The Regency Era in the United Kingdom
1811-1820
In 1811, King George III, being subject to mental instability*, was deemed unfit to rule. His son, the Prince of Wales, ruled by proxy as Prince Regent until he became George IV on the death of his father. Although this time period is the actual length of the Regent’s rule, the term Regency Era often refers to the years between 1795 and 1830. The period we think of as the ‘Regency’ was a time of glamour and gloss; a glittering world renowned for its elegant entertainments, haut couture, achievements in the arts, sciences and architecture, and characterized by distinctive trends in fashions, politics and culture. For the aristocracy, or the ton, as the highest level of society was known, it was a time of excess; elaborate balls and routs, sumptuous dinner parties and weeks-long entertainments at splendid stately homes.
The Regency was also a time of war, political upheaval and economic change. Already unsettled by the tenants of the French Revolution, the landowners, the church and the Royals fiercely guarded the class system in England. The country was drained economically by the lengthy war with France and Napoleon and the war with the United States. Dissatisfaction over rising taxes and unpopular laws caused riots at home. Uncertainty affected society, commerce, and politics in a constantly changing world.
The desperately poor world that existed beneath that of the aristocracy was very different than that of the Prince Regent’s circle of society. Thievery, gambling, murder and prostitution thrived in less affluent areas of the cities, abandoned children begged on the streets, starvation was not uncommon and disease rampant. Soldiers returning from the wars, some maimed and ill, could rarely find work. Advances in agriculture decreased the need for laborers, throwing rural farm workers onto the streets or into the parish poor house. There was a wide gap between rich and poor, indeed. But a new wave of rising industries was creating a new, broader middle-class, rich, educated, and often daring in their endeavors. The success of these merchants, insurers, bankers, and shipping companies put England firmly on the path to the empire it was to become and the growth of the industrial revolution would eventually lead to improved conditions for more of the general population.
Multi-layered, wide-ranging in societal advances and changes, the Regency period lives on through a multitude of books, films, plays and internet sites and discussions. It remains a fascinating sliver of time in human history for many of us. Quite often idealized, of course, but then, what harm to dream of a romantic slice of a bygone era? The picture of men clothed in linen trousers and fancy waistcoats, or form-fitting coats with breeches and glossy black boots, strolling the streets of London with graceful, polished women clad in exquisite gowns at their sides, is truly a pleasant and welcome fantasy we can all enjoy.
*Possibly due to Porphyria, a disease caused by arsenic poisoning
The Regency was also a time of war, political upheaval and economic change. Already unsettled by the tenants of the French Revolution, the landowners, the church and the Royals fiercely guarded the class system in England. The country was drained economically by the lengthy war with France and Napoleon and the war with the United States. Dissatisfaction over rising taxes and unpopular laws caused riots at home. Uncertainty affected society, commerce, and politics in a constantly changing world.
The desperately poor world that existed beneath that of the aristocracy was very different than that of the Prince Regent’s circle of society. Thievery, gambling, murder and prostitution thrived in less affluent areas of the cities, abandoned children begged on the streets, starvation was not uncommon and disease rampant. Soldiers returning from the wars, some maimed and ill, could rarely find work. Advances in agriculture decreased the need for laborers, throwing rural farm workers onto the streets or into the parish poor house. There was a wide gap between rich and poor, indeed. But a new wave of rising industries was creating a new, broader middle-class, rich, educated, and often daring in their endeavors. The success of these merchants, insurers, bankers, and shipping companies put England firmly on the path to the empire it was to become and the growth of the industrial revolution would eventually lead to improved conditions for more of the general population.
Multi-layered, wide-ranging in societal advances and changes, the Regency period lives on through a multitude of books, films, plays and internet sites and discussions. It remains a fascinating sliver of time in human history for many of us. Quite often idealized, of course, but then, what harm to dream of a romantic slice of a bygone era? The picture of men clothed in linen trousers and fancy waistcoats, or form-fitting coats with breeches and glossy black boots, strolling the streets of London with graceful, polished women clad in exquisite gowns at their sides, is truly a pleasant and welcome fantasy we can all enjoy.
*Possibly due to Porphyria, a disease caused by arsenic poisoning