The Regency decade is a powder keg of contrasts: glittering balls and extravagance in London, unrest and hunger in the countryside.

Writers of the era can’t escape some of the issues, for while a few events are happening in the background, others would directly affect daily life, no matter one’s status or wealth.

Take the “Year Without a Summer,” for example. It simply won’t do to have characters enjoying a warm summer day picnic in 1816 when there was no summer to be had.

Consider this your cheat sheet for the first 5 years of the Regency: 1811-1816!

1811 – The Regency Begins

• George III declared unfit to rule; Prince of Wales becomes Prince Regent.

• Political gossip abounds: the King’s madness, the Regent’s extravagance.

  
  

1811–1816 – Luddite Riots

• Skilled workers smash mechanized looms and frames in protest of lost livelihoods.

• A constant backdrop of unrest in northern/industrial regions.

  
  

1812 – Assassination of Prime Minister Perceval

• Only British PM ever assassinated, shot in the House of Commons.

• Shocks the nation; political instability follows.

  
  

1813–1814 – Peninsular Victories & Defeat of Napoleon (Round 1)

• British troops under Wellington drive Napoleon out of Spain and Portugal.

• National pride surges; 1814 Napoleon abdicates, exiled to Elba.

  
  

1815 – Waterloo

• Napoleon escapes Elba, defeated at Waterloo.

• Britain erupts in national celebration; Wellington becomes a household hero.

  
  

1815–1816 – Postwar Economic Crash

• Returning soldiers flood the labor market.

• Economic depression hits, wages drop, unrest spreads.

  
  

1816 – The Year Without a Summer

• Global fallout of Tambora eruption: freezing temperatures, failed crops, famine.

• Bread riots erupt; prices soar. No “sunny summer days” this year.