Articles about the Regency era
The effects of the Mt. Tambora eruption in 1815 weren’t felt in Europe and North America until 1816 and lasted for a number of years. At the time, no one understood that the change in weather patterns was due to a volcanic eruption in the Dutch East Indies, almost 10,000 miles away. It wasn’t…
Who doesn’t love warm summer weather? Summer is the perfect time for walking barefoot in the grass, outdoor picnics and going to the beach. But in some place in the U.S. and around the world this summer, wildfires are raging and heat records are shattering. Climate change, due to the “greenhouse effect” caused by burning…
On the 1st of each month, Regency Fiction Writers publishes our FREE online newsletter, The Regency Reader, to anyone interested in Regency Fiction (1780-1840). The publication features author interviews, tidbits about the Regency era, and a listing of new titles from members and non-members. Members’ releases also appear here on the blog. Submit your August…
This 1815 cartoon by George Cruikshank is a contemporary view of how Napoleon’s escape from his exile to Elba to France was regarded by the British. It satirically suggests that a “triumphal pillar” be erected to mark the spot where Napoleon landed on French soil on March 3, 1815. The pillar features a bloody skeleton,…
In my earlier post this week I described Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo and how it led him to St. Helena. After trying to evade the British forces and make his way to United States, Napoleon had to accept his punishment, which included a final sea voyage to his last place of exile. The trip down…
This summer the cruise ship industry is getting back on its feet after being shut down by the pandemic for 15 months. According to the Cruise Lines international Association, 31.5 million passengers are expected to board a cruise ship in 2023, surpassing 2019 pre-pandemic numbers. For many, a summer cruise means a fun vacation,…
This month marks the anniversary of one of the most famous snubs in history, or at least in Regency history. For it was in July of 1813 that Beau Brummell snubbed the Prince Regent at London’s Argyle rooms. And that snub, for whatever momentary satisfaction it may have given Brummell, marked the beginning of the…
Since properly brought up young ladies and gentlemen learned to dance before they were old enough to be out socially, one assumes this piece satirizes the rising middle class and their pretensions. Notice that “taught to dance” is italicized and followed by exclamation points. The people to the left appear to be learning posture tortuously…
June is a busy month in the UK’s royal calendar. In addition to the King’s Birthday Parade (also known as Trooping the Colour), on the second Saturday of June there’s the Royal Ascot – arguably the most famous horse race in the world. The Royal Ascot races, held every year, span five days in the…
This month on the second Saturday in June, a curious and uniquely British ceremony took place, as it does every year. Trooping the Colour is a centuries-old tradition full of pomp and pageantry, where anything can, and sometimes does, happen.