We’ve talked about Valentine’s, the history behind it and how we celebrate it. Now we are going to take a look at great romances in history as a part of our 14 Days of Romance here at the Marriage Blog. I thought it very appropriate that the first romance we look at is between two very popular and beautiful poets from the 19th century, perhaps you’ve heard of them? Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning.
The Brownings
Their romance was born in January of 1845, when Robert Browning began what would become known as the greatest correspondence of all time. Elizabeth Barrett was an internationally known poet who published a volume of poetry. At the age of 39, she was an invalid and considered a spinster because of her age and lack of marital status.
Robert Browning, a poet and playwright but of little note, became enamored of her poetry. He wrote her a letter expressing that: I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett – I do, as I say, love these verses with all my heart. From this first letter, they would exchange more than 600 letters, with the last one being sent in September of 1846 the night before the two of them took a trip to Italy and two weeks after they had married in secret.
So why were they married in secret?
Secret Lovers
It’s important to understand that Elizabeth Barrett, despite being the oldest daughter of a very wealthy sugar planter, suffered from an illness that left her with breathing difficulties, general malaise and muscle spasms. Her father raised them in a tyrannical atmosphere where he forbade any of them from ever marrying. Why did he do this? No one knows. Her mother died when Elizabeth was 21.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
When Robert Browning began to send her letters, paying her court through them, she discounted the idea of any true romantic entanglement because she was an invalid and a shut in. Still, Browning persisted in his suit, displaying a very obvious and open affection for her, Elizabeth did not allow him to meet her for months. Their first meeting occurred in May of 1845.
Browning continued to visit Elizabeth as often as he could and always timed his visits when her father was away. Their correspondence also continued, but Elizabeth resisted the idea that he could be serious because she was skeptical of the conventions of marriage. Late in the summer of 1845, Elizabeth’s physician recommended that she leave London to winter in Italy. He did not believe her health would stand up to another damp and harsh winter.
Italy
For reasons unknown, Barrett’s father refused to let her travel to Italy. When she wrote to Browning and told him of this, he offered to marry her immediately and for the first time – Elizabeth became more receptive to the idea. Fortunately, the winter of 1845 into 1846 was warmer than usual and it helped Elizabeth to improve. Inspired by her recovery and her continued courtship with Robert Browning, Elizabeth left her room for the first time in six years.
In May of 1846, Elizabeth was walking outside and decreasing her use of opium and morphine and she credited all of this to her correspondence and courtship with Robert Browning. She began to live a more active life and on September 12th, Browning finally won his suit and Elizabeth Barrett married him. They wed in secret, because Elizabeth was terrified of her father’s anger for disobeying his direct edict against marriage.
As it turns out, she was right, because when he learned of it, he disinherited her. Now married, the Brownings left London for Italy so that the winter would not harm Elizabeth’s health. They lived in Italy for the next fifteen years of their life and in 1850, Elizabeth Barrett Browning published her Sonnets from The Portuguese — you may not recognize the title immediately, but you would recognize one of it’s far more famous lines: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
The poem is about her love for Browning, their courtship, their romance and their elopement. She credited his love and their marriage with saving her life both from illness and from the loneliness of isolation. In 1849, she gave birth to their son and wrote many more volumes of poetry. Elizabeth died on June 29, 1861 in the arms of her husband. Their home in Florence, Italy is a preserved exhibit dedicated to their life, their loves and their poetry. Visitors are welcome.
Love Letters are a part of our 14 Days of Romance here in the Marriage Blog, we hope you enjoy them!
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