Lord Byron in Greek/Albanian dress painted by Thomas Phillips in 1835. Venizelos Mansion, Athens (the British Ambassador's residence) |
By John Sanidopoulos
The Philhellene Lord Byron arrived in Missolonghi, Greece on 5 January 1824. Though a wealthy and renowned celebrity at only 35 years old, he gave it all up to help the Greek cause of liberation from the Turks, and his bravery and sacrifice was admired by all. It was not long before his life came to an end however.
On 9 April that same year, having been soaked by a heavy rain while out riding his horse, Byron suffered fever and rheumatic pains. By the twelfth he was seriously ill. Repeated bleedings, which he initially resisted, further debilitated him. On Easter Sunday, he entered a comatose state at 11pm. At six o’clock on the evening of Easter Monday, 19 April 1824, during a violent electrical storm, Byron died, being 36 years old.