Victoria was the daughter of Edward, the Duke of Kent and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg. She was born in Kensington Palace in London on May 24th, 1819.
In 1837 Queen Victoria took the throne after the death of her uncle William IV. Due to her secluded childhood, she displayed a personality marked by strong prejudices and a willful stubbornness. Queen Victoria was a very influential women in our history.
When she was barely eighteen, she refused any influences from her domineering mother and ruled in her own stead. The Queen was modest and straightforward, but won the hearts of her subjects. She wished to be informed of political matters, although she had no direct input in policy decisions. The Reform Act of 1832 had set the standard of legislative authority residing in the House of Lords, with executive authority resting within a cabined formed of members of the house of Commons. She worked well and respected the Prime Minister (Lord Melbourne), and England grew both socially and economically.
After only three years after taking the throne, on Feb 10th, 1840,Victoria married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Their relationship was one of great love and admiration. The had nine children together; four sons and five daughters. Prince Albert replaced Melbourne as the dominant male influence in Victoria's life. She was absolutely devoted to him and submitted to him as well. Albert assisted in her royal duties and gave a more conservative tinge to Victoria's politics. If Victoria was to interject her opinions and make her views felt in the cabinet, it was because of Albert's teaching.
However, the general public was not enamored with the German prince. He was excluded from holding any official political position. He was very interested in art, science, and industry, which spurred him to organize the Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851. The Crystal Palace Exhibition was a highly profitable industrial convention.
On Dec 14th, 1861 Albert died from typhoid fever at Windsor Castle. Victoria remained in self-imposed seclusion for ten years. This genuine, but obsessive mourning kept her occupied for the rest of her life and played an important role in the evolution of what would become the Victorian mentality today.
In 1876 she was crowned Empress of India by Disraeli. In 1887 Victoria's Golden Jubilee was a grand national celebration of her 50th year as Queen. This brought her out of her shell, and she once again embraced public life. She toured English possessions and even visited France (the first English monarch to do so since the coronation of Henry VI in 1431).
In foreign policy, the Queen's influence during the middle years of her reign was generally used to support peace and reconciliation. In 1864, Victoria pressed her ministers not to intervene in the Prussia-Austria-Denmark war, and her letter to German Emperor (whose son had married her daughter) in 1875 helped to avert a second Franco-German war.
She was a very strong supporter of Empire, which brought her closer both to Disraeli and to the Marquess of Salisbury, her last Prime Minister. Though she was conservative in some respects, like many at the time, she opposed giving women the vote on social issues. She tended to favour measures to improve the lot of the poor.
Victoria and her family travelled around and made her first train journey in 1842. Despite that Victoria was getting up there in age, she continued her duties to the end. Victoria died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, on January 22 1901, after a reign which lasted almost 64 years. The longest reign in British history.
Victoria's long reign witnessed and evolution in English politics and the expansion of the British Empire, as well as political and social reforms on the continent. The term Victorian England, stemmed from the Queen's ethics and personal tastes, which generally reflected those of the middle class.
Resources:
The Life & Times of Queen Victoria
http//www.victorianstation.com/queen.html
http//www.iloveindia.com/indian-heroes
http//www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/KingsandQueenoftheUnitedKingdom/TheHanoverians/Victoria.aspx
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