Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892) was born into a family of twelve children. While still in his teens, he collaborated with two of his brothers on a book of verse that was published in 1827. He attended Cambridge University, where he won a Chancellor's medal for poetry and joined a group of talented undergraduates who called themselves the Apostles. One member of this group, Arthur Hallam, became Tennyson's best friend. In 1833, Hallam died suddenly, sending Tennyson into a deep depression. In the decade that followed, Tennyson fell in love with Emily Sellwood but was unable to marry because of poverty. In 1850 his fortunes changed. In that year, England's poet laureate, William Wordsworth, died, and Tennyson was named to replace him. Tennyson married Emily, and his fame as a poet grew steadily. In 1884 he was made a peer. His work, which often dealt with patriotic themes and subjects from medieval romance, was enormously popular. When the much-loved, legendary poet died, he was buried in Westminster Abbey.