Edwardian period

[ (ed-wahr-dee-uhn, ed-wawr-deeuhn) ]


A time in twentieth-century British history; the first decade of the century, when Edward VII, the eldest son of Queen Victoria, was king. The Edwardian period was known for elegance and luxury among the rich and powerful in Britain but also for moral looseness and for a general failure to prepare for some of the challenges of the twentieth century — particularly World War I, which broke out four years after the death of King Edward.

Words Nearby Edwardian period

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.