In what period are Jane Austen's novels set?

Jane Austen lived from 1775 to 1817, and during the time when she was writing her major works, there were a series of important wars that affected the lives of nearly everyone in England. Many of the young men went off to war, and many of the young women could not find husbands. Women did not have opportunities to fend for themselves, either, and this was important in Austen's work.