16 October 1854 to 30 November 1900
His Life
Forty-six years, five places. Wilde was born in Dublin, made his name in London, lost everything in two years of prison, and died in a Paris hotel room. This is the short version; the timeline below has the dates.
1854 - 1874
Dublin
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde was born on 16 October 1854 at 21 Westland Row, the second son of Sir William Wilde, an eye and ear surgeon and antiquarian, and Jane Francesca Elgee, a poet who had written for the nationalist newspaper The Nation as "Speranza".
The family moved to 1 Merrion Square, where his mother kept a Saturday salon. He boarded at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen from 1864, and his younger sister Isola died in 1867, aged nine. Requiescatis thought to have been written for her.
In 1871 he won a scholarship to Trinity College Dublin to read classics, and in 1874 took the Berkeley Gold Medal for Greek.
1874 - 1878
Oxford
A scholarship took him to Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1874. There he read Walter Pater and heard John Ruskin lecture, and began to dress and decorate his rooms like the aesthete he would become famous for being.
His poem Ravenna won the Newdigate Prize in 1878, and he left with a double first in classics.
1879 - 1895
London
In London he became famous before he had written much, as the best-known voice of the Aesthetic Movement, caricatured in Punch. His first book, Poems, came out in 1881. In 1882 he crossed to New York for a lecture tour that lasted most of the year; the well-known studio portraits by Napoleon Sarony were taken that January.
He married Constance Lloyd in 1884, and their sons Cyril and Vyvyan were born in 1885 and 1886 at 16 Tite Street, Chelsea. He edited The Woman's World and published The Happy Prince and Other Talesin 1888.
Then came the years that made him: The Picture of Dorian Grayin 1890, the second book of fairy tales in 1891, and four comedies in the West End between 1892 and 1895. In 1891 he met Lord Alfred Douglas.
1895 - 1897
Reading
Four days after The Importance of Being Earnest opened in February 1895, Douglas's father, the Marquess of Queensberry, left a card at Wilde's club accusing him of posing as a sodomite. Wilde sued for criminal libel. The case collapsed, and on 5 April he was arrested at the Cadogan Hotel.
After two criminal trials he was convicted of gross indecency on 25 May 1895 and sentenced to two years' hard labour. He served it at Pentonville, Wandsworth and, from November 1895, Reading Gaol, where he wrote the long letter to Douglas later published as De Profundis. His mother died while he was inside.
1897 - 1900
France and Paris
Released on 19 May 1897, he left England the same night and never went back, living in France as Sebastian Melmoth. At Berneval, near Dieppe, he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol, published in 1898 under his cell number, C.3.3. Constance died in Genoa that April.
He spent his last years mostly in Paris, short of money and in failing health. He was received into the Catholic Church on 29 November 1900 and died of meningitis the next day at the Hôtel d'Alsace, aged 46. He was buried at Bagneux and moved in 1909 to Père Lachaise.
Timeline
16 October 1854
Birth of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde is born at 21 Westland Row, Dublin, the second son of Sir William and Jane Wilde.
1855
Baptism; family moves to 1 Merrion Square
Wilde is baptised at St Mark's Church, Dublin, and the family moves to 1 Merrion Square.
2 April 1857
Birth of sister Isola
Isola Francesca Emily Wilde is born. Her death in childhood (1867) later inspired the poem "Requiescat".
1864
Sir William Wilde knighted; Oscar goes to Portora
William Wilde is knighted for his work on the Irish census. Oscar joins Willie at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen.
1871
Scholarship to Trinity College Dublin
Wilde leaves Portora with a Royal School scholarship to read classics at Trinity, under J. P. Mahaffy.
1874
Berkeley Gold Medal; demyship to Magdalen
He wins Trinity's Berkeley Gold Medal for Greek, then a scholarship (demyship) to Magdalen College, Oxford, going up in October 1874.
19 April 1876
Death of Sir William Wilde
Oscar's father dies in Dublin, almost bankrupt. He is buried at Mount Jerome.
July 1877
"The Tomb of Keats" and first journalism
After travelling to Greece and Rome with Mahaffy, Wilde publishes "The Tomb of Keats" (Irish Monthly) and a review of the Grosvenor Gallery (Dublin University Magazine).
26 June 1878
Recites Ravenna, Newdigate Prize poem
Wilde reads his prize-winning poem Ravenna at Encaenia in the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford.
November 1878
Double first at Oxford
Wilde graduates BA with a double first in Classical Moderations and Literae Humaniores.
1880
Vera printed; lodging in Tite Street
He privately prints his first play, Vera; or, The Nihilists, and lodges with Frank Miles at 1 (now 44) Tite Street, Chelsea.
1881
Poems published
David Bogue publishes Poems, his first collection, in mid-1881. The Oxford Union narrowly votes to condemn the book for plagiarism and rejects the presentation copy.
25 June 1881
Punch caricature "O.W."
Linley Sambourne's sunflower caricature of Wilde appears in Punch.
January 1882
Sarony portraits
Napoleon Sarony photographs Wilde in New York, producing the defining images of the aesthete.
2 January 1882
Arrives in New York
Wilde arrives on the SS Arizona for a year-long lecture tour of North America, disembarking the following day.
9 January 1882
First lecture: "The English Renaissance"
Wilde opens his tour at Chickering Hall, New York.
April 1882
Leadville, Colorado
Wilde lectures to silver miners in Leadville and later claims to have drunk whiskey with them underground.
February 1883
Paris: writes The Duchess of Padua
Wilde spends February to mid-May 1883 in Paris, writing The Duchess of Padua for Mary Anderson.
20 August 1883
Vera premieres in New York
Vera; or, The Nihilists opens at the Union Square Theatre with Marie Prescott and closes within about a week.
29 May 1884
Marries Constance Lloyd
Wilde marries Constance Lloyd at St James's Church, Paddington.
5 June 1885
Birth of Cyril
The Wildes' first son, Cyril, is born.
1886
Meets Robert Ross
Wilde meets Robert Ross, later his lover, loyal friend and literary executor.
3 November 1886
Birth of Vyvyan
The Wildes' second son, Vyvyan, is born.
1887
Editor of The Woman's World
Wilde becomes editor of Cassell's Lady's World, renames it The Woman's World, and edits it until 1889.
May 1888
The Happy Prince and Other Tales
David Nutt publishes Wilde's first book of fairy tales, illustrated by Walter Crane and Jacomb Hood.
January 1889
The Decay of Lying and Pen, Pencil and Poison
Two of the essays later collected in Intentions appear in the Nineteenth Century and the Fortnightly Review.
July 1889
The Portrait of Mr. W. H.
Wilde's story about Shakespeare's Sonnets appears in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine.
20 June 1890
Dorian Gray in Lippincott's
The Picture of Dorian Gray appears in the July 1890 Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, and hostile reviews follow.
1891
Annus mirabilis
The Soul of Man under Socialism (February), the revised Dorian Gray (April), Intentions (May), Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories (July) and A House of Pomegranates (November).
1891
Meets Lord Alfred Douglas
In mid-1891 Lionel Johnson introduces Wilde to Lord Alfred ("Bosie") Douglas, then an Oxford undergraduate.
20 February 1892
Lady Windermere's Fan premieres
Wilde's first society comedy opens at the St James's Theatre, produced by George Alexander.
June 1892
Salomé banned
Rehearsals of Salomé with Sarah Bernhardt at the Palace Theatre stop when the Lord Chamberlain's censor refuses a licence.
February 1893
Salomé published in French
Salomé is published in Paris and London, dedicated to Pierre Louÿs.
19 April 1893
A Woman of No Importance premieres
Herbert Beerbohm Tree stages the play at the Haymarket Theatre.
February 1894
Salomé in English, with Beardsley
The English translation, dedicated to its translator Lord Alfred Douglas, is published with Aubrey Beardsley's illustrations.
June 1894
The Sphinx published
The Sphinx is published in an edition designed by Charles Ricketts.
3 January 1895
An Ideal Husband premieres
An Ideal Husband opens at the Haymarket Theatre.
14 February 1895
The Importance of Being Earnest premieres
Wilde's masterpiece opens at the St James's Theatre. Queensberry is stopped from disrupting the first night.
18 February 1895
Queensberry's card
The Marquess of Queensberry leaves his card at the Albemarle Club: "For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite".
3 April 1895
Libel trial opens
Wilde's criminal libel prosecution of Queensberry opens at the Old Bailey. Edward Carson's cross-examination wrecks it, and Wilde withdraws on 5 April.
5 April 1895
Arrested at the Cadogan Hotel
Wilde is arrested at the Cadogan Hotel, Pont Street, on charges of gross indecency, and held on remand at Holloway.
26 April 1895
First criminal trial
Wilde and Alfred Taylor are tried before Justice Charles. The jury cannot agree (1 May) and a retrial is ordered. Wilde is freed on bail.
May 1895
Newgate and Pentonville
Wilde is processed at Newgate, then imprisoned at Pentonville on the treadmill and picking oakum.
25 May 1895
Convicted: two years' hard labour
At the retrial before Mr Justice Wills, Wilde and Taylor are convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to two years' hard labour.
November 1895
Clapham Junction; arrival at Reading
Taken to Reading Gaol, Wilde is jeered at on the platform at Clapham Junction in convict dress. De Profundis dates this 13 November 1895; Wikipedia gives 23 November.
February 1896
Salomé staged in Paris
Lugné-Poe's Théâtre de l'Œuvre gives the first production of Salomé while Wilde is in Reading Gaol.
3 February 1896
Death of Lady Wilde
Jane Wilde ("Speranza") dies at 146 Oakley Street, Chelsea. Constance travels from Genoa to Reading to tell Oscar.
7 July 1896
Execution of Charles Thomas Wooldridge
Trooper C. T. Wooldridge is hanged at Reading Gaol. The Ballad of Reading Gaol is dedicated to his memory.
January 1897
Writes De Profundis
Between January and March 1897 Wilde writes his long letter to Lord Alfred Douglas, later published as De Profundis.
19 May 1897
Released from prison
Wilde is released from Pentonville (brought there from Reading the day before) and sails that night for Dieppe.
20 May 1897
Arrives in France as "Sebastian Melmoth"
Wilde lands at Dieppe and soon settles at Berneval-sur-Mer under the name Sebastian Melmoth.
28 May 1897
Letter on "The Case of Warder Martin"
The Daily Chronicle prints Wilde's letter on the treatment of children in prison.
August 1897
Reunited with Douglas
Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas meet again at Rouen, then live together near Naples until December.
13 February 1898
The Ballad of Reading Gaol published
Leonard Smithers publishes the Ballad, signed "C.3.3.", and it quickly runs through several editions.
24 March 1898
Second Daily Chronicle letter
"Don't Read This If You Want To Be Happy To-day" argues for prison reform during the Prison Bill debates.
7 April 1898
Death of Constance Wilde
Constance dies in Genoa after spinal surgery and is buried at Staglieno.
1899
Earnest and An Ideal Husband published
Leonard Smithers publishes the last two society comedies.
13 March 1899
Death of Willie Wilde
Oscar's brother dies in Chelsea, aged 46.
29 November 1900
Received into the Catholic Church
On his deathbed at the Hôtel d'Alsace, Wilde is conditionally baptised by Fr Cuthbert Dunne, a Passionist priest from Dublin.
30 November 1900
Death of Oscar Wilde
Wilde dies of meningitis at the Hôtel d'Alsace, Paris, aged 46.
December 1900
Burial at Bagneux
Wilde is buried in a temporary grave at the Cimetière parisien de Bagneux.
After 1900
February 1905
De Profundis published
Robert Ross publishes an abridged, expurgated De Profundis. It is a critical success and begins the rehabilitation of Wilde's reputation.
9 December 1905
Strauss's Salome premieres
Richard Strauss's opera, based on Wilde's play, opens in Dresden.
1908
First Collected Edition
Methuen publishes Ross's 14-volume collected edition, including much previously unpublished work.
20 July 1909
Reburial at Père Lachaise
Wilde's remains are moved from Bagneux to Père Lachaise, with Robert Ross and Vyvyan Holland present.
April 1913
Ransome libel trial
In Douglas v. Ransome, the unpublished parts of De Profundis are read in the High Court. Ross prints "The Suppressed Portion" to secure US copyright.
August 1914
Epstein's tomb unveiled
Jacob Epstein's monument, first shown to the London press in June 1912 and then covered by the French authorities, is finally unveiled.
5 October 1918
Death of Robert Ross
Wilde's literary executor dies in London.
30 November 1950
Ross's ashes placed in Wilde's tomb
On the 50th anniversary of Wilde's death, Robert Ross's ashes are placed in the compartment he had asked Epstein to include.
16 October 1954
Centenary plaque in Tite Street
Compton Mackenzie unveils the London County Council blue plaque at 34 Tite Street on the centenary of Wilde's birth.
1962
The Letters of Oscar Wilde
Rupert Hart-Davis publishes the letters, including the first accurate full text of De Profundis from the manuscript.
14 February 1995
Poets' Corner window
A memorial window to Wilde is unveiled in Westminster Abbey, on the centenary of the Earnest premiere.
1997
Merrion Square statue unveiled
Danny Osborne's Oscar Wilde Memorial Sculpture is unveiled in Merrion Square by Merlin Holland, Wilde's first statue.
1998
'A Conversation with Oscar Wilde'
Maggi Hambling's memorial is unveiled in Adelaide Street, London.
2011
Glass barrier at the tomb
After restoration, a glass barrier is put round the tomb to protect it from lipstick kisses.
31 January 2017
Posthumous pardon ("Alan Turing law")
The Policing and Crime Act 2017 receives royal assent, pardoning Wilde and about 50,000 other men convicted of homosexual acts that are no longer offences.
2019
Rainbow plaque at Clapham Junction
A rainbow plaque marks the spot where Wilde was abused by a crowd in November 1895.