{"id":11912,"date":"2022-03-15T11:51:08","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T10:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/?p=202067"},"modified":"2022-03-15T12:12:11","modified_gmt":"2022-03-15T11:12:11","slug":"bridgerton-the-real-history-explained","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/rss_feed\/bridgerton-the-real-history-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridgerton: the real history explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Elinor Evans\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 15 March 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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We answer the top historical questions around Bridgerton<\/em> seasons one and two, with expertise from historians including Dr Hannah Greig, historical advisor to the show.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When is Bridgerton set?<\/h2>\n

The action in Netflix period drama series Bridgerton<\/em> is set in a highly stylised version of Regency era London and several fictional country estates across England. The plot is largely taken from a set of eight 21st-century novels by author Julia Quinn, and the story and characters are (mostly) fictional. The main plot follows the lives and loves of the eight Bridgerton siblings, with each novel covering a new romance. But the books borrow plenty of real history from the period, including the competitive marriage market, the ambitious society mothers, and the social mores of the day. You\u2019ll also find some real historical figures mixed into the plot, including Queen Charlotte<\/a>, wife of the incapacitated king, George III<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When was the Regency era?<\/h2>\n

The Regency period strictly applies to the years between 1811\u20131820 in British history, when George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland, was incapacitated by illness<\/a> (see more below). His son, also called George, assumed the throne in a regency. This meant that while George III was still the king in name, his son ruled as Prince Regent, and after George III\u2019s death in 1820, the prince assumed the throne as George IV<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\""King\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The Regency period applies to the years between 1811\u20131820 in British history, when George III (pictured) was incapacitated by illness. (Photo by National Galleries Of Scotland\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

More broadly, the Regency period refers to a subsection of the Georgian era (1714\u2013c1830\/37) and is often extended to the death of George IV in 1830, when the crown passed to William IV (the third son of George III, and younger brother to George IV). Some extend the period further to end with the accession of Queen Victoria<\/a> in 1837.<\/p>\n

Listen | Historian Emily Brand answers listener questions on the Regency era<\/a>, on this episode of the HistoryExtra<\/em> podcast:<\/strong><\/p>\n