Social Structure
The top of the social pyramid — titled families like dukes and earls.
aristocracy (or nobility)
What was the common age for marriage?
mid 20s
What reflects power during the regency era
How much land you have
Servants, farmers, and laborers made up this majority group at the bottom of society.
working class
What were woman who never married called?
Spinster
What was the purpose of a primogeniture
Preventing estates from being split
Below the nobility were these wealthy, untitled landowners, like Mr. Darcy.
the landed gentry
Women could not vote, own property independently, or earn income — they depended on this for survival.
their husband’s or father’s wealth?
How did land generate income
Rent and farming
Professionals such as clergymen, merchants, and officers made up this emerging class.
the middle class
The amount of money a woman’s family provided upon marriage — often deciding her prospects.
Dowry
What is all the money and property owned by a particular person called?
Regency England’s class system was based on three key things: birth, wealth, and this.
reputation (or social respectability)
What was marriage mostly used for?
A way to rise in the social class
What gender had a difficult time with inheriting land and why
Woman, because the legal system prioritized male heirs through being first born.