Which Romantic poet wrote 'The Vision of Judgment'?

Lord Byron wrote “The Vision of Judgment,” a satirical poem about the fate of George III’s soul. Byron composed it in 1821 as a direct response to Robert Southey’s “A Vision of Judgement,” which celebrated the deceased king from a strongly conservative perspective.

Written in ottava rima, Byron’s poem places George III in Heaven, where angels, devils, and historical witnesses debate whether he deserves salvation. The poem mocks royal flattery and Southey’s political assumptions, turning a solemn national tribute into an irreverent comic drama. Byron’s version also reflects his broader hostility toward the Tory establishment and its attacks on radical Romantic writers.

The poem’s publication was nearly as controversial as its subject. John Murray refused it, so it appeared in 1822 in the radical magazine “The Liberal,” attributed jokingly to “Quevedo Redivivus” rather than Byron. The publisher John Hunt was prosecuted for libel and fined £100. A common mix-up is its title: Southey wrote “A Vision of Judgement,” while Byron wrote “The Vision of Judgment.”