What BRIDGERTON gets right and wrong about history. Is Bridgerton historically accurate? Regency era

Is BRIDGERTON historically accurate? In this week’s episode of History Calling I’m going to share with you 10 things Bridgerton gets right and 10 things Bridgerton gets wrong about history and teach you about the real Regency era in which the Netflix show, created by Shonda Rimes is set. As part of this Hollywood vs history approach we’ll look at topics like the costumes of Bridgerton, the real Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and her place within British society, the importance of chaperones for young ladies to protect their reputations, the double standard of behaviour for men and women, the ways in which aristocratic titles worked and who could inherit them, the Regency marriage market, whether gossip columns like Lady Whistledown’s really existed (and how likely it is that Penelope Featherington could get away with her side hustle), the Grand Tour of Europe which Colin Bridgerton has just returned from at the start of season 3 and the place of black people within British society in the nineteenth century, including how likely it is that the Duke of Hastings would be black, or any of the other aristocratic characters. I’ll ask if corsets really were torture devices for women, what shape were undergarments for ladies in this period, what happened to all the bonnets, did people really talk like that in the early 1800s and what kind of education did women have in reality? Could they really sing, dance, speak four languages, do needlework and be widely read too, or has Bridgerton invented its clever female characters?

I hope you enjoy this review of Bridgerton and its historical (in)accuracies.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

The real Queen Charlotte
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[FREE] Interview with Bridgerton season 3 costume designers

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#Bridgerton #Bridgerton3 #Bridgertonseason3 #Regency

[HistoryCalling]

What other (in)accuracies are there in this show that I didn’t get to, or (if you can’t think of any), what is your opinion of Bridgerton? Let me know below and remember to check out:

[jldisme]

The reason that's so many actresses speak about the torture of wearing a corset is because they are not wearing a properly fitted corset and they are not wearing it over suitable undergarments. Without those two things, a corset is very uncomfortable. Thank you, HC, for speaking up in defense of corsets. When I was younger, I was a reenactor, and I loved wearing stays.

[Claire_T]

I do wonder how many people base their historical knowledge purely on what they see on TV and in films

[UnholyKat]

It's disturbing how many people think historical fiction means biography and film means documentary

[amandagreen]

Bernadette Banner recently hand sewed a set of Regency stays and a silk gown. She is an avid corset educator, and her channel is well-worth checking out for this aspect alone. Basically, I consider Bridgerton an alternate reality fantasy. Maybe, in some universe, the English Regency took place in the 21st century!

[emilysewell]

Inspired by American cowboys? During the War of 1812? Fifty years before the invention of blue jeans? Gobsmacked.

[Tommie_the_wrath_of_Khan]

Bridgerton is a fun story with semi pseudo historical characters and storylines. I’m watching this to escape from our actual reality of hate and racism. Too bad the real world can’t be more like this.

[kystilla]

Another titling mishap: Kate's step-mother keeps being referred to as "Lady Sheffield" by others in Season 2. However, she became Mrs Sharma when she married and I think the society would definitely have continued to snub her by reminding her that she became untitled with her choice of a husband.

[debbiecarter]

Thanks. As the designers say, they’re not intending to be historically accurate but it’s interesting to learn about the differences nonetheless. I think you’re bang on about the sexism towards the male actors, that puts me off watching Bridgerton far more than the historical issues.

[stephencarrillo]

Great critique, HC! I appreciated your reference to the Whitechapel murders as an example of the harsh reality of prostitution. Canon Barnett, a vicar and social reformer at the time, wrote: "Whitechapel horrors will not be in vain if 'at last' the public conscience awakes to consider the life which these horrors reveal." Thanks, HC. Have a great week.🙏🏼

[biosparkles]

In the books Penelope is at least 26 by the time the story of season 3 is happening (maybe even closer to 28), she's well and truly considered to be a spinster at that point & doesn't need a chaperone anymore

[annmoore]

It was interesting that you referred to the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice (one of the best tv productions ever, in my opinion) for an accurate representation of lady's bonnets during that period. Obviously the wet shirt scene for Viscount Bridgerton in Season 2 was a nod to Colin Firth's famous wet shirt in that same BBC production. Although he's a fine actor who deserves all his success, it's been noted that Firth's entire huge career, Oscar included, was launched by that sexy dip in the pond.

[zugabdu]

Something I'd like you to put under the microscope - Braveheart. A LOT of people came away from that movie thinking they had learned something real about Scotland. It takes itself more seriously than Bridgerton does and its storytelling is so effective and it's visually so immersive that it makes you want to believe it's a true story even when it isn't. That, and the fact that the movie seems to have had a political agenda (one where, being an American with no particular connection to England or Scotland, I have no strong opinion), makes me give it a side-eye, as much as I enjoy it.

[justincheng]

I think my big problem with Bridgerton in general is that it romanticizes the Regency period to make it something it is not. The Regency Period was pretty much an oppressive period to the vast majority of people. Women in particular, even upper class women experienced the law of coveture which stated that they ceased being legal persons upon marriage, which meant that their husbands could pretty much do whatever they wanted to them. I find while Jane Austen novels do romanticize the period to a certain extent, there are hints in the novels that the heroines are the lucky few, whereas Bridgerton imagines a regency period where it is the norm for most upper class women to be relatively free.

[SurferJoe]

Reaction videos like this, featuring qualified historians, are extremely valuable, necessary, and appreciated, since we get so much of our history these days from dramatic sources. When I see a film rooted in history (or even someone's true story) the first thing I do is seek out context like this. I haven't seen "Bridgerton" yet, and I'm not sure if I have access at the moment, but I'll be keeping an eye out for it now.

[lesleystephenson]

The lack of bonnets annoyed me to no end with the Kiera Knightlet P&P. I understand they wanted to be different from the BBC production, but don’t be so blatantly against fashion norms.

[VolkswagenJetta]

As long as it doesn’t frame itself a historic retelling then they can have as many inaccuracies as they’d like in my opinion (also the only times a teacher is mentioned is when Hyacinth tell Daphne her governess was wondering if Daph would marry the prince and also when Francesca went to Bath to learn pianoforte)

[annmoore]

That was ever so much fun, HC. Thank you! Although I was aware of all the inaccuracies you mentioned, it was still fun to see the skillful way you pointed them out, and let's face it: the show is a visual feast. I suppose the most glaring omission from the narratives, apart from completely ignoring both the Prince Regent and the horrible socio-economic realities of globalization, is the fact that the Napoleonic Wars were going on at this time, and the men of the upper classes were deeply engaged in them. Plenty of other film and television versions of famous novels (including Jane Austen, Tolstoy, and Winston Graham's Poldark novels) do reference what was going on in the world at that time, so it isn't a problem for those of us who don't take television as Gospel truth, but I had to mention it because it's a pretty big elephant to be missing from the room!

[DarthDread-ohne]

Fun fact: Did you know, while king Edward the 4th was searching for a wife; some of his representatives went to Castille and gave Isabella A necklace with his picture in it. Isabella reportedly kissed the necklace.

[NayNayNayzyNayza]

"SHENANIGANS happen", how I love how you expressed that! I'm yet to enter the Bridgerton universe but I am now prepared to enjoy it without constantly saying to my husband "but that's not how it was!"