Queen Victoria of England
by Marci RanzerQueen Victoria: Biography of the Longest Reigning Monarch in English History
Victoria was born on May 24, 1819 at Kensington Palace, London. Queen Victoria’s family tree was a royal one. Victoria was the only daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent. Victoria’s mother was Princess Victoria Maria Louisa of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Edward was the son of George III and Queen Charlotte and had three brothers; George IV, Frederick Duke of York, and William IV. None of Edwards’s brothers had legitimate children therefore, when Victoria’s father died, Victoria became heir to the throne.
Victoria was only 18 years old when she inherited the throne. Victoria began her reign as Queen at a time when British morale was at a low and the monarchy was not particularly popular. However, Victoria was successful at lifting the spirits of her empire and gaining an immense amount of support from the British people. Britain’s great age of industrial development and economic advancement is associated with Queen Victoria. History tells us that during Queen Victoria’s reign, the British Empire reached its high point and became a global power. The world would undergo many changes during her lifetime, but through it all, the British Empire would continue to grow and prosper, becoming know as the empire on which the sun never set.
In 1840, Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg Gotha. Albert was her first cousin. Though the courtship had first been suggested by her mother and her uncle, Victoria was immediately taken with the handsome and charming Albert and she proposed to him on October 15, 1839.
Victoria’s marriage to Albert resulted in her taking a less partisan but more active role in politics under the influence of the more conservative Albert. Subsequent Prime Ministers were more often subjected to her royal opinion and Victoria never hesitated to reveal her wishes.
Victoria and Albert had 9 children who eventually intermarried throughout the royal families of Europe. While government ministries had to rely on sometimes outdated reports in their handling of foreign affairs, Victoria had direct access to most of the thrones of Europe. In later years, this included her grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm, the II of Germany and her granddaughter, Alexandra, wife of Czar Nicholas the II of Russia.
One of the greatest triumphs of Queen Victoria’s reign was the expansion of the British Empire. Under the leadership of Victoria, the British Empire doubled in size, gaining power over parts of India, Australia, Canada and parts of Africa and the South Pacific. The Queen’s attitude towards foreign policy usually involved peace and compromise.
Victoria supported many charities devoted to education and hospitals. She also dedicated herself to improving conditions of the poor.
In 1861, Albert died at age 42 from typhoid fever. Victoria was devastated. She went into seclusion for several years and would remain in mourning for the rest of her life. After a few years spent in seclusion however, Victoria began to reenter the political arena. She was particularly close to Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, whose imperialist policy she supported and who would name her Empress of India in 1876. Less fortunate was Disraeli’s successor William Gladstone. Victoria did not like Gladstone and attempted to prevent his becoming prime minister in 1880. She would later accuse Gladstone of weakening the empire.
On January 22, 1901, Queen Victoria of England had died. Queen Victoria’s reign lasted 63 years. The implications of Queen Victoria’s death could be felt not only in Europe but throughout the world. Though prime ministers would come and go during her era, Queen Victoria of England was the one constant that held the empire together. She had restored the monarchy to glory at a time when it was irrevocably losing its power. After her death, monarchies across Europe would begin to crumble and Europe would become embroiled in a series of conflicts and revolutions leading to World War I. Indeed, Victoria’s funeral was one of the last great occasions on which almost all the crown heads of Europe gathered together at the same time. The end of Queen Victoria’s reign marked the end of an era.
