Birth of Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was born in London and later became a major English poet and satirist.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Alexander Pope Biography and Timeline
Follow Alexander Pope through 83 dated historical records for Great Britain.
Alexander Pope, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
83Distinct records
1 of 3Page
1688–1721Years on this page
1688
1700
Begins Pastoral Poetry
As a young writer Pope cultivated the pastoral verse that would establish his early literary reputation.
1704
Develops Windsor Forest Verse
Pope was developing the landscape poetry later published under the title Windsor Forest.
1709
Pastorals Appear in Tonson Miscellany
Pope made his public literary debut when his Pastorals appeared in a volume issued by Jacob Tonson.
January and May Published
Pope's adaptation January and May appeared in Tonson's sixth volume of Poetical Miscellanies.
Episode of Sarpedon Published
Pope's translation of the Sarpedon episode appeared in an early published collection.
1710
Friendship with John Gay Develops
Pope established an enduring literary friendship with the poet and dramatist John Gay.
1711
Essay on Criticism Published
Pope published An Essay on Criticism, setting out influential principles of literary taste and judgment.
Essay on Criticism Criticised by Dennis
John Dennis attacked Pope's Essay on Criticism and began a lasting literary dispute.
1712
Messiah Poem Published
Pope contributed the pastoral poem Messiah to The Spectator, drawing on classical and biblical prophecy.
Rape of the Lock First Version
Pope published the original two canto version of The Rape of the Lock before expanding the poem.
Verses to Memory of Unfortunate Lady
Pope composed the elegiac poem Eloisa to Abelard during his developing career as a writer.
Sapho to Phaon Translation Appears
Pope's version of Sapho to Phaon appeared in a collected edition of Ovidian epistles.
Messiah Appears in Spectator
Pope's pastoral Messiah was printed in The Spectator.
1713
Iliad Translation Subscription Launched
Pope began organizing the subscription publishing project for his English translation of Homer's Iliad.
Prologue for Cato
Pope wrote the prologue for Joseph Addison's tragedy Cato, contributing verse to a prominent theatrical production.
Windsor Forest Published
Pope published Windsor Forest, connecting a poetic landscape with the politics of peace.
Ode for Musick Published
Pope published Ode for Musick as a separate work in London.
Windsor Forest Celebrates Peace
Pope's Windsor Forest linked the English landscape to the recently agreed European peace.
Shakespeare Editorial Project Approached
Pope's growing literary standing led toward a substantial editorial commission involving Shakespeare's plays.
1714
Expands Mock Epic to Five Cantos
Pope expanded The Rape of the Lock into a five canto mock epic with supernatural machinery.
The Rape of the Lock
Publication of "The Rape of the Lock"
Rape of the Lock Expanded
Pope issued the enlarged five canto version of his mock heroic poem.
1715
First Iliad Volume Published
The first volume of Pope's translation of the Iliad appeared through a highly successful subscription scheme.
The Temple of Fame
Publication of "The Temple of Fame"
Temple of Fame Published
Pope published The Temple of Fame a poem reflecting on literary reputation.
Homer Iliad First Volume Issued
The opening volume of Pope's English Iliad appeared through subscription.
1716
Moves to Chiswick
Pope lived with his family at Chiswick while continuing work on his Homer translation.
Iliad Translation Second Volume Issued
Pope continued publishing his Iliad translation in successive volumes.
1717
Elegy to Unfortunate Lady Published
Pope included Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady in his published collection of poems.
Eloisa to Abelard Published
Pope published Eloisa to Abelard in his collected Works, exploring forbidden love through heroic couplets.
Works Collection Issued
Pope's collected Works brought together many of his early poems and reinforced his literary standing.
Collected Works Includes Eloisa
Pope's published Works contained his poem Eloisa to Abelard.
Elegy to Unfortunate Lady Appears
The Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady appeared among Pope's poems.
1718
Moves to Twickenham
Pope settled at Twickenham, where his house and garden became associated with his literary career.
Twickenham Residence Established
Pope established his residence at Twickenham beside the Thames.
1719
Iliad
Publication of "Iliad"
1720
Iliad Translation Completed
Pope completed publication of his six volume translation of Homer's Iliad, a major achievement of Augustan literature.
Iliad Translation Sixth Volume
The last volume of Pope's Iliad translation appeared in 1720 following several years of work.
1721
Shakespeare Edition Preparation
Pope worked on an edition of Shakespeare's plays which would be published later in the decade.
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.