Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune

Book cover of Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune: How Younger Sons Made Their Way in Jane Austen's England

Book description

A portrait of Jane Austen's England told through the career paths of younger sons-men of good family but small fortune

In Regency England the eldest son usually inherited almost everything while his younger brothers, left with little inheritance, had to make a crucial decision: what should they do to make…

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European history

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1 author picked Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Lona Manning

Author

In Regency England, the first-born son inherited the property, while the younger brothers had to choose between a handful of “genteel” professions such as the army, the navy, and the church. It was these younger sons (such as Jane Austen’s two sailor brothers), who fanned out across the globe and changed the world forever. We learn about their aspirations and frustrations as they struggle to get ahead in a world where promotion was based on patronage, not merit, and corruption was pretty much taken for granted. Muir gives us an appreciation of the hardships of Regency life, even for the…

From Lona's list on Regency England beyond balls and bonnets.