What was the Regency Era?
To His Royal Highness, The Prince Regent. This work is, by His Royal Highness's permission, most respectfully dedicated by His Royal Highness's dutiful and obedient humble servant, The Author.
-From the Dedication Page of Emma by Jane Austen
The biting prose of Jane Austen, the bon ton, bad boy poets…perhaps these are things you think of when we speak of the Regency Era. But, what exactly is the Regency Era?
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There is a simple answer that is based on the political definition with it being the span of time beginning in 1811 and ending in 1820. In 1811, Parliament introduced the Regency Act in response to the inability of King George III to rule due to mental illness. Thus, began the regency of George IV, when he assumed the full powers of the of the king (after the first year), which lasted until the death of his father and his ascent to the throne in 1820. However, this is a rather short period of time, barely the blink of an eye in history, and somewhat arbitrary when considering the trends that were already set in motion and lasted into George IV's reign as king.
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In fact, when the Regency Era is referred to, it often envelops a longer period of time. Thus, the Regency can be more broadly defined as the period from 1795-1837. This span begins with the last 25 years of King George III’s rule and ends with the onset of the Victorian Period, and has been accepted as a more coherent social and cultural designation. Whatever definition of the Regency Era you use, it is a subset of the larger Georgian Period, which began with the reign of George I (1714) and ends with the ascent of Queen Victoria to the throne (1837).
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Enough with the numbers though! What are the events, themes, and ideas that bind these years together? The Regency Period follows a time of revolutions in America and France that did not leave Britain unchanged. The French War with Napoleon dampened the Republican fervor that had taken hold, but Enlightenment ideas still held strong. People reacted to years of blockades that weakened the economy and to protective measures like the Corn Laws which raised food prices. This, coupled with royal extravagance and political corruption inspired calls for reform. During the Regency period, demonstrations and riots were common in the capital and beyond. Even rural areas saw violent protests as people reacted to losing their jobs to machines.
A satirical print titled "The March of Intellect" and subtitled, "Lord how this world improves as we grow older" by William Heath and Thomas McClean, 1829. It was designed to caricature elements of the Industrial Revolution. This example is filled with satires of technological innovations and modern architecture with steam power is blamed for the breakdown of distinctions between the social classes. Image from National Air and Space Museum, information from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Traditional patterns of life were being disrupted by the encroaching factory system, and to be sure, the world seemed to be changing at a quicker pace than ever before. Industrialization as well as advances in science and agriculture were changing people and the landscape. Factories, mines, and manufacturing districts were replacing the meadows and trees. Cities grew quickly, and living conditions were often appalling. With all of this change, there continued to be great disparity in wealth, and rank was still of great importance. However, social mobility was becoming more common. ​​​​
The class system was still solidly entrenched, but the first cracks in its foundation were starting to form. The nobility remained at the top with their titles in tact, and just below them, the gentry enjoyed all of the luxuries of the landed class. Alas, a new sort of class was being built in the cities. These were the men who owed their wealth to trade and manufacture. Napoleon had called England a "nation of shopkeepers". It may have been meant as an insult, but this social class was to become England's strength.
A cartoon showing the Prince Regent dancing and drinking at a lavish party with a woman whose husband sits nearby with a look of dejection and a long paper tiltled "Order of the day" listing the expected indulgences. In the background, two demon-like figures play French horns, alluding to the man's present cuckold condition. Outside the palace is a view of a gallows and poor persons seeking relief.
The Regent himself, who would become King George IV, was a patron of the arts. During this period, they blossomed within the Romantic Movement, which the Prince Regent reflected as he looked beyond established conventions and pushed the frontiers of experience. Artists, novelists, and poets were of great interest to him. His fondness for the novels of Jane Austen led him to extend his permission for her to dedicate to him her next book, which happened to be Emma. This was an unasked for privilege, and in fact an unwanted one, for Jane Austen was not a fan of Regent and his unprincipled lifestyle. ​​
As a young prince, George was well-known for his libertinism. He had numerous liaisons, was know for debauchery and gluttony, and was profligate with money. He was a rake indeed. However, this sort of licentiousness was not uncommon among the aristocratic class. The Regency period had begun its cultural shift toward the stricter moral codes of the Victorian Era, but the decades that preceded the Regency Period were characterized by much more sexual promiscuity. As the 18th century came to a close, women especially were expected to be much more chaste and modest than their predecessors. Female conduct books like James Fordyce's Sermons to Young Women were to shape the behavior of young ladies.
Oftentimes, the Regency period is portrayed as an era of modest propriety, refinement, and elegance. It is depicted with picturesque rural spaces and cities of theatres and ballrooms. And it was those things...but it was much more. The pace of change was unlike any experienced before, and it is easy to argue that it was the beginning of the modern world. Much of its fascination lies in this intermediary existence between the familiar present and the romanticized past. As such, the Regency Era possesses the extraordinary ability to ignite our imaginations even centuries later.
Sources:
Byrne, Paula. The Real Jane Austen : A Life in Small Things. New York, HarperCollins,.
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Smith, E. A. (2017). Prince Regent. In George IV (pp. 132–145). Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.12987/9780300184235-015
Morrison, Robert. The Regency Years : During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern. New York, Ny ; London, W.W. Norton & Company, 2019.
Mortimer, Ian. The Time Traveler’s Guide to Regency Britain : A Handbook for Visitors to 1789-1830. New York, Pegasus Books, 2022.
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Adkins, Roy, and Lesley Adkins. Jane Austen’s England : Daily Life in the Georgian and Regency Periods. New York, New York, Penguin Books, 2014.
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“The Georgian Era.” www.rmg.co.uk, www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/georgian-era.
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Images:
Cruikshank, George, Etcher. Merry making on the regents birth day,/ G. Cruikshank. [London: Pub'd by J. Johnston, 98 Cheapside, August] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2003689159/>.
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“George III | Cleveland Museum of Art.” Www.clevelandart.org, www.clevelandart.org/art/1952.17.
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