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
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
On 11 April 1814 representatives for France’s Emperor Napoleon I and those from the Sixth Coalition member states of Austrian Empire, Russia, and Prussia met and signed the Treaty of Fontainebleau. Once it was ratified on 13 April Napoleon’s reign was officially over, and he would be sent into exile on the island of Elba.… Read more Able Was I Ere I Saw Elba
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
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
When America began its war for independence, the Native Americas were as divided as those Americans descended from Europeans. The peoples known as the Delaware tribes (the Munsee– and Unami-speaking Lenni Lenape) were spilt almost 50/50 between supporting the British and supporting the Colonists. Some Lenape decided to take up arms against the American colonials… Read more Genocidal Acts on American Soil: The Gnadenhutten massacre
I am in a bit of a quandary. Wither do I dither, you may ask? You see, it is International Women’s Day, many women are on strike for A Day Without Women, and there are too many things I want to blog about on this topic. On the one hand, I could blog about Jane… Read more International Women’s Day and Squirrels
Henry VIII died on 28 January 1547, but the time needed to have his body lavishly embalmed and his funeral procession planned meant that the king was not actually buried in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor until almost three weeks later. On 14 February the king’s funeral procession began its journey from Whitehall, where the… Read more Bluff King Hal is Laid to Rest
Can I just say, AGAIN, that with it being so close to the release of Mansfield Parsonage on the 28th, that I am a mass of jitters? I am so hopeful that you all will enjoy the book, and that will delight Austen fans. But why did I chose Mansfield Park, out of all of… Read more Mansfield Parsonage awaits!