Benjamin Disraeli (1804-81)

The Disraeli Project
(Queen's University at Kingston, Canada)

The History of Benjamin Disraeli (Paw Prints, Kasha Linka)

A Hyper-Concordance to the Works of Benjamin Disraeli
(The Victorian Literary Studies Archive)

Disraeli Web Sites

Chronology

1804
Benjamin Disraeli born on Friday, December 21, to Isaac and Maria D'Israeli.
1817
Baptized into the Church of England, July 31.
1821
Begins three years with a firm of solicitors in London; speculates in stock market.
1825
Makes abortive attempts at launching a journalistic career with The Representative; loses money in mining venture and heavily in debt.
1826
Publication of Vivian Grey; friendship with the Austens, who were instrumental in aiding Disraeli's literary career.
1827
Publication of the sequel to Vivian Grey.
1831
Publication of The Young Duke; Disraeli visits Jerusalem.
1832
He meets Mrs. Wyndham Lewis; publication of Contarini Fleming; twice in this year Disraeli is defeated as an Independent parliamentary candidate from Wycombe.
1833
Publication of Alroy.
1835
Disraeli defeated again at Wycombe; he joins the Conservative Party; at Taunton, Disraeli suffers another defeat, this time as a Tory; publication of The Vindication of the English Constitution.
1836
Publication of the "Letters of 'Runnymede'"and The Spirit of Whiggism.
1837
Publication of Henrietta Temple and Venetia; Disraeli elected with Wyndham Lewis as MP from Maidstone; gives maiden speech in Parliament (December 7); votes for the repeal of the Poor Law.
1838
Wyndham Lewis dies; Disraeli attends Queen Victoria's coronation.
1839
Disraeli gives great speech on Chartism; marries Mrs. Wyndham Lewis.
1843
He leads the "Young England party" in Parliament.
1844
Publication of Coningsby; opposes new Poor Law and supports Factory Reform Laws; delivers the "Young England Manifesto" at Manchester Athenaeum to an enormous audience. ("It was the culminating point in the glory of Young England"-Monypenny.)
1845
Publication of Sybil.
1846
Disraeli attacks the Corn Law; attacks Peel and supports the Whigs.
1847
Publication of Tancred; his mother dies; speaks on Jewish disabilities laws, insisting (as he does in Tancred) that there is an intimate and binding relationship between Judaism and Christianity.
1848
His father dies.
1851
Lord George Bentinck: A Political Biography.
1852
Chancellor of the Exchequer; Ministry defeated.
1853
Receives an honorary degree from Oxford.
1858
Chancellor of the Exchequer once again.
1859
Ministry defeated.
1866
Again Chancellor of the Exchequer.
1868
Becomes Prime Minister; his Ministry defeated; Mrs. Disraeli made a peeress, Viscountess Beaconsfield.
1870
Publication of Lothair; collected edition of his works, with General Preface, begins to appear in November.
1872
Lady Beaconsfield dies.
1874
Prime Minister (1874-1880); offers a baronetcy to Tennyson and the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath to Carlyle. Both refuse.
1875
Majority of shares in the Suez Canal Company purchased.
1876
Gives last speech in the House of Commons; accepts peerage and is the first Earl of Beaconfield.
1880
Conservatives are defeated and Disraeli gives up the Prime Ministership; publication of Endymion.
1881
Dies on Tuesday, April 19.

(This extract is taken from Richard A. Levine, Benjamin Disraeli [New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1968])

matsuoka@lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp.

Last updated: 9 April 2004.

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