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Becoming Bridgerton: The Regency Era: Sir Walter Scott

If you love Julia Quinn's books and the Netflix show Bridgerton, discover the history and novelists that started it all.

About the Author

portrait of sir walter scottSir Walter Scott was born in August 15, 1771, in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Walter Scott and Anne Rutherford. He was the ninth child born, but six older siblings died in infancy. At eighteen months of age, Walter contracted polio, which left him lame for the rest of his life. He was sent to the countryside to recuperate, and his extended family taught him to read and introduced him to poetry.

Walter was the son of a lawyer and was well educated. He started his career by studying law. While working in law, he began translating important German works into English for his publisher friend. He married Charlotte Carpenter in December of 1797. He eventually became a prolific poet and novelist, publishing several novels during the Regency Era.

Walter died on September 21, 1832, in Abbotsford after a year of failing health.

Sources: Walter Scott Digital Archive, Britannica, Historic UK

Artist: Thomas Lawrence c. 1826

Literary Criticism

Guy Mannering Or, The Astrologer (1815)

The Antiquary (1816)

Rob Roy (1817)

The Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818)

Waverley (1814)

Paul's Letters to His Kinsfolk

The Black Dwarf and Old Mortality (1816)

The Bride of Lammermoor and A Legend of Montrose (1819)