We already spotlighted the first five years of the Regency decade, so now let’s take a look at the final few years, keeping in mind the continuing backdrop of some of the earlier events, which lingered throughout the entire decade.

What we’re highlighting here are the events that no writer or reader can ignore, regardless of story plot or character wealth and status. All of England was in some way, albeit different ways, affected by these going-ons, be it directly, indirectly, or awareness.

1820, specifically, is positively electric! Transition and scandal are ripe. Everyone would be talking about both the king’s death and the prince’s coronation. The Queen Caroline affair captivated rich and poor alike, complete with London thronged by demonstrations. The government’s heavy-handed response to radicals following the Cato Street plot kept tensions simmering. Any Regency-set novel in this year should hum with political drama, public spectacle, and uncertainty, no matter how rural the setting.

Consider this your cheat sheet for the last few years of the Regency: 1817-1820!

• 1817: Habeas Corpus Suspended

  • Government cracks down on radical dissent.

  • Demonstrations, protest meetings, and heavy-handed policing.

• 1819: Peterloo Massacre

  • Peaceful protest for reform in Manchester turns deadly when cavalry charges the crowd.

  • Nation shocked; reform movement gains urgency.

• 1820: Brace Yourself!

  • Death of George III and Accession of George IV

    • George III dies after decades of illness; his eldest son, the extravagant Prince Regent, becomes George IV

    • The whole country is steeped in mourning followed immediately by coronation celebrations

  • The Queen Caroline Affair

    • George IV’s estranged wife, Caroline of Brunswick, returns from exile to claim her place as queen.

    • George attempts to divorce her via the “Pains and Penalties Bill” which leads to public outrage.

    • Huge crowds support Caroline; pamphlets, riots, and gossip flood the streets.

  • Cato Street Conspiracy

    • A radical group plots to assassinate the entire cabinet at dinner.

    • The conspiracy fails, but it stokes fears of revolution and government crackdowns.

  • Postwar Economic Strain

    • Britain still reels from depression, unemployment, and discontent.

    • Bread prices fluctuate, unrest simmers, and reform is on everyone’s lips.