Most scientists working on the study of the relationship between Britain and the Islamic world pay little attention to the consideration of the reaction of British intellectuals of the era of Romanticism to Islam. In this regard, it seems advisable to turn to the study of ideas about the East among English historians and thinkers of the era of Romanticism. The article focuses on the reaction of British intellectuals of the era of Romanticism to Islam, in particular of the future poet laureate Robert Southey (1774‒1843). Fascinated by Napoleon’s decisive invasion of Egypt, but knowing little about the realities of the French attitude towards the local population, Romantic poets reveled in both revolutionary and oriental themes, depicting the Prophet’s life path as an ambivalent allegory of Napoleon’s conquests. R. Southey was no exception. The purpose of this article is to show the evolution of R. Southey’s views on the East in general and on Islam in particular. In 1801, one of the most important works of R. Southey– the poem “Thalaba the Destroyer” was published. “Thalaba the Destroyer” is the first work of R. Southey, in which he attempted to depict all the mythologies of the world in an epic form. Also, this work by R. Southey testified to the growing political orthodoxy of the thinker, in a few years he moved from outright Jacobin radicalism to Tory conservatism. “Thalaba the Destroyer” became R. Southey’s work, which appeared on the threshold of his changing views. R. Southey’s youthful interest in political education and the desire to change society was not completely lost. By the age of twenty-six, R. Southey began to form an increasingly conservative view. He recognized the value and importance of his country’s culture for the whole world. The main source for the author of the article is the personal correspondence of R. Southey, as well as the poem “Thalaba the Destroyer”. The article is written on the basis of the principles of historicism and objectivity using methods of analysis, comparison, and description. In conclusion, the article concludes that R. Southey’s interest in Islam has gone a long way towards formation, development and extinction. Conventionally, it can be divided into three consecutive stages: 1) interest in Muhammad’s life; 2) refusal to collaborate with S. T. Coleridge on the epic “The Flight and Return of Muhammad” in 1800, followed by extensive independent work on the poem “Thalaba the Destroyer”; 3) conservative denial of Islam, adherence to the traditions of the Church of England. The author concluded that “Thalaba the Destroyer” became the work of R. Southey, promoting the imperial policy of Great Britain abroad. R. Southey continued to carefully incorporate Quranic motifs in his poems, however, in the end; he abandoned the study and popularization of Islam, becoming a conservative defender of the Church of England and the state.