William Makepeace Thackeray

A life in dates

  1. 18 July 1811: Born – Calcutta (now Kolkata), Bengal, India
  2. 1822 – 1828: Attends Charterhouse School – Charterhouse School, London, England, Studies at Charterhouse before preparing for university.
  3. 1829 – 1830: Studies at Trinity College – Trinity College, Cambridge, England, Attends Cambridge, leaving without a degree.
  4. 1831: Begins legal studies – Middle Temple, London, England, Studies law at the Middle Temple but does not pursue a legal career.
  5. 1834 – 1835: Studies art in Paris – Paris, France, Trains as an artist and develops his skills as a caricaturist.
  6. 1836 – 1837: Works as a Paris correspondent – Paris, France, Reports from Paris for The Constitutional, a newspaper supported by his stepfather.
  7. 20 August 1836: Marries Isabella Shawe – British Embassy, Paris, France, Marries Isabella Gethin Creagh Shawe at the British Embassy in Paris.
  8. 1837: Returns to London – London, England, Returns from Paris and supports his family through journalism.
  9. 1840: Catherine: A Story – Novel
  10. 1840: Isabella becomes seriously ill – England, His wife develops a severe mental illness and eventually requires long-term care.
  11. 1841: The History of Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty Diamond – Novella
  12. 1842: Travels in Ireland – Ireland, Visits Ireland and stays with the novelist Charles Lever.
  13. 1844: Barry Lyndon – Novel
  14. 1848: The Book of Snobs – Collection
  15. 1848: Vanity Fair – Novel
  16. 1850: The History of Pendennis – Novel
  17. 1852 – 1853: First American lecture tour – United States, Travels through the United States giving public lectures.
  18. 1852: The History of Henry Esmond – Novel
  19. 1855: The Newcomes – Novel
  20. 1855: The Rose and the Ring – Novella
  21. October 1855: Returns to America to lecture – United States, Begins a second lecture tour of the United States.
  22. 21 July 1857: Stands for Parliament in Oxford – Oxford, England, Contests the Oxford by-election as a Liberal and is narrowly defeated by Edward Cardwell.
  23. 1859: The Virginians – Novel
  24. January 1860 – 1862: Edits The Cornhill Magazine – London, England, Serves as the magazine’s first editor, retiring from the role in April 1862.
  25. March 1862 – 1863: Moves to Palace Green – 2 Palace Green, Kensington, London, England, Moves into the house he bought in 1860 and had rebuilt. It becomes his final home.
  26. 24 December 1863: Died – 2 Palace Green, Kensington, London, England, Aged 52.