Famous the world over for her wit, social observation and insight into the lives of early 19th century women, Jane Austen remains one of the Britain’s most respected and beloved novelists. She famously lived a ‘life without incident’, but in fact new research reveals a passionate woman who fought for her freedom. A woman who, far from being a lonely spinster, in fact had at least five marriage prospects, but who in the end refused to settle for anything less than Mr Darcy. Now we lift back the curtain her life, examining some of the spaces and places that mattered to her. It wasn’t all country houses and ballrooms, but a life that was often a painful struggle. As a member of the pseudo gentry, her situation was often precarious and always pushed her towards marrying for financial security. But as a strong, forward thinking woman, Jane was determined to live by her pen and preserve her independence. In this fascinating episode, Lucy Worsley and Dan Snow visit Jane Austen’s house to uncover the truth about how she really lived from day to day, explore little-known alternate paths that her life could have taken, and confront the mystery and tragedy of her early death.
The night was freezing cold. The hard ground shrouded in mist. By dawn the soldiers were on the move. It was 2 December 1805 and just outside what is now Brno, 3 mighty armies were about to fight one of the greatest battles in history. By the time the sun set, the French Emperor Napoleon Bonapart...
He was the man who would define the start of the 19th century. He has more documented victories than any other battlefield commanders in history. From a relatively humble background, he rose to become master of Europe. This is the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. Featuring historians Dr Michael Rowe, ...
‘Dictator of British Botany’. ‘Autocrat of the Philosophers’. Sir Joseph Banks has been called many things over the past few centuries. A towering figure in the development of British botany and British natural history during the 18th century, he voyaged across the World with famous navigators su...
