George Gordon Byron attended Trinity College at the University of Cambridge from 1805 to 1808. The flamboyant Englishman known as Lord Byron, later regarded as one of the great Romantic poets for narrative works such as “Don Juan,” lived life on the edge, with controversy and notoriety always in his wake.
He was unencumbered by societal rules, such as the time at Cambridge when he was told that his dog couldn’t share his dorm room. Not one to be told "no," Byron brought a pet bear to Trinity instead. Since the rules didn’t mention anything about bears, the college was forced to back down.
In addition to his bear, animal lover Lord Byron owned a number of dogs and cats, as well as exotic animals such as a monkey, a crocodile, a fox, peacocks, and numerous badgers.
Brilliant Lord Byron:
- Byron received the title of Lord in 1798 when he was 10, and became known to the literary world at 20, when he published the satirical “English Bards and Scotch Reviewers.”
- Lord Byron was well known for his promiscuous nature. He was overtly bisexual and thought “men were cleverer but women kissed better.” Byron cavorted with actresses, married women and countless young men.
- Lord Byron died of a fever in April 1824 at age 36 after joining Greek resistance fighters battling Ottoman occupiers, becoming a folk hero in Greece.