How Tough Was Sir Richard Francis Burton?

Explorer. Adventurer. World-Renowned Fighter. Before there was a Bear Grylls, there was a Richard Burton. It's hard to imagine a more gnarly man than Sir Richard Burton. His entire life was fueled by a passion to push the boundaries of what a person’s life could be. Burton was unquestionably, undeniably tough. How tough was he?

Let’s find out.

Early Signs of Resilience

Richard Francis Burton was born on March 19th, 1821 in Devonshire, England. Burton's journey into toughness began early. When he was young, Francis Burton nearly lost his life to a mysterious illness. It struck the young boy with a fever that nearly ended his life, but young Burton pulled through. His father was a retired army man. So, one can only imagine that Francis’ life was highly disciplined.

Burton’s father decided to uproot his family at some point and moved to France. This significant change in one’s life might have had traumatic consequences for others, yet that wasn’t the case for young Richard. He benefited from this shift because Burton displayed an astonishing talent for languages by the time he was a teenager. When he entered college at Oxford, Richard Burton was already fluent in at least four languages.

Educational Endeavors

Conventional thinking would lead you to believe that Burton would’ve been a star at Oxford. Yet, that wasn’t the case.

After two years, he washed out. There were reports of a “breach of discipline”, but the details are unclear. It must’ve been serious because Burton was expelled from Oxford in 1842.

World Class Adventurer

After leaving Oxford, Richard Burton decided to join a war in foreign lands. He enlisted into the 18th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry in India.

Burton fought against the Sindh and wound up staying eight years on the subcontinent. He became fluent in Arabic, Hindi, and five other regional languages.

His exploits certainly gained renown in military circles. Around 1845 Richard Burton became an intelligence officer under the command of Sir Charles James Napier. Now a captain, Burton bravely disguised himself as a Muslim to gain sensitive intel from the local bazaars, brothels, and eateries.

Scandal for Richard Francis Burton

On one of those top-secret spy missions, Richard Burton went undercover to expose an underground gay prostitution ring. Apparently, Burton really excelled in the role, leading to the destruction of the criminal syndicate. Yet his close attachment to homosexual activities was used by his political and social rivals to discredit Burton’s name.

Bounce Back in the Middle East

Richard Burton lived in England with his mother for a few years after India. He was about 30 years old at the time. He wrote four books about India and began strategizing about his comeback to glory. This must’ve been a low point for Burton. Staying with his mother in England after living such an extraordinary life abroad must’ve tormented him.

In 1853, Richard Francis Burton left England and set off for the Middle East. He traveled disguised as an Afghani Muslim on pilgrimage to the holy lands. He traveled to Cairo, the Suez Peninsula, Mecca, and Medina. Burton traveled bravely through these areas that were no-go zones for non-Muslims.

His insatiable curiosity propelled him into the heart of uncharted territories as a testament to his audacity and grit. In an era of strict religious divides and perilous political landscapes, Burton fearlessly navigated through unfamiliar terrain, often at great personal risk. Burton wasn’t the first non-Muslim to penetrate this hidden world, but his book brought him right back into fame and glory back in England.

Perhaps he should’ve retired, but Burton hadn’t put his feet up just yet. Instead, he traveled to the forbidden East African city of Harar. He was the first European to enter the Muslim citadel without losing his head.

Pushing Too Far

By 1855, Richard Burton probably felt invincible. He had traveled to locations that other Europeans had only heard legends of. He had fought in wars. He had worked as a secret agent. He was a published author and public figure.

Yet, Richard Burton wanted to challenge himself again. He decided to travel to the source of the White Nile River in East Africa. Nobody in Europe even knew where the White Nile River began. A party formed through the British East India Company and Burton’s band of brothers began to push through Somalia.

They were attacked almost immediately. A member of the party was killed, another was seriously injured, and Francis Burton himself received a spear through the face for his audacity. He didn’t find the riverhead, but Burton returned to England with one of the gnarliest scars and adventure stories anyone would ever hear.

Richard Francis Burton never let go of that failure though. He was determined to find the riverhead of the White Nile River. It wasn’t even that strategically important. Richard Burton just wasn’t settled with that loss in his tally.

Burton set out again with one of the survivors of the previous expedition. They chose a different route but encountered all manner of hardships along the way. Burton succeeded in finding Lake Tanganyika and his partner found Lake Victoria. Yet, Burton lost mobility from malaria and Speke, his partner, went partially blind.

Eccentric Spy Tales

Richard Burton recovered from his exploits while back home in England. Burton was exceptionally resilient, developing a pattern of foraying out into the world and contracting back to his home turf to heal and plot the next move. Meanwhile, a feud began between him and Speke, partially because Burton was jealous that Speke got most of the fame from their shared adventures.

The next move for Burton would naturally find him back in the service of the British Foreign Office. He worked in West Africa and gathered intel for the British. Yet, the nature of that intel raised eyebrows back home. Richard Francis Burton gave detailed reports about strange tribal practices, bizarre sexual rituals, and occult groups in West Africa. Burton was gaining a reputation for being too eccentric to handle. His interests were clearly on the fringe of mid-nineteenth century English standards.

A Pattern of Untimely Exits

Richard Francis Burton bounced around after that. In 1869, he worked in Brazil for the Foreign Office and then got transferred to Damascus. All this repositioning might’ve jarred a lesser man, but Richard Burton had been moving around since he was a kid. In fact, he loved the inconstancy of his life.

Flowers for Sir Francis Richard Burton

Yet, that pattern of untimely exits was eventually broken. After he was booted out of Damascus due to political intrigue in 1871, Burton was stationed in Trieste. It would be his last post. Richard Burton was honored in 1886 by Queen Victoria. He was named Sir Richard Francis Burton, Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George. Sadly, Sir Burton passed away four years later.

Literary Legacy

Sir Richard Francis Burton was always sure to carefully document his many adventures. In addition to being a journeyman, he was a consummate writer. He wrote several books throughout his life. His translations of literary classics such as "One Thousand and One Nights" and "The Kama Sutra" showcased his intellectual prowess and cultural acumen. Despite the complexities of language and culture, Burton fearlessly delved into these works, bridging the gap between distant worlds with his pen as his sword.

How Tough Was Sir Richard Francis Burton?

Sir Richard Francis Burton's life epitomizes the essence of toughness in the face of adversity. His indomitable spirit, unwavering courage, and insatiable thirst for adventure continue to inspire generations of explorers, scholars, and adventurers alike. In a world fraught with challenges and uncertainties, Burton's legacy serves as a beacon of resilience, reminding us that true strength lies not in avoiding adversity but in confronting it head-on with unwavering resolve.

As we don our TXTXTX garments imbued with the spirit of toughness and resilience, let us draw inspiration from the extraordinary life of Sir Richard Francis Burton. For it is through adversity that we forge our own paths, conquering the uncharted territories of our dreams with the same fearless determination that defined Burton's remarkable journey.