HistoricalContextforPrideandPrejudice

=__**Historical Context for Pride and Prejudice**__=

//Pride and Prejudice// is considered a novel of the Regency Era, though written during the Georgian Era, under the reign of George III.

__The Regency Era[[image:wiki3.jpg width="131" height="157" align="right"]]__
Historically, the Regency era is primarily characterized as the time period in which George VI served as Prince Regent while his father was legally incapacitated (1811 – 1820), but the Regency Era is also recognized as a transitional period in between the Georgian Era and the Victorian Era, in which case it encompasses both the reigns of George IV and his brother and successor to the throne, William IV, between 1811 and 1837.

George IV was declared Prince Regent in 1811 after Parliament passed the Regency Act, which declared George III unfit to rule, and he succeeded George III as king when he died in 1820. The Regent Prince’s reign was characterized by weak exercise of royal power and excessive superficial improvements to London with the creation of Regent Street, Regent's Park, and the Royal Pavillion at Brighton. George IV never gained popularity in part because of his lacking interest in government and in part because of his relationship with his official wife.

The role public opinion played in the continuation of George IV and Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel's marriage reflects upon the obligations that marriage implied during the Regency era. Their marriage was arranged and continued until Caroline's death in 1821, although they lived separate lives. In 1820, Caroline attempted to invoke her title as Queen, which led George IV to seek a divorce. Although the divorce was approved in a bill passed by the House of Commons and the House of Lords, it was never finalized due to pressure from the lower classes (__Tidbits and Trivia of the Regency Period__). The marital roles and societal obligations were contemporary issues of the Regency era, which explains the popularity of Regency novels such as __Pride and Prejudice__ that focused on said issues.

__Military Context__
The subplot of the militia in __Pride and Prejudice__ remains constant throughout the novel. Though members of the militia were only required to train for twenty eight days of the year, they were often thought to be superior patriots and were generally held in high regard (__Militia__). The militia served as England's standing army of reserve troops; during the the late Georgian and the Regency eras their purpose was to defend Britain in case of a French invasion. While __Pride and Prejudice__ was written, Britain was on the verge of war with France and eventually became involved in the Napoleonic Wars, therefore Austen's inclusion of officers in __Pride and Prejudice__ merely accurately reflected the perception of the militia at the time.

Since training lasted only twenty eight days of the year, Lydia's expectation that Colonel Forster would host a ball in Meryton was not unrealistic at all, and given the lack of conflict on British soil combined with widespread respect for the patriotic militia officers, their presence at such social events was probably commonplace. Indeed, in __Pride and Prejudice__ the absence of the militia greatly affected Elizabeth in that "parties abroad were less varied than before; and at home she had a mother and sister whose constant repinings at the dulness of everything around them, threw a real gloom over their domestic circle" (Austen 155). Essentially, the absence of soldiers did not affect the safety of the surrounding area of their former camp, but the social life.

Wickham's position as an officer of the army and a gentlemen allows him to escape from paying his debts for quite awhile, but when Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Bennet must finally research his debts, it is found that he has many "debts of honor" (193) to other officers, and that he was a "gamester" (193). Such debts demonstrate the laxity of the volunteer military atmosphere and the culture of the military regiments, the greater implication being that many militia men are involved in gambling, and that Wickham is one of the few who dishonorably ignore his debts.

__Marriage Laws__
__**Women's Marriage Rights**__ Legally, women were considered as property until the passage of the Married Women’s Property Act of 1884. Women were considered the property of their husbands and could not control or retain any material items. Anything that a woman owned automatically became the property of her husband unless he gave her permission to retain her belongings after his death. In this case, a woman could receive pin money for her personal needs or a jointure that her husband arranged for prior to his death. Otherwise, most of the money in a husband’s will went to the next male heir. In __Pride and Prejudice__, this patriarchal tradition is shown through Mr. Collins’ marriage. Since he is Mr. Bennet’s cousin, he will ultimately inherit all of the property as there is no other male heir. His position to inherit the Bennets' estate makes him an alluring candidate for marriage for Elizabeth, whose familial obligation would be to keep her family's estate. This is why Elizabeth’s reluctance to marry him is such a problem. One Collins and Charlotte Lucas marry, Charlotte takes on the role of Collins' property, and she will receive all of the Bennets' property, which leaves the Bennet women unprovided for once Mr. Bennet dies.

One important legal aspect of marriage was a settlement. This was an arrangement between the families of the wife and husband to transfer the wife’s property to him while ensuring some financial security after the husband dies. These settlements allowed the husband to give a set amount of money to his children and wife if he so chose. Before Lydia’s marriage to Wickham, the Bennetts ensured that Lydia would receive one hundred pounds every year after Wickham’s death and their children would receive five thousand pounds each. These settlements made sure that the women were not completely lost after her husband’s death since she could not earn any money due to her inability to get a job.

__Timeline[[image:wiki2.jpg align="right"]]__
1775 - Jane Austen is born. 1793 - Britain enters into an alliance against France after the revolutionaries execute Louis XVI. 1796-79 - The first manuscript for __Pride and Prejudice,__ called "First Impressions" is written. 1798-1801 - Napoleon attacked British colonies in Egypt in a failed attempt to spread his power. 1800 - Jane's brother, Frances, becomes a captain in the navy 1811 - Jane begins to revise "First Impressions" which will eventually become __Pride and Prejudice__//.// The Prince of Wales becomes Regent Prince. The Regency Era begins. 1812-1815 - The War of 1812 occurs between Britain and the United States. 1812-16 - Soldiers from the Napoleanic wars return home to an economic depression. This starts a series of revolts against the regime of Prince Regent. 1813 - __Pride and Prejudice__ is published. 1815 - France is invaded by Allied powers and Napoleon is forced to abdicate his thrown, which causes the war with France to end. 1816 - George IV has the construction of Regent Street and Regent's Park started. 1817 - Jane Austen dies. 1819- Yeoman officers attack protestors at The Peterloo Massacre. 1820 - George III dies, George IV succeeds him as the King of England. 1837- Victorian era begins. Extended Timeline of Romantic era: http://english.ucsb.edu:591/rchrono/

__Works Cited__
Austen, Jane. __Pride and Prejudice__. 3rd. New York: Norton & Company, 2000. "Channel Four." __Regency House Party__. 28 Oct 2007 [|http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/R/regencyhouse/history/intro.html.] Devany, Doug. "Trails." __PRINCE GEORGE'S CULTURE CLUB - A TRAIL THROUGH REGENCY BRIGHTON__. 28 Oct 2007 [|www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/trlout/TRA21286.html]. Gardner, Ashley. "England and the World in the Late Georgian and Regency Era." __Gardner Mysteries__. 28 Oct 2007 . "Manitowic Public Library." __Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin__. 28 Oct 2007 [|www.manitowoc.lib.wi.us/.../prideprejudice.htm]. 2^"Militia." __Regency Collection__. 30 Oct 2005. 28 Oct 2007 http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~awoodley/regency/militia.html. Moore, Richard. "The Campaigns of Napoleon." __Napoleonic Guide__. 2006. 28 Oct 2007 . "Regency Collection." __Women's Legal position in Regency times__. 28 Oct 2007 http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~awoodley/regency/legalwomen.html. 1^"Tidbits and Trivia of the Regency Period." __Romance Reader at Heart__. 28 Oct 2007 . __Wedding Dress Gallery. A fashion timeline__. 28 Oct 2007 .