Victoria I

(Victoria of Great Britain, Alexandrina Victoria)

1819–1901

Victoria was Queen of England for 63 years, which corresponded approximately to the height of power of the British Empire. Nineteenth century Britain, is commonly referred to as "Victorian England". The monarchy had very little power by the age of Victoria, and she did not take an active role in the leadership of government, but she was a very important cultural character, and she figured prominently in ceremonial functions. As queen she gave birth to nine children, whom she took responsibility for raising herself, and in doing so helped to epitomize the ideal of a large and loving British family. Her marriage to Prince Albert was a very happy and faithful one, but he died after only 21 years of marriage, and she ruled as a widow for over forty years.

THE YOUNG QUEEN VICTORIA

Victoria was born to Edward, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of George III. Because she had many other uncles it was doubtful that she would ascend to the throne, but after the death of several male cousins, it became obvious that she was in line for the throne. She was raised by a very conservative german mother who protected her from the worst influences of royal life, an instilled in her great manners and noble values. She ascended to the throne at age 18, and immediately impressed all by her noble bearing. She carried on her expected functions with great maturity, and within two years married her cousin Albert Saxe-Coburg. From that point she deferred much of her administrative duties to her husband and focused as much as possible on her growing family.

Major events during Victoria's reign included the Irish Potato Famine, the Crimean War, the American Civil War, the Indian Mutiny, and the Zulu, Boer, and Sudanese Wars in Africa. The Victorian era also produced a great many literary and scientific heroes such as Dickens, Thackeray, Tennyson, Darwin, Faraday, and Lord Kelvin. The population and expanse of the British Empire, and the amount of international trade carried on by Britain grew tremendously during her reign, and great innovations were made in all fields pertaining to science, commerce, and politics. Victoria herself, however, lived a largely secluded life, particularly after the death of her husband and did not take an active role in these goings on.

Victoria's reign spanned the careers of several important statesmen in Britain, including the Duke of Wellington, Robert Peel, William Gladstone, and Benjamin Disraeli. She did not interfere in politics, but lent her support to concerns of national interest such as war efforts and various charities. She was revered as a symbol of ideal domesticity, as well as the queen of the most powerful nation on earth. She died 1901.

Key events during the life of Queen Victoria:

Year	Event
1819	Birth of Victoria
1837	Ascended to the throne of England
1839	Whig government was replaced by Tories.
1840	Married Prince Albert Saxe-Coburg
1851	International Exhibition in Hyde Park.
1861	Death of Albert, Prince Consort
1876	Became Empress of India and Great Britain
1887	Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria
1897	Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria (60 year reign)
1901	Death of Queen Victoria

Other Resources

Story Links	Book Links
Victoria the Good  in	Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary  by  Cambridge Press
Queen and Empress  in	Stories from English History, Part Third  by  Alfred J. Church
Early Reign of Queen Victoria  in	The Story of England  by  Samuel B. Harding
Victoria—The Girl Queen  in	Our Island Story  by  H. E. Marshall
Jubilees of Queen Victoria  in	Historical Tales: English  by  Charles Morris
Victoria—Queen of England  in	Growth of the British Empire  by  M. B. Synge
Reign of Queen Victoria  in	Growth of the British Empire  by  M. B. Synge
Great Exhibition  in	The Reign of Queen Victoria  by  M. B. Synge
Queen's Jubilee  in	The Reign of Queen Victoria  by  M. B. Synge
Passing of the Queen  in	The Reign of Queen Victoria  by  M. B. Synge

Book Links
In the Days of Queen Victoria  by  E. M. Tappan

Image Links
Queen Victoria  in Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary	Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, 1897  in Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary	The Young Queen  in Stories from English History, Part Third
Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort  in The Hanoverians	The First Council of Queen Victoria  in The Hanoverians	Queen Victoria  in  The Story of the English
Queen Victoria  in The Reign of Queen Victoria	Victoria Regina  in The Reign of Queen Victoria	The Prince Consort  in The Reign of Queen Victoria
Funeral Procession of Queen Victoria  in The Reign of Queen Victoria	The Dutches of Kent and Princess Victoria The Dutches of Kent and Princess Victoria  in In the Days of Queen Victoria	The Princess Victoria at age eleven The Princess Victoria at age eleven  in In the Days of Queen Victoria
The Princess Victoria and her mother  in In the Days of Queen Victoria	Queen Victoria  in In the Days of Queen Victoria	Queen Victoria and her children.  in In the Days of Queen Victoria
Her Majesty, Queen Victoria Her Majesty, Queen Victoria  in In the Days of Queen Victoria

Contemporary	Short Biography
Prince Albert	Husband of Victoria, handled most administrative affairs of the monarchy.
Edward VII	Reigned immediately after the death of his mother, Queen Victoria.
Alfred Tennyson	Best known poet of he Victorian Age. Write Idylls of the King and many others.
Charles Dickens	Prolific novelist of the Victorian Era. Wrote David Copperfield, A Christmas Carol and others.
Robert Peel	Important Victorian Era British prime minister who oversaw several free market and political reforms.
Lord Melbourne	Whig Prime Minister who advised the Queen during her early years.
Duke of Wellington	Napoleonic war general who fought in Spain and Portugal. Defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.
William Gladstone	Prime minister and member of the Liberal Party. Opponent of Disraeli.
Benjamin Disraeli	Prime Minister, Author, and conservative rival of Gladstone.
John Brown	Man-servant and companion of Victoria in the later years of her life.