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.
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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.
Birth of Victoria | |
Ascended to the throne of England | |
Whig government was replaced by Tories. | |
Married Prince Albert Saxe-Coburg | |
International Exhibition in Hyde Park. | |
Death of Albert, Prince Consort | |
Became Empress of India and Great Britain | |
Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria | |
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria (60 year reign) | |
Death of Queen Victoria |
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 |
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Image Links | ||
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![]() 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 in In the Days of Queen Victoria |
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 in In the Days of Queen Victoria |
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. |
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. |
Napoleonic war general who fought in Spain and Portugal. Defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. | |
Prime minister and member of the Liberal Party. Opponent of Disraeli. | |
Prime Minister, Author, and conservative rival of Gladstone. | |
John Brown | Man-servant and companion of Victoria in the later years of her life. |