli married Mary for her abundant wealth, but apparently both were deeply concerned about each other.

In 1880, around the same time when Benjamin published his book ‘Endymion’, he fell terribly ill. Benjamin had fallen prey to Gout and Asthma, which also restricted him to the confines of his home, soon his situation became worse.

Benjamin Disraeli was born on 21 December 1804 to Isaac D’Israeli and Maria Basevi, Basically of Jewish descent, Benjamin’s family had to adopt Christianity in 1817 after a difference in opinions between his father and members of the ‘Beavis Marks’ synagogue.

Disraeli barely studied for two to three years, apparently due to the lack of good educational facilities at the time. The only place where he got opportunity to study was at a ‘Dame School’, which was considered a great option back then.

In 1821, at the tender age of seventeen, Disraeli got an opportunity to work with a firm of legal practitioners. Though it was not something Disraeli was hugely interested in, he kept the employers happy through his service.

Disraeli’s father thought that this job would keep him financially secure and thought of getting him married to the daughter of the firm’s owner. However, Disraeli’s ambition of becoming a nationwide sensation, made him move towards politics. Disraeli admitted later that his tenure with the firm was a great experience.

Disraeli finally stepped into the big world of British politics in 1831. He also sought to contest from a place called Wycombe, near Buckinghamshire. The very next year, in1832, he contested twice from the same place, as an independent candidate, and suffered consecutive defeats.

After successive defeats, Disraeli decided to associate himself with a political party to improve his chances of emerging victorious. Even after contesting as a candidate of the Conservative party in 1835, Disraeli’s fortunes didn’t change, and he lost the elections yet again.

Finally, Disraeli managed to win the elections held in 1837 and found himself a place in the esteemed ‘House of Commons’, along with another conservative candidate Wyndham Lewis. He also rendered a speech at the British parliament later that year.

Though the conservative party came into power in 1841, ‘Sir Robert Peel’, the then Prime Minister, didn’t offer Benjamin a Ministerial role in his cabinet. An infuriated Disraeli revolted against the British premier and criticized the party’s policies. The criticism continued for a few more years and finally Peel had to quit in 1846

In 1847, Disraeli was elected as a member of parliament from Buckinghamshire, and finally managed to establish himself as one of Britain’s most influential men.

Benjamin had also earned the reputation of being a great writer, other than just being a great politician. Disraeli has published close to 28 literary works of his, of which 20 belong to the ‘Fiction’ and 8 belong to the ‘Non-Fiction’ categories.

Some of Benjamin’s prominent works in the fiction category include ‘Coningsby’, ‘Henrietta Temple’, ‘The Young Duke’, ‘The Tragedy of Count Alancos’, and ‘Venetia’. He has also expressed his views on political affairs through works like ‘The Vindication of The English Constitution’, and ‘England and France, or A Cure of The Ministerial Gallomania’.