Georgian era
The
Georgian era is a period of
British history, normally defined as including the reigns of the kings
George I,
George II,
George III and
George IV, i.e. covering the period from
1714 to
1830. Sometimes the reign of
William IV (
1830 to
1837) is also included.
The term "Georgian" is normally used in the contexts of
architecture and social history.
Georgian society is portrayed in the novels of writers such as
Henry Fielding and
Jane Austen, characterised by the architecture of
Robert Adam,
John Nash and
James Wyatt and the emergence of the
Gothic Revival style. The paintings of
Thomas Gainsborough,
Sir Joshua Reynolds and the young
J.M.W. Turner and
John Constable illustrated the changing world of the Georgian period - as did the work of designers like
Capability Brown, the
landscape designer.
It was a time of immense social change in Britain, with the beginnings of the
Industrial Revolution which began the process of intensifying
class divisions, and the emergence of rival
political parties like the
Whigs and
Tories.
In rural areas the
Agricultural Revolution saw huge changes to the movement of people and the decline of small communities, the growth of the cities and the beginnings of an integrated
transportation system but, nevertheless, as rural towns and villages declined and work became scarce there was a huge increase in
emigration to
Canada, the
US colonies and other parts of the
British Empire.
Social reform under politicians such as
Robert Peel and campaigners like
William Wilberforce,
Thomas Clarkson and members of the
Clapham Sect began to bring about radical change in areas such as the
abolition of
slavery,
prison reform and social justice. A
revival in
Christian religion was seen in the
Church of England with men such as
John Wesley (later to found the
Methodists) and
John Newton, and the rise of
Non-conformists such as
George Whitefield and various
Dissenting groups.
Philanthropists and writers such as
Hannah More,
Thomas Coram,
Robert Raikes and
Beilby Porteus,
Bishop of London, began to address the social ills of the day, and saw the founding of hospitals,
Sunday schools and orphanages.
The loss of the
American Colonies and the
American Revolution were regarded as national disasters. In Europe, the
Napoleonic Wars dragged on for nearly a quarter of a century, bringing statesmen and national heroes like the
Duke of Wellington and
Admiral Lord Nelson home to huge public acclaim.
The expansion of empire brought fame to statesmen and explorers such as
Clive of India and
Captain Cook, and sowed the seeds of the world-wide British Empire of the
Victorian and
Edwardian eras which were to follow.
Note: The period between 1910 and 1953 (the reigns of King George V and George VI) may be referred to as "Georgian" in certain contexts; see Georgian Poetry.
