Our Tempestuous Day: A History of Regency England (1986; released in paperback 2011)By Carolly Erickson
This fascinating study of Regency England (1810-1820) covers the period when the fashionable George IV served as regent for his father, who was suffering from mental instability. The author covers war (against Napolean), the royals (especially George IV and his disastrous marriage to Caroline of Brunswick), religion, work, education, etc. It was a time of extremes (3-year-olds being taught Latin) and troubles, but there were heroes like abolitionist William Wilberforce, religious writer and philanthropist Hannah Moore, and the Duke of Wellington to balance the negatives.
Erickson knows her subject well, having written many biographies of various queens (e.g., Queen Victoria, Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth II, Catherine of Aragon) and, while I'd consider this book more of a popular history (not filled with pages of footnotes and references), it's still a good source for learning English history as well as a very interesting book. We've often heard the axiom that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it (philosopher George Santayana). Whether or not that's actually true, it's still worth knowing!
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