Though Ms. Austen never married, she had plenty of important "dates" in regards to pivotal moments in her life. Like those before and after her, Jane lived, breathed, loved and died as anyone else. This timeline is an effort to put her life into perspective to help the reader understand what a very common and everyday person she was in her own time.

Much care has been taken to make this list as comprehensive and accurate as possible but please let us know if we missed something or something is inaccurate. Days of the week have been provided when possible.

YEAR	DATE	DETAILS	AGE
1775	Saturday, December 16th	Jane Austen is born to George and Cassandra Austen at Steventon rectory. She is the eight child and second daughter behind brothers James, George, Charles, Francis, Henry, Edward and sister Cassandra (not to be confused with her mother, also named Cassandra.	0
1782		The first home theatrical presentation is performed by the Austen family in their home.	6
1783		Jane and elder sister Cassandra leave for Mrs. Crawley's boarding school in Oxford for their formal education. The school is then moved to Southampton where Typhoid Fever breaks out. The girls are returned home.	7
1784		The Austen family performs Sheridan's The Rivals.	8
1785		Jane and Cassandra arrive at the Abbey School in Reading.	9
1786		Jane and Cassandra arrive back home from school, having completed their formal education.	10
1787		It is believed that at about this time, Jane begins to write short stories and poems that later are collectively referred to as the Juvenilia and consist of three bound notebooks of works.	11
1790		Jane pens Love and Friendship and dedicates the work to cousin Eliza . It is believed that at about this time, she makes the conscious decision to write for profit and become a professional writer.	14
1793		Jane begins to write and later abandons a short play entitled Sir Charles Grandison or the Happy Man, a six act comedy.	17
		Jane pens Lady Susan, an epistolary novel.	17
	Monday, June 3	Jane pens the poem "Ode to Pity" for her Juvenilia.	17
1795		It is believed that before 1796, Jane read aloud to the Austen family her story entitled Elinor and Marianne. The discerning Austen reader would know these to be the main characters in Sense & Sensibility.	19
	December	Nephew of nearby neighbors Tom Lefroy places a visit to Steventon. It is believed that Jane very much fell in love with Tom based on her letters to Cassandra, indicating that the two had been spending a lot of time in one another's company. Tom is studying in London to become a barrister.	20
1796	January	Tom Lefroy is taken away from Steventon and Jane by his family as the marriage arrangement is deemed highly impractical as both have no money. Jane will never see Tom again in her life.	20
	August	Jane begins penning First Impressions. This work would go on to become her most famous piece known more as Pride & Prejudice.	20
	December	Jane and sister Cassandra arrive back home for good from their formal education at boarding school.	21
1797		Work is completed on the first draft of First Impressions.	22
	Wednesday, November 1st	Jane's father George Austen attempts to have one of Jane's works published for the first time. It is unknown whether Jane knew of this attempt but the request is denied by the publisher Thomas Cadell (of London).	22
	November	Jane returns her efforts to revise Elinor and Marianne.	22
	November	The Austen girls pay a visit to their brother James and his wife in Bath.	22
1798		Jane completes her revisions of Elinor and Marianne. The revision removed the epistolary point of view and stages the story more in the 3rd person.	23
		Begins work on Northanger Abbey though initially known as Susan and later Catherine .	23
1799		Continues writing and eventually revises Northanger Abbey.	24
	May	Mother and Jane visit Bath.	24
1800		Jane returns to and completes her short play Sir Charles Grandison or the Happy Man.	25
		Work is completed on Susan.	25
	December	Jane's father George Austen unexpectedly announces his retirement from the ministry. He uproots the family from Steventon and settles in Bath.	26
1801	January	Jane visits good friends Catherine and Alethea Bigg in Hampshire at Manydown Park.	26
	May	Mr Austen moves the family (mother, Jane and Cassandra) to Bath.	26
	October	The Austen's return from holiday in Sidmouth, Colyton and Steventon.	26
1802	September	Charles, Jane and Cassandra leave for Godmersham.	27
	October	Charles, Jane and Cassandra arrive home from their trip to Godmersham.	27
	Thursday, November 25th	Jane and Cassandra visit good friends Catherine and Alethea Bigg at Manydown Park.	27
	Thursday, December 2nd	Jane Austen receives her only proposal of marriage from Harris Bigg-Wither, an unattractive Oxford educated young man and childhood friend and heir to a large family estate. Jane accepts the proposal for practical reasons. The very next day, however, Jane withdraws her acceptance, feeling it to be a mistake.	27
	December	Jane works on revising Susan.	28
1803		With Jane's permission, brother Henry submits Susan to publisher Benjamin Crosby of Crosby & Company in London who buys the copyright for the work for 10 pounds. Crosby promises the book will be published but never fulfills his obligation.	28
	September	Mr. Austen and family (mother, Jane and Cassandra) once more spend time at Godmersham.	28
	October	The Austen's return to Bath from Godmersham.	28
1804		Jane begins work on the novel The Watsons. It would go unfinished.	29
		Jane and family spend the summer months in Lyme Regis.	29
	Sunday, December 16th	Friend and mentor, Madam Lefroy, is killed in a freak horse riding accident on Jane's 29th birthday.	29
1805	Monday, January 21st	Jane's father George Austen dies suddenly from illness taking the family by surprise. Jane consciously stops work on The Watsons. The Austen brothers agree to help support the mother and sisters. The Austen girls are forced to rent living quarters.	29
	March	Mrs. Austen, Jane and Cassandra move to 25 Gay Street.	29
		Jane finishes writing Lady Susan.	29
1806	February	Austen and Cassandra revisit Manydown Park.	30
	Wednesday, July 2nd	The Austen girls leave for Bath.	30
	Friday, August 5th	The Austen girls join Mrs. Austen's cousin in Warwickshire.	30
	Thursday, August 14th	The Austen women leave Warwickshire.	30
	October	The Austen sisters and mother, along with friend and widow Martha Lloyd, move to Southampton to live with newly married brother Frank.	30
1807	March	The group moved within Southampton to the Castle Square house.	31
1808	January	Yet another visit to the Bigg family. Jane takes part in one of the family theatricals "School for Scandal" .	32
	Tuesday, June 14th	Jane is in Godmersham.	32
	Friday, July 8th	Jane leaves Godmersham.	32
	Monday, October 24th	Frank offers up a six-bedroom cottage (known as Chawton House) in Chawton near his estate for the women to permanently move into as their own home.	32
1809	Wednesday, April 5th	Jane writes an angry letter (under the pseudonym Mrs. Ashley Dennis = M.A.D.) to publisher Benjamin Crosby and offers up a revised version of the manuscript for Susan to force Crosby's hand in publishing the work or returning to her possession. Crosby claims that no timeline was ever set for the books publication and as such Ms. Austen can continue waiting or purchase back the copyright for the novel. Without the means to do so, Jane cannot purchase the copyright.	33
		Edward has Chawton Cottage remodeled for the Austen girls.	33
	May	The Austen women visit Edward in Godmersham.	33
	Friday, July 7th	Mother Cassandra, sister cassandra and Jane move into Chawton House to a more quiet and settled life.	33
	August	Jane tackles Sense & Sensibility once more.	33
1810	July	Jane and Cassandra visit the Biggs in Manydown once more.	34
		Sense & Sensibilityis accepted for publishing by Thomas Egerton.	34
1811	February	Jane works on Mansfield Park.	35
	March	Jane visits Henry and wife Eliza in London.	35
	Wednesday, October 30th	Sense & Sensibility is published by Thomas Egerton with Henry Austen acting as literary agent. The novel is greeted with favorable reviews.	35
		Last additions to the Juvenilia notebooks are thought to have been made.	35
		Extensive revisions take place on First Impressions.	35
1812		Much of the year is spent revising First Impressions.	36
	November	The copyright to First Impressions is sold to Thomas Egerton for publication for the sum of 110 pounds.	36
1813	Thursday, January 28th	Pride & Prejudice is published by Thomas Egerton with Henry Austen acting as literary agent. Thanks to a large amount of resources put into advertising the piece, the novel is an instant success.	37
	Thursday, April 22nd	Jane leaves for London to nurse an ailing Eliza. Eliza dies just three days later, leaving Austen brother Henry a widower.	37
	Saturday, May 1st	Jane departs her brother's side.	37
	June	Mansfield Park is completed around this time.	37
	September	Jane places her last visit to Godmersham.	37
	October	A second edition of Pride & Prejudice is printed.	37
	Saturday, October 2nd	Sense & Sensibility in first edition form sells out completely, forcing a second edition to be printed.	37
		Egerton takes on Mansfield Park for publication.	37
1814	January	Jane begins writing Emma.	38
	March	Jane is escorted by brother Henry to London and they catch "The Merchant of Venice" at the theater.	38
	Monday, May 9th	Mansfield Park is Published by Thomas Egerton. Largely ignored by professional reviewers, the novel is nonetheless another success to the public square. The first edition sells out in a short six months.	38
		Jane writes a letter to her niece, Fanny Knight, in response to relationship advice. She advises not to marry if the affection is not there.	38
	October	All copies of Mansfield Park are sold making this the most profitable work of Austen's career thus far.	38
1815	Wednesday, March 29th	Jane completes Emma.	39
	Tuesday, August 8th	Jane begins writing Persuasion.	39
		Henry and Jane head to London to negotiate with famed publisher John Murray for the publication of Emma.	39
	Monday, November 13th	Jane is invited to admirer Prince Regent's London residence at Carolton House by his librarian, James Stanier Clarke. The Prince makes a mention that Jane should include him in the dedicated of her next work despite her (private) disgust of his moral character. With little choice, she reluctantly agrees to do so.	39
	Saturday, December 16th	Jane returns to Chawton.	40
	December	Emma is published by John Murray. The book is well received and sales thrive. The novel is dedicated to the Prince.	40
1816	January	Henry Austen repurchases the copyright to Susan back from Benjamin Crosby. The title is changed to Catherine.	40
		A second edition of Mansfield Park is published by John Murray.	40
	February	John Murray publishes a second edition of Mansfield Park. Sales do not meet expectations negating the earnings from Emma that same year.	40
	Saturday, March 16th	Henry Austen's bank venture fails, forcing the Austen family into financial uncertainty and delaying the publications of The Elliots and Susan. In addition to this, investments in the venture by brothers Edward, James and Frank are also lost.	40
		At some point in this year, Jane becomes ill, but disregards it to continue her work, namely The Elliots.	40
	May	Cassandra takes Jane to Cheltenham to seek medical care.	40
	June	Cassandra and Jane return from Cheltenham. Jane continues work on The Elliots.	40
	Thursday, July 18th	Jane completes a first draft of The Elliots (later to become Persuasion).	40
		Jane's health declines enough for her family to begin noticing she is unwell.	40
	Tuesday, August 6th	Jane rewrites the concluding two chapters of The Elliots and finishes the work.	40
1817	January	Jane begins work on The Brothers (later published under the name of Sanditon).	41
	Tuesday, March 18	Despite completing some 12 chapters of The Brothers, Jane is forced to stop due to her ever-increasing illness. Walking becomes a chore and nothing can be done without great difficulty and loss of energy.	41
	April	Jane's illness ultimately confines the author to her bed.	41
	Sunday, April 27th	Jane pens a short will.	41
	Saturday, May 24th	Cassandra takes Jane to Winchester for treatment.	41
	Friday, July 18th	Jane Austen dies in Winchester during the early part of the day.	41
	Thursday, July 24th	Jane is buried, at her brother Henry's doing, in an aisle of the nave at Winchester Cathedral.	--
	December	Northanger Abbey and Persuasion are published through John Murray as a set thanks to the direction of Henry and Cassandra. Henry pens a biographical note for the piece identifying for the first time that Jane Austen is the author of these works. Sales start strong but tail off.	--
1820		John Murray destroys the remaining unsold copies of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.	--
1832		Richard Bentley purchases all of the remaining copyrights to Jane Austen's works.	--
	December	After a twelve year hiatus of no Austen works in publication, Bentley publishes all of the works in a collection of illustrated five-volume series known as the Standard Novels.	--
1833	October	Bentley publishes the collected works of Jane Austen for the first time. Jane Austen's novels would never go out of print again.	--
1870		Nephew James Austen publishes his memoirs entitled "A Memoir of the Life of Jane Austen" and brings Jane Austen's life and works to a greater audience, solidifying her place in history.	--

The Books of Jane Austen: