Aug 30, 1797 Mary Shelley Born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin is born in London. She is the only child of feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and the political philosopher William Godwin.

Sep 10, 1797 Mother Dies Mary Wollstonecraft dies as a result of complications from childbirth.

1807 First Poem Published Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin's first poem, "Mounseer Nongtongpaw," is published by the press owned by her father and stepmother.

Jun 1812 Moves to Scotland To separate Mary from her stepmother, William Godwin sends his daughter to stay with the Baxter family in Dundee, Scotland. She stays there until November, becoming close friends with the Baxters' daughter Isabel.

Mar 1814 Meets Percy Shelley Upon returning from Scotland, Mary Godwin meets Percy Bysshe Shelley, a young poet and an admirer of her father's who visits their home often. He also happens to be married to a woman named Harriet Westbrook, with whom he has one young daughter and another child on the way. Mary and Percy Shelley soon fall in love.

Jul 1814 Elopes With Shelley Sixteen-year-old Mary runs off with Percy Shelley to Europe. Her stepsister Claire Clairmont accompanies them. Mary Godwin becomes pregnant almost immediately. William Godwin is furious and refuses to see his daughter for the next two and a half years.

Sep 13, 1814 Returns to London Mary Godwin, Claire Clairmont and Percy Shelley return to London. Mary is penniless, pregnant, and a social outcast due to her having run off with a married man. The couple is forced to live apart while Shelley goes into hiding to escape his creditors.

Feb 22, 1815 Gives Birth to Daughter Mary Godwin gives birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Clara. The baby is two months premature and dies only a few weeks after birth.

Jan 24, 1816 Gives Birth to Son Mary Godwin gives birth to the couple's second child, William.

Jun 1816 Conceives Frankenstein The Shelleys take a summer holiday in Switzerland with Lord Byron and his pregnant lover Claire Clairmont. While stuck in the house one rainy afternoon, Lord Byron suggests a contest to see who can write the best ghost story. Shelley sketches the tale that becomes Frankenstein.

Oct 9, 1816 Fanny Godwin Dies Mary Godwin's older half- sister Fanny Imlay Godwin commits suicide with an overdose of laudanum.

Dec 1816 Shelley's Wife Dies Shelley's wife Harriet Westbrook commits suicide by throwing herself into London's Serpentine River. She was pregnant with the couple's third child.

Dec 30, 1816 Marriage A pregnant Mary Godwin marries Percy Bysshe Shelley at St. Mildred's Church in London. She reconciles with her father.

May 14, 1817 Gives Birth to Daughter Mary Shelley gives birth to her third child, a daughter named Clara Everina. Shortly after the birth she publishes a book about her 1814 elopement with Shelley entitled History of a Six Weeks' Tour.

Jan 1, 1818 Frankenstein Published Frankenstein is published anonymously, to immediate and wild success.

Mar 1818 Travels to Italy The Shelleys travel to Italy in order to convince Lord Byron to give his estranged lover Claire Clairmont access their child. They remain in Italy for several years.

Sep 24, 1818 Daughter Dies Clara Everina contracts dysentery and dies in Italy.

Jun 7, 1819 Son Dies The Shelleys' three-year-old son William dies of malaria in Italy. The couple now has no living children, though Mary is pregnant with their fourth.

Nov 12, 1819 Gives Birth to Son Mary Shelley gives birth to the couple's son Percy Florence, the only one of their children to outlive his parents.

Jul 8, 1822 Percy Bysshe Shelley Dies Percy Shelley drowns in the Gulf of Spezia while sailing with a friend. A devastated Mary Shelley has his body cremated.

Aug 25, 1823 Returns to England Mary Shelley and her son Percy Florence arrive in Italy from England.

1824 Shelley's Poems Halted Mary Shelley begins editing a book of her late husband's poems for publication. She is forced to stop when her father-in-law threatens to cut off support to her and her son unless she pledges never to publish any of his son's works during his lifetime.

Apr 7, 1836 Father Dies William Godwin dies in London.

Nov 1839 Shelley's Poems Published Mary Shelley edits and publishes the collected poems of her late husband Percy Bysshe Shelley. Percy Shelley's father agreed to the publication, so long as it contained no memoirs of his son. The following month she publishes a collection of Shelley's essays and assorted writing.