Did You Know Jane Austen Wrote a Very Biased History of England at Fifteen?
At fifteen, Jane Austen wrote a thirty-four-page *History of England* that openly called itself partial and prejudiced. The satirical manuscript defended Mary, Queen of Scots, attacked Elizabeth I, and made fun of the idea that history could always be perfectly impartial. Her sister Cassandra painted portraits of the monarchs, and Austen copied the work into a notebook given by her father. The volume survived through Austen family members before entering the British Library’s collection. This small, playful book preserves more than an early literary experiment: it records sisters collaborating, family jokes, a young writer testing her voice, and a private audience that understood the references. For family historians, the lesson is simple: save imperfect early writing, identify the people behind its jokes, and preserve the context that makes it meaningful....