Richard francis burton biography

Sir Richard Francis Burton, c. 1870  ©Burton was a Victorian explorer, writer and translator, known for his travels in Asia and Africa.

Richard Francis Burton was born in Devon on 19 March 1821.

His father was an army officer. Burton accompanied his parents on their frequent trips abroad and showed an early talent for languages.

Burton was thrown out of Oxford University in 1842 and joined the army of the East India Company where his knowledge of local languages helped his work in surveying and in intelligence.

Sir richard francis burton biography

In 1853, taking leave from the company, he undertook a 'Hajj' or pilgrimage to Mecca, in disguise, and his account of this trip made him famous. The following year he explored what is now Somalia with a number of other officers, including John Speke.

In 1857, Burton and Speke embarked on a Royal Geographical Society funded expedition to explore inland from the east African coast, with the hope of finding the source of the Nile.

It w