Prolific author and traveler who was one of the first Europeans to visit Mecca and brought the Kama Sutra to the Western World.
He was a captain of the East India Company army, and later was commissioned to explore the eastern coast of Africa.
He was an outspoken critic of colonization, which did not help his career.
His mother inherited a large fortune, which helped him obtain a good education. He was married to Isabel Burton from 1861 until 1890.
He accompanied John Hanning Speke on the expedition to find the source of the Nile River.
