HistoryExtra
type: channel
link: https://www.historyextra.com
description: The official website for BBC History Magazine
date: 2024-10-28T13:23:17.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: 8 scandals that rocked Georgian Britain
items: 8 scandals that shocked Georgian Britain
items: The history rich list: the 10 wealthiest people ever
items: How to succeed in Regency courtship
items: The Regency era: everything you wanted to know
items: Adultery, elopement and incest: the scandalous sex lives of the 18th-century Byrons
items: The scandalous Byrons
items: How has dating changed over time? A brief history of courtship
items: Who was the Mona Lisa?

8 scandals that rocked Georgian Britain
type: item
date: 2023-10-02T06:25:28.000Z
creator: Emily Brand
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Long reads (podcast series)
description: Emily Brand charts eight of the most shocking scandals in Georgian Britain
encoded: From the illicit affairs of high society to duels, crimes and even ghosts, Georgian Britain loved a scandal. Today’s long read, written by historian and author Emily Brand, charts eight of the most shocking. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the September 2023 issue (you can read it here) and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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8 scandals that shocked Georgian Britain
type: item
date: 2023-09-18T09:46:44.000Z
creator: Emily Brand
subject: Georgian
subject: Period
subject: British prime ministers
description: Mass-produced newspapers, pamphlets and satirical drawings kept a voracious Georgian public well sated with salacious stories and gossip, but every now and again there would be a scandal that went too far. From royal marriages to ghostly murder enquiries, Emily Brand explores eight incidents that rocked Georgian Britain to its core
encoded: The king’s brother weds a widowed commoner In November 1771, Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, handed his brother, George III, a note. In it he confessed his marriage to a young widow, Anne Horton (née Luttrell), in a secret ceremony. The horrified king demanded that the couple leave court, declaring that the alliance of prince and commoner “must inevitably ruin him and distress his relations”. Within days, gossip columns were awash with tales of the duke being “desperately in love”. Wedding prints were published in The Lady’s Magazine, and letters alleged details of Anne’s disreputable father and “eye-lashes a yard long”. “The violence of the duke’s attachment to Mrs Horton has ended in a terrible mess,” wrote one gentleman. “What an event,” gasped another – “the Luttrell Duchess of Cumberland!” On the podcast | Emily Brand shares stories that scandalised Georgian society In the second half of the 18th century, matrimony in the fashionable Georgian world was undergoing a sea change. Expectations of love within marriage blossomed, and members of the younger generation of the upper classes were increasingly defying arranged matches. And when legislation passed in 1753 laid out strict requirements for a valid marriage, including parental consent for people under 21, a trend for eloping to Scotland was launched. For the royal family, an unsuitable match risked damaging foreign alliances and the reputation of the monarchy itself. Cumberland had already proved himself to be a liability: having allegedly married another commoner in secret in 1767, two years later he had been sued for ‘criminal conversation’ with a baron’s wife. After this latest indiscretion, the king took decisive action. The Royal Marriages Act of 1772 forbade descendants of George II from marrying without the monarch’s permission. (The Duke of Gloucester subsequently admitted sheepishly that he had married an illegitimate commoner in 1766.) Later on, the act caused problems for the king’s son, …

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The history rich list: the 10 wealthiest people ever
type: item
date: 2022-05-25T11:00:08.000Z
creator: Emily Brand
subject: General History
subject: Period
subject: Evergreen
description: Who is the richest person in history? In the list of the world’s all-time wealthiest there are both bad pennies and hearts of gold, as Emily Brand reveals…
encoded: Mansa Musa of Mali (Unknown–c1337–9) Ruling a kingdom that stretched across Africa, Mansa Musa I’s lands held the world’s most abundant stores of gold and controlled vital trading routes. During a pilgrimage to Mecca, he astounded onlookers with a glittering parade of slaves and camels transporting gold staffs, bars and dust. But he was also noted for promoting scholarship and a system of law. View Green Video on the source website Watch now | Video podcast: Who was Mansa Musa? Was Mansa Musa the richest man ever? It's impossible to know this for certain. However, here is what the historical sources do tell us: in 1324, Mansa Musa, ruler of the medieval Mali empire, which stretched across west Africa (not to be confused with today's Mali), set off on pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities of Islam. He undertook a lengthy trip across the Sahara, journeying from the banks of the Niger river towards the Nile and Red Sea. His party included thousands of soldiers and hundreds of enslaved people carrying salt, gold and other riches. During his trip he stopped in Cairo, where he reportedly injected so much gold into the local economy that the metal’s value dropped throughout Egypt, earning him his reputation as the richest man of all time. Mansa Musa's spectacular pilgrimage signalled to the world the capabilities of a powerful west African state, and the aspirations of its ambitious ruler. In the pilgrimage's wake, the cities of Timbuktu and Jenne in Mali grew into major hubs for the trade in commodities – especially those derived from the region's natural resources, as well as slaves and books - welcoming local scholars and intellectuals from throughout the Islamic world. Mansa Musa's fortune was certainly colossal by any historical or contemporary standards. However, numbers floating around estimating it in hundreds of billions of today's dollars are pure speculation. Moreover, these sky-high estimates obscure the fact that there remains a lot that schol…

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How to succeed in Regency courtship
type: item
date: 2022-03-25T15:55:17.000Z
creator: Emily Brand
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: TV interest
description: Navigating the marriage market in Regency high society could be a desperate business, with hopeful candidates bound by strict rules of etiquette that could make or mar their chances of an advantageous match. So how could they improve their prospects, or even – if they were especially lucky – set the fashionable world ‘on fire’? Historian Emily Brand explains more…
encoded: Make oneself agreeable For those all-important first impressions, it was crucial to look and act the part. For both sexes this inevitably meant being as physically attractive as possible, adhering to the contemporary standards of beauty, hygiene and high fashion. Books such as The Mirror of The Graces (1811) gave helpful “Directions for the Preservation of Health and Beauty”, and the fashion plates of magazines like La Belle Assemblée revealed the newest trends. But, as Jane Austen makes so clear, the possession of either an impressive fortune or illustrious rank could make up for any natural deficiencies in this area. Bridgerton: everything you need to know Step into the ballrooms of Regency England, and catch up on the real history that underpins seasons 1 and 2 of Bridgerton, from the real royals to the palaces and promenades | Read more <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2022/03/BRIDGERTON_204_Unit_04659R-57b98a4-e1683126162801.jpg" width="620" height="414" alt="Bridgerton. Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma, Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton" title="Bridgerton. Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma, Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in an episode of Bridgerton. The series draws many elements from real Regency-era history" /> However, each sex was also expected to fulfil the highly gendered expectations of what was required in an appealing spouse. For gentlemen, sporting prowess, respectable, intellectual pursuits, extensive European travel and elegant dancing might all act as pleasing additions to a suitor’s character. In a young lady, the obvious virtues of modesty, chastity and youth could be polished with the mastery of “feminine accomplishments” such as music, French, needlework and the arts. Whatever your talent, life in the Regency ton offered endless opportunities to impress. Read more | What is the 'ton' in Bridgerton? Select your target Finding the perfect partner meant knowing where to look. Over the winter, the more traditi…

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The Regency era: everything you wanted to know
type: item
date: 2020-10-25T12:09:49.000Z
creator: Emily Brand
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Everything you wanted to know about history (podcast series)
description: Emily Brand responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the Regency era
encoded: Historian and author Emily Brand responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about Britain in the Regency era, from the lavish spending and reputation of the Prince Regent himself to how much we can really learn from Jane Austen. Listen to more episodes in our ‘Everything you wanted to know’ podcast series Explore more content from week one of our Regency course: Introduction to the Regency, with Dr Lizzie Rogers - watching time 10 mins Regency timeline: the key dates you need to know - reading time 3 mins Regency inequality: the gap between rich and poor in Georgian Britain - reading time 14 mins The two sides of George IV: is his wretched reputation deserved? - reading time 13 mins The illness and decline of George III - reading time 10 mins

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Adultery, elopement and incest: the scandalous sex lives of the 18th-century Byrons
type: item
date: 2020-04-17T11:15:46.000Z
creator: Emily Brand
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Historical people
description: The renowned poet Lord Byron has gone down in history for being “mad, bad and dangerous to know”. But his ancestors were hardly paragons of virtue either, writes Emily Brand, who explores three generations of Georgian debauchery in her new book. Here, she shares just a few of the notorious scandals – from shipwrecks to incest…
encoded: In April 1816, the notorious George, sixth Lord Byron, was leaving England for the final time. Hounded by increasingly damaging accusations – of adultery, sodomy (then a capital offence), and incest with his half-sister – he was escaping to the continent. (His many homosexual encounters were seemingly not, for the moment, public knowledge.) Like most married men of his rank he had committed adultery and fathered illegitimate children. It was a self-professed era of pleasure and bawdiness, when men’s gallantries were routine, printed pornography blossomed, and the sex industry was not only thriving but highly visible. But even in this atmosphere, as intimate details of Byron’s own sexual tastes spilled into society, the line was drawn at such flagrant ungodliness. His travelling companion reported that, on his first night abroad, Byron consoled himself by falling “like a thunderbolt upon the chambermaid”. Second perhaps only to the Italian libertine Giacomo Casanova, he remains one of the most notorious seducers of the Georgian era. But he was not the only Byron to have forged a questionable sexual career – the name already carried the weight of certain unfortunate and immoral connotations. When he inherited his family title and estates in 1798 aged just ten, the recent history of the Byrons was already littered with adultery, elopement, illegitimacy and incest. Listen | Emily Brand explores the dramatic lives of the Georgian aristocratic family whose lives were blighted by scandal long before the arrival of the renowned poet The Byrons’ taste for pleasure In 1677, Lord Byron’s great-great-grandfather William (who would become the third Lord Byron), received with amusement an epistle from a friend, which fawningly asked: “Is’t not enough the Byrons all excell, As much in loving, as in fighting well?” Years later, the amorous reputation of his son (also called William – the fourth Lord Byron) provoked gossip: his second wife had died in 1712, resulting in uncharitable…

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The scandalous Byrons
type: item
date: 2020-04-17T11:05:10.000Z
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
description: Emily Brand explores the dramatic lives of the Georgian aristocratic family whose lives were blighted by scandal long before the arrival of the renowned poet
encoded: Historian and author Emily Brand speaks about her new book, The Fall of the House of Byron, which explores the dramatic lives of the Georgian aristocratic family whose lives were blighted by scandal long before the arrival of the renowned poet. Read more about the scandalous sex lives of the 18th-century Byrons…

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How has dating changed over time? A brief history of courtship
type: item
date: 2020-03-27T17:49:05.000Z
creator: Emily Brand
subject: General Modern
subject: Period
subject: Victorian
description: The supposed ‘death of romance’ is a common lament in modern dating – particularly with the rise of apps such as Tinder and Bumble. But how romantic were the courtships of the past? And what did dating look like through history? Emily Brand explores how our ancestors might have wooed a potential suitor…
encoded: In western culture, where only marriage could produce legitimate offspring, the wooing of a spouse has been a fundamental part of human existence. The practice of courtship (ie with view to marriage) was often bound by particular rules, especially in the upper classes. Advice on the ‘art of love’ survives from ancient Rome, from medieval France, and continues to flourish today. But inevitably, as ideas and expectations about marriage have evolved over the centuries, so too have the rituals of courtship. For centuries the purpose of upper-class marriage was to forge an alliance beneficial to both families, whether that meant the acquisition of titles, fortunes, or the influential contacts of new in-laws. A match was often entirely negotiated by the couple’s parents, and the courtship swiftly orchestrated through chaperoned visits, correspondence and gifts. The roles were highly gendered; one 1670s matrimonial guide declared: “Modesty in a woman is required, Boldness in a Man.” Influenced by the rituals of medieval ‘courtly love’ (a perception of love that emphasised chivalry), expressions of devotion were made through poetry, music, or a well-timed sigh. As for gifts, gold was considered the “vanquisher of women”, though books, ribbons, locks of hair, and coins etched with hearts were also exchanged. Did you know? Pre-marital sex was the norm for many people. Condoms that could be washed out with carbolic soap were used from the mid-19th century The later 18th century saw a huge shift, as marriage was increasingly linked to affection rather than alliance. Young couples were emboldened to reject parental control, and suitors increasingly expected to “fill her ears with themes of love”. Here we meet a favourite ‘golden age’ of romance for modern audiences: the highly-mannered but love-orientated fiction of Jane Austen’s era. Advances in technology promptly ushered in new romantic opportunities. As soon as popular print developed in the 17th century, people began placin…

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Who was the Mona Lisa?
type: item
date: 2019-08-01T09:45:00.000Z
creator: Emily Brand
subject: Period
subject: Tudor
description: Commissioned around 1503, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is perhaps the most famous portrait in the world. But who was the woman who sat for Mona Lisa? Historian Emily Brand investigates…
encoded: With Leonardo da Vinci himself making no mention of the work, a string of possible sitters for the Mona Lisa have since been identified – including, bizarrely, da Vinci himself in drag – but it seems likely to immortalise Lisa del Giocondo (nee Gherardini), the wife of a Florentine cloth merchant. Read more | A beginner's guide to art history Although by no means conclusive, details about the family and the painting itself offer some clues. A middle-class couple with aspirations to wealth and status, at around the time it was commissioned they celebrated both the purchase of their own house and the arrival of a son – both events worth commemorating. The painting’s alternative title, ‘La Gioconda’, may even allude to both to the model and her famous expression, being not only the feminine form of Lisa’s married name but translated roughly as ‘the happy one’. View Green Video on the source website This article was taken from the May 2015 issue of BBC History Revealed

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