The renewal of war, as Anne and the characters in Persuasion were anxious about at the end of the novel, happened shortly after the novel ended. However Austen began writing Persuasion just a month after Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815. War was very much on everyone’s mind. The navy had not been remobilized, and Austen, as well as the rest of the country, was hopeful that they had entered lasting peace. Napoleon had escaped exile in Elba, but his return was short-lived because he was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo, fought in present day Belgium.

History.com Editors, History.com Editors. “Battle of Waterloo.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 6 Nov. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/battle-of-waterloo.