Which Romantic poet was expelled from Oxford for writing 'The Necessity of Atheism'?

Which Romantic poet was expelled from Oxford for writing “The Necessity of Atheism”? Percy Bysshe Shelley was expelled.

Shelley wrote the controversial pamphlet while studying at University College, Oxford, and it was published in 1811. The essay argued that religious belief should depend on evidence and reason, challenging the authority of established Christianity in an era when publicly promoting atheism could provoke serious consequences.

Shelley sent a signed copy to the heads of Oxford colleges. University authorities summoned him and his friend Thomas Jefferson Hogg, but Shelley refused to answer questions about authorship or to withdraw the work. He was expelled from Oxford on March 25, 1811, along with Hogg.

A nuance often missed is that the pamphlet was sometimes discussed alongside Shelley’s later religious and philosophical writing, including material connected with Queen Mab. Scholars have debated whether “atheist” fully captures Shelley’s evolving views, but the authorship and Oxford expulsion are firmly associated with him. Byron, another radical Romantic, was not expelled from Oxford for this work.