Today is Easter, and, as most people reading this know, it the Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus on the third day after his crucifixion. It is the holist day of the Christian liturgical calendar and a day when most Christians, even those who normally eschew church-going, attend a morning service. A lot of… Read more Some Bunny Loves You
Prince William Augustus was born on 15 April 1721, the third son and sixth child of King George II and Caroline of Ansbach. When he was four his parents made him the Duke of Cumberland, Marquess of Berkhampstead, Earl of Kennington, Viscount Trematon, and Baron Alderney. He was his parents’ best loved son, so much… Read more Billy the Butcher’s Birthday
William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck was born on 14 April 1738, the eldest son and heir of William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland and Margaret Cavendish-Harley. The newborn had an illustrious future ahead of him. Not only would he be the 3rd Duke of Portland, he would hold every title of British nobility – Duke, Marquess,… Read more Happy Birthday to the Queen’s Ancestor, Regency Era Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck
One of the longer-lasting effects of Henry VIII split from Rome, Elizabeth I’s reign, and the Jacobite Rebellion two centuries after, was that laws codifying discrimination against Catholics became seemingly set in stone. The only people who regarded this as slightly unfair was the Catholics, most Whigs (the de facto left wing by the Regency… Read more Catholic Emancipation and the Regency Whigs
Empress Matilda (AKA Maude), widow of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, wife of Geoffery of Anjou, and heir to King Henry I, became “Lady of the English” on 7 April 1141. However, when she went to be annointed as the new queen in Westminster Abbey, the people of London and her cousin’s wife rallied against… Read more Warring Matilda
James Mill, considered one of the best philosophical minds of the Regency era, was born on 6 April 1773. He was one of the founders and most ardent proponents of philosophic radicalism and was one of the key writers that helped steer Regency liberal politicians towards fighting to guarantee the freedom of the press and… Read more James Mill: Liberal Philosopher and Racist Asshat
It is nearly impossible to overstate the influence of Napoleon Bonaparte on European and British politics and culture during the Regency period. The British upper-class, terrified after the French Revolution and by the onslaught of attempted democracies, had stirred up the average Briton against the ‘forces of Godless anarchy’ and had been at war off… Read more Napoleon’s First Abdication on 4 April 1814
March 25 is one of the quarter days that once marked the English year, called Lady Day (Our Lady’s Day) after the Virgin Mary. It was a very important in the Middle Ages, and was considered New Year’s Day for centuries (although New Year’s presents were typically given on the 1st of January, that was… Read more Happy New Year, AKA Lady Day, AKA 25 March!
Most people have heard of Byron, Coleridge, and Wordsworth … but the now lesser-known Robert Southey used to be among them as England’s foremost poets. Southey died on 21 March 1843, which brought him to mind today. During his life he was one of the most influential writers of the Regency period, and was Poet… Read more Robert Southey, Poet Laureate 1813-1843
(Today I have a video chat up at Diary of an Eccentric, so you should drop by!) Horace (Horatio) Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford, passed away on 2 March 1797, leaving behind a literary and architectural legacy that would help shape the nature of Regency England and even the Victorian era. Walpole was the… Read more The Gothic