Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Regency England

Defining the Regency Era.

A regent is a person appointed under the law to act on a monarch’s behalf if the monarch is incapacitated because of physical or mental illness or if, upon the death of a reigning monarch, the successor is under 18 years of age.

For historical purposes, the Regency Era began in 1811. King George III’s health had deteriorated to the point where he could no longer rule. The Prince of Wales, the king’s eldest son was formally named Prince Regent so that he could officially act for his father. The historical Regency Era only lasted from 1811–1820. When King George III died in 1820, the Prince Regent became King George IV. This was the technical end of the historical Regency Era.

A broader framework for the Regency Era is 1789-1830. This is the time range that is used by many historians, literary critics and antiques experts. (Thank you, Ian Mortimer, author of The Time Traveler’s Guide to Regency Britain. https://www.timetravellersguides.com)

In February 1789, Parliament first proposed an interim rule (a regency) for the Prince of Wales. Before the regency became official, the king’s health returned, making the appointment of a regent unnecessary. Although the Prince of Wales was not given the power of Prince Regent in 1789, from that time on he was officially the Regent-in-waiting. It was not until 1811 that the prince was formally elevated to the status of Prince Regent.

The Regency Fiction Writers https://thebeaumonde.com/main define the Regency Era in Great Britain as 1780–1840. This covers the years during which King George III’s mental and physical health was declining and the Prince of Wales, was beginning to take his father’s place. It also includes the ascension to the throne of the Prince of Wales as George IV in 1820, and his younger brother’s succession in 1830 as King William IV.

King William IV died in 1837. He was succeeded by his niece, Princess Victoria, the eldest surviving grandchild of King George III.

What Makes the Regency Era So Interesting?

In many ways, the Regency Era was a time period much like that of the mid-20^th century to the present day. It was a time of tremendous social, cultural and industrial change:

• The American Colonies claim their independence as the United States of America. https://regencynola.info/5b5tkhnf

• The French Revolution begins in the summer of 1789. https://www.history.com/topics/european-history/french-revolution

• The expansion of canals in England and Wales changes commerce and makes a wide variety goods more widely available a lower price within England and Wales. https://regencynola.info/bde45dj3

• The French Revolutionary Wars lead the Napoleonic Wars 1803–1815.

• These involve Great Britain and a number of other European countries. https://www.britannica.com/event/Napoleonic-Wars

• Edward Jenner administers the first smallpox vaccination. Vaccination is adopted as a medical necessity in the educated classes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1200696/

• Ludwig van Beethoven performs his Moonlight Sonata for the first time. https://regencynola.info/yckv52u3

• Britain and the United States both make the Slave Trade a criminal act.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_Trade_Act_1807

• Pride and Prejudice, a novel written by Jane Austen, is published. It becomes one of the most popular novels in the English language. Its popularity continues to this day. https://regencynola.info/2p8tbzsm https://jasna.org/austen/works/pride-prejudice

• A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft is published. The book calls for education and expanded rights for women. https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/wollstonecraft-a-vindication-of-the-rights-of-woman

• Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, (see above) is published. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/84/84-h/84-h.htm  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein

• English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning is born and produces memorable poetry. Her Sonnet 43 — How Do I Love Thee — is one of the most beautiful love poems in the English language. https://poets.org/poem/how-do-i-love-thee-sonnet-43

• Cadbury opens a chocolate shop in Birmingham, England. Chocolate begins to become popular as more than a morning beverage. Cadbury later merges with Fry & Sons. https://regencynola.info/53unwyks

• The first inter-city railway in the world is inaugurated between Liverpool and Manchester. https://www.britannica.com/topic/British-Railways

• Artist J. M. W. Turner experiments with light and atmosphere in his paintings changing the way that pastoral landscapes are viewed. https://regencynola.info/bdh62krc

• George Bryan “Beau” Brummell makes groundbreaking changes in British men’s fashion that continue to influence men’s apparel up to the present day. https://regencynola.info/3zvrvkph

• Great numbers of people living in rural areas migrate to large cities looking for work in factories. https://regencynola.info/2p8su7pe

• Industrialization leads to the growth of a moneyed middle class with upwardly-mobile social aspirations. https://regencynola.info/2p8wfxa4

• The East India Company brings new spices, consumer goods and opium to England, changing ideas about cuisine, décor and resulting in the use of drugs for recreational purposes. https://regencynola.info/yffmue2c

The Regency Romance Literary Genre.

The Romance Writers of America https://www.rwa.org  defines a romance as a love story that has a happy ending. Other than that, a romance story can take place in any time, place or imaginary setting with as many participants as desired.

Regency Romance stories are a subset of the historical romance category of the romance genre. Regency Romance stories can deal with any circumstances historically relevant to the era. Many modern Regency Romance authors choose to write about the aristocracy in England or Scotland.  The life of the ton — the aristocracy’s most fashionable members — is the background for many Regency stories.

Stories are often set in London during the Season, which began in the spring after Easter when Parliament convened, and concluded at the beginning of the summer when aristocrats fled the heat of London for their country estates. The Season was the time when young women made their debut in society and hopefully found a husband.

Country estates are another popular setting for Regency romances. Summer house-parties, at which young women who have not attracted a husband have a second chance, fall-house parties during which there is hunting. Christmas holidays also serve as backdrops for tales of Regency love and romance.

Popular Regency Romance Era Tropes.

A trop is a literary device that sets the stage for a particular story. There are many different tropes in the broad Romance genre:

• Love at First Sight – One or the other of the romantic leads sees the other across a room and is immediately smitten. (This is the trope I used in Anarchy at Almacks  about a hero who falls in love at first sight but can’t get to meet the woman he knows is his true love.)

• Amnesia — A person is found washed up on the beach and is taken to a nearby household to recover only to find that he or she has amnesia. The romantic leads fall in love only to find out that there are barriers to their love.

• Arranged Marriage — They were betrothed in the cradle but are uninterested in marrying one another and/or they love other people.

• Enemies to Lovers — They hate each other at first sight. Circumstances push them together. Proximity leads to love.

• Fake Betrothal — To escape some unwanted situation, a couple agrees to a fake engagement only to fall deeply in love with one another.

• Fairytales Retold — Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Prince and the Pauper, The Princess and the Pea.

• Friends to Lovers — They’ve known each other since the cradle. One of them realizes that the other is no longer a child. The other person is oblivious.

• Impossible Love — Financial issues, social class, religion, distance or race make a marriage seem impossible.

• Lost Heir — Switched at birth, kidnapped at a young age, presumed dead but is restored to his or her true elevated social status.

• Marriage of Convenience — To escape some dire fate or to get some desired outcome, two people enter into a mutuallyconvenient marriage. They eventually fall in love.

• Mistaken/False Identity — Twins switch places, one sibling is switched for another, a promised bride or groom is not the person actually standing before the parson.

• Opposites Attract — He’s a woman-chasing rake and she’s a virtuous parson’s daughter. They fall madly in love.

• Ruinous Secret — One of the lead players has a secret that, if known, would ruin him, her or his or her family. This secret prevents that person from marrying the other love interest.

• Second Chance — Once they were in love, but fate conspired to separate them. Now they have a second chance at love.