Who was Annabella Milbanke, Lord Byron’s wife?

Anne Isabella (Annabella) Milbanke was the wife of the British poet Lord Byron. They married in January 1815, a union Byron sought in an attempt to escape his various romantic entanglements.1

Annabella was noted for her aptitude for mathematics, leading Byron to nickname her the "princess of parallelograms." The couple had one daughter, Augusta Ada, who later became a renowned mathematician and is celebrated as the first computer programmer.1

Their marriage was short-lived and deeply troubled. Annabella accused Byron of being abusive, while he found her humorless and unimaginative. Amidst rumors regarding Byron's bisexuality and alleged incestuous relations with his half sister, Augusta Leigh, Annabella left her husband in January 1816. The couple subsequently obtained a legal separation, and Byron left England permanently shortly thereafter.12