1813

Four of Candice’s books are set in 1813: A Change of Heart, In the Thrill of the Night, Just One of Those Flings, and Lady Be Bad.

All links are to Wikipedia entries.

The Battle of Vittoria in a print by W. Heath.

The Battle of Vittoria in a print by W. Heath. (Click on image to see a larger version.)

Government, Politics, and War:

  • January: The Luddite movement is smashed by English troops and magistrates with greatly expanded powers provided by the Frame Breaking Act; 17 of the Luddite leaders are hanged, many others are transported.
  • January 23: British forces defeat American forces at the Battle of Raisin River in Michigan.
  • April 27: American forces attack and pillage the town of York (later called Toronto) and occupy it for 11 days before being driven out by the British.
  • May 3: Napoleon defeats an Allied army at the Battle of Lützen.
  • May 21: Napoleon defeats an Allied army at the Battle of Bautzen
  • June 6: British forces defeat American forces at the Battle of Stony Creek on Lake Ontario.
  • June 21: Wellington defeats Joseph Bonaparte at the Battle of Vittoria in a last major offensive that drives the French armies from Spain.
  • July 1: The Charter Act of 1813 asserted the sovereignty of the British Crown over territories in India held by the British East India Company, and deprived the Company of its Indian trade monopoly.
  • August 27: The Battle of Dresden results in a victory for French troops led by Napoleon against a Coalition force of Russian, Austrian, and Prussian troops. The Coalition lost 38,000 men, the French 10,000.
  • September 10: American forces are victorious over the British at the Battle of Lake Erie.
  • October 5: America forces are victorious at the Battle of the Thames in Ontario.
  • October 7: Wellington advances his troops into France. He wrests a first victory on French soil from Marshall Soult at the Battle of Bidassoa.
  • October 16-19: The Battle of Nations at Leipzig against the allied Coalition (which now includes Sweden and Saxony) is one of the most decisive defeats suffered by Napoleon. It is considered the largest battle in Europe before World War I, with over 500,000 troops involved and 120,000 casualties. The battle brings an end to the kingdom of Westphalia (its king, Jérôme Bonaparte flees to France), and the liberated German states join the Coalition.
  • October 26: American forces are soundly defeated by the British at the Battle of Châteauguay River in southern Quebec.
  • November 10: Wellington pursues Marshall Soult deeper into France and defeats his army at the Battle of Nivelle.
  • November: Dresden surrenders to Allies forces.
  • December 18-19: British soldiers and native allies invade the United States and are successful in the Capture of Fort Niagara and attack Lewiston, New York.
  • December 29: British soldiers burn Buffalo, New York.
Beau Brummell by Richard Dighton

Beau Brummell
by Richard Dighton

Society and Social History:

  • July: In response to a public snub by the Prince Regent, Beau Brummell utters his famous line to Lord Alvanley: “Ah, Alvanley, who is your fat friend?” The prince, once a close friend, never spoke to Brummell again.

Literature, Journalism, and Publishing:

  • Percy Bysshe Shelley publishes Queen Mab.
  • Robert Southey publishes his Life of Nelson.
  • January 28: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is published.
  • January: Leigh Hunt is imprisoned for libel after an attack against the Prince Regent is published in the Examiner.
  • September: Robert Southey is appointed Poet Laureate of England.
  • December: Lord Byron publishes the Oriental Tales: The Bride of Abydos and The Giaour. Within the month he sells over 6000 copies, confirming his position as the rising star of the London literary scene.

Art, Architecture, and Design:

Music:

  • January 24: The Philharmonic Society of London is founded, “to promote the performance, in the most perfect manner possible of the best and most approved instrumental music”.
  • March: The first concert presented by the Philharmonic Society of London is performed in their Concert Rooms in Hanover Square, and includes works by Haydn and Beethoven.
  • December: Beethoven premiers his Seventh Symphony (Symphony No. 7 in A major, Opus 92) at a charity concert in Vienna for wounded soldiers.

Theater and Dramatic Arts:

Science and Industry:

  • April: William Charles Wells reads a paper to the Royal Society of London making the first clear statement about natural selection.
  • December: London’s Westminster Bridge is lit by gas, as well as other areas of Westminster, including seven residential customers.