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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Regency Era began 200 years ago today


It was 200 years ago today that the Regency Period began. It truly was a short era, 1811-1820, but according to the copious amount of books published, this time period can go from 1800-1820, though technically 1714-1811 was the Georgian Era.


In honor of this prestigious day, I'll be giving away random copies of my Regency Ménage Tale series. Simply leave a comment about why you like reading Regency romances to be entered! Any comment left between today (February 5) and Saturday (February 11) will count towards the giveaways.

Loathed by just about everyone, George Augustus Frederick was appointed Prince Regent to his father King George III on February 5th, 1811. He was a heavy drinker and a compulsive gambler.





In November 1810 the illness took possession of the king again, probably triggered by the death at the age of 27 of his youngest and favourite daughter Princess Amelia. She was a long time dying and she had a mourning ring containing a lock of her hair made for her father, which was thought to have sent him finally over the edge. He had to be put in a straitjacket and his medicine was administered by force. The royal doctors were optimistic, but it seemed clear to everyone in politics, including the Whig Prime Minister Spencer Perceval and his Cabinet, that a regency was inevitable. The prince behaved with what the Whig society hostess Lady Holland described as ‘very unusual discretion’. He kept well clear of the Whigs and told Cabinet ministers that they were the best judges of what to do, while making it plain that he had no quarrel with them and that if he was regent his treatment of them would depend entirely on their treatment of him.



In December a Regency Bill was introduced into Parliament. The Whigs wanted the Prince of Wales to be declared regent by hereditary right, but the bill passed on February 5th, 1811 was modelled on the one prepared in the crisis of 1788. The impossibility of procuring the king’s assent was got round by requiring the lord chancellor to affix the Great Seal of the Realm to letters patent naming lords commissioners who would grant the royal assent. This was an obvious dodge and the distinguished lawyer Sir Samuel Romilly described it as ‘a fraudulent trick’, but it was difficult to see a practical alternative and both houses of Parliament approved it.

6 comments:

  1. Hi Kristabel,
    That's interesting to know. I never gave a thought to when the Regency Era ended. It just seemed to go on forever because of all the Regency books I read. lol I enjoy reading about their strict society rules and the balls, the clothing and the things they did to get past those ridged rules. :)Also love reading about Dukes and Earls etc.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  2. I don't know what happened to my first comment but after I hit Publish it disappeared. I'll try again.:) It's interesting hearing how old the Regency is. I actually thought it lasted a lot longer then it actually did. But that's probably because of all the Regency era books I've read. LOl.
    I love reading about the "bad" Dukes and Earls and all the strict rules that applied in society. I enjoy reading about the Balls and the Women's clothing. But I also enjoy reading how most romances developed with such rigid rules.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  3. HI, Carol! I see both comments and agree. I love reading about "bad" nobility. Something about them curles the toes! And how they flaunt such very strct rules but not so much to utterly ruin anyone. It really is a great time to read about.

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  4. Wow, cool fact! The Regency has the best excesses of any historical period, IMO. Who doesn't love a man in tight breeches and Hessians??

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  5. Joanna you do have a point! It was an era full of excess, which is always fun to read.

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  6. Congratulations Carol and Joanna and thank you for commenting!

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