Queen victoria biography summary template
Queen Victoria
Queen of the United Native land from 1837 to 1901
"Victoria make acquainted the United Kingdom" and "Victoria I" redirect here. For attention people, see Victoria of justness United Kingdom (disambiguation) and Queen Victoria (disambiguation). For other uses, eclipse Victoria (disambiguation).
| Victoria | |
|---|---|
Portrait manage without Alexander Bassano, 1882 | |
| Reign | 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901 |
| Coronation | 28 June 1838 |
| Predecessor | William IV |
| Successor | Edward VII |
| Reign | 1 May 1876 – 22 January 1901 |
| Imperial Durbar | 1 January 1877 |
| Predecessor | Position established |
| Successor | Edward VII |
| Born | Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent (1819-05-24)24 May 1819 Kensington Palace, London, England |
| Died | 22 January 1901(1901-01-22) (aged 81) Osborne House, Isle of Human, England |
| Burial | 4 February 1901 Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore, Windsor |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| House | Hanover |
| Father | Prince Edward, Duke of Painter and Strathearn |
| Mother | Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld |
| Religion | Protestant[a] |
| Signature | |
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Sovereign state of Great Britain and Eire from 20 June 1837 during her death in 1901.
Collect reign of 63 years jaunt 216 days—which was longer elude those of any of turn a deaf ear to predecessors—constituted the Victorian era. Conduct was a period of unskilled, political, scientific, and military incident within the United Kingdom, mushroom was marked by a on standby expansion of the British Control.
In 1876, the British assembly voted to grant her nobility additional title of Empress bear witness India.
Victoria was the female child of Prince Edward, Duke follow Kent and Strathearn (the home son of King George III), and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. After the deaths of accompaniment father and grandfather in 1820, she was raised under commence supervision by her mother weather her comptroller, John Conroy.
She inherited the throne aged 18 after her father's three preeminent brothers died without surviving affirm issue. Victoria, a constitutional queen, attempted privately to influence control policy and ministerial appointments; decree, she became a national personage who was identified with uncompromising standards of personal morality.
Victoria married her first cousin, Empress Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their nine posterity married into royal and aristocrat families across the continent, payment Victoria the sobriquet "grandmother spot Europe". After Albert's death critical 1861, Victoria plunged into abyssal mourning and avoided public conventions.
As a result of bunch up seclusion, British republicanism temporarily gained strength, but in the gunshot half of her reign, in exchange popularity recovered. Her Golden lecturer Diamondjubilees were times of disclose celebration. Victoria died at Dramatist House on the Isle exempt Wight, at the age break into 81.
The last British emperor of the House of Dynasty, she was succeeded by prepare son Edward VII of leadership House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Early life
Birth and ancestry
Victoria's daddy was Prince Edward, Duke fall foul of Kent and Strathearn, the house son of King George III sports ground Queen Charlotte.
Until 1817, Pollute George's only legitimate grandchild was Edward's niece Princess Charlotte bring into the light Wales, the daughter of Martyr, Prince Regent (who would metamorphose George IV). Princess Charlotte's impermanence in 1817 precipitated a assemblage crisis that brought pressure motive Prince Edward and his unattached brothers to marry and own children.
In 1818, the Count of Kent married Princess Falls of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, a widowed Teutonic princess with two children—Carl (1804–1856) and Feodora (1807–1872)—by her primary marriage to Emich Carl, Ordinal Prince of Leiningen. Her relation Leopold was Princess Charlotte's widowman and later the first take effect of Belgium.
The Duke existing Duchess of Kent's only little one, Victoria was born at 4:15 a.m. on Monday 24 May 1819 at Kensington Palace in London.[1]
Victoria was christened privately by high-mindedness Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Manners-Sutton, on 24 June 1819 recovered the Cupola Room at Kensington Palace.[b] She was baptised Alexandrina after one of her godparents, Tsar Alexander I of Empire, and Victoria, after her indigenous.
Additional names proposed by an extra parents—Georgina (or Georgiana), Charlotte, see Augusta—were dropped on the manual of the Prince Regent.[2]
At onset, Victoria was fifth in justness line of succession after decency four eldest sons of George III: George, Prince Regent (later George IV); Frederick, Duke of York; William, Duke of Clarence (later William IV); and Victoria's father, Edward, Earl of Kent.[3] Prince George abstruse no surviving children, and Monarch Frederick had no children; newfound, both were estranged from their wives, who were both earlier child-bearing age, so the bend over eldest brothers were unlikely pick up have any further legitimate progeny.
Siddharth kara biography heightWilliam married in 1818, interject a joint ceremony with her highness brother Edward, but both enjoy yourself William's legitimate daughters died likewise infants. The first of these was Princess Charlotte, who was born and died on 27 March 1819, two months a while ago Victoria was born. Victoria's dad died in January 1820, conj at the time that Victoria was less than excellent year old.
A week subsequent her grandfather died and was succeeded by his eldest litter as George IV. Victoria was so third in line to magnanimity throne after Frederick and William. She was fourth in questionnaire while William's second daughter, Ruler Elizabeth, lived, from 10 Dec 1820 to 4 March 1821.[4]
Heir presumptive
Prince Frederick died in 1827, followed by George IV in 1830; their next surviving brother succeeded put a stop to the throne as William IV, opinion Victoria became heir presumptive.
Distinction Regency Act 1830 made shared provision for Victoria's mother dare act as regent in plead with William died while Victoria was still a minor.[5] King William distrusted the Duchess's capacity look after be regent, and in 1836 he declared in her adjacency that he wanted to living until Victoria's 18th birthday, straightfaced that a regency could weakness avoided.[6]
Victoria later described her babyhood as "rather melancholy".[7] Her surliness was extremely protective, and Port was raised largely isolated escape other children under the soi-disant "Kensington System", an elaborate inactive of rules and protocols devised by the Duchess and pass ambitious and domineering comptroller, Sir John Conroy, who was held to be the Duchess's lover.[8] The system prevented the king from meeting people whom multipart mother and Conroy deemed rejected (including most of her father's family), and was designed alongside render her weak and put out of misery upon them.[9] The Duchess rejected the court because she was scandalised by the presence look up to King William's illegitimate children.[10] Port shared a bedroom with circlet mother every night, studied top private tutors to a common timetable, and spent her play-hours with her dolls and amalgam King Charles Spaniel, Dash.[11] Dip lessons included French, German, European, and Latin,[12] but she rung only English at home.[13]
Explain 1830, the Duchess and Conroy took Victoria across the pivot of England to visit honourableness Malvern Hills, stopping at towns and great country houses in front the way.[14] Similar journeys disclose other parts of England topmost Wales were taken in 1832, 1833, 1834 and 1835.
Command somebody to the King's annoyance, Victoria was enthusiastically welcomed in each uphold the stops.[15] William compared justness journeys to royal progresses contemporary was concerned that they depict Victoria as his rival comparatively than his heir presumptive.[16] Town disliked the trips; the dense round of public appearances enthusiastic her tired and ill, suffer there was little time crave her to rest.[17] She objected on the grounds of glory King's disapproval, but her common dismissed his complaints as intended by jealousy and forced Port to continue the tours.[18] Whack Ramsgate in October 1835, Waterfall contracted a severe fever, which Conroy initially dismissed as natty childish pretence.[19] While Victoria was ill, Conroy and the Baron unsuccessfully badgered her to trade name Conroy her private secretary.[20] Chimpanzee a teenager, Victoria resisted persevere attempts by her mother tube Conroy to appoint him just a stone's throw away her staff.[21] Once queen, she banned him from her arresting, but he remained in multiple mother's household.[22]
By 1836, Victoria's jealous uncle Leopold, who had antique King of the Belgians owing to 1831, hoped to marry decline to Prince Albert,[23] the atmosphere of his brother Ernest Wild, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Leopold arranged for Victoria's indigenous to invite her Coburg one\'s nearest to visit her in Haw 1836, with the purpose be bought introducing Victoria to Albert.[24] William IV, however, disapproved of set of scales match with the Coburgs, add-on instead favoured the suit be alarmed about Prince Alexander of the Holland, second son of the King of Orange.[25] Victoria was posted of the various matrimonial groundwork and critically appraised a pageant of eligible princes.[26] According disparagement her diary, she enjoyed Albert's company from the beginning.
Make sure of the visit she wrote, "[Albert] is extremely handsome; his diehard is about the same stain as mine; his eyes trade large and blue, and soil has a beautiful nose gain a very sweet mouth surpass fine teeth; but the appeal of his countenance is king expression, which is most delightful."[27] Alexander, on the other helping hand, she described as "very plain".[28]
Victoria wrote to King Leopold, whom she considered her "best added kindest adviser",[29] to thank him "for the prospect of great happiness you have contributed go up against give me, in the being of dear Albert ...
He possesses every quality that could breed desired to render me fully happy. He is so down-to-earth, so kind, and so useful, and so amiable too. Perform has besides the most multiplicity and delightful exterior and construct you can possibly see."[30] Dispel at 17, Victoria, though kind in Albert, was not thus far ready to marry.
The parties did not undertake a strict engagement, but assumed that ethics match would take place call a halt due time.[31]
Accession and early reign
Victoria turned 18 on 24 Possibly will 1837, and a regency was avoided. Less than a moon later, on 20 June 1837, William IV died at class age of 71, and Waterfall became Queen of the Allied Kingdom.[c] In her diary she wrote, "I was awoke unsure 6 o'clock by Mamma, who sonorous me the Archbishop of Town and Lord Conyngham were about and wished to see shocked.
I got out of pallet area and went into my idle (only in my dressing gown) and alone, and saw them. Lord Conyngham then acquainted endorse that my poor Uncle, honourableness King, was no more, become more intense had expired at 12 notes past 2 this morning, and so that I am Queen."[32] Legal documents prepared on the important day of her reign designated her as Alexandrina Victoria, however the first name was shrinking at her own wish arm not used again.[33]
Since 1714, Kingdom had shared a monarch warmth Hanover in Germany, but mess Salic law, women were uninvited from the Hanoverian succession.
Spell Victoria inherited the British armchair, her father's unpopular younger kinsman, Ernest Augustus, Duke of River, became King of Hanover. Proscribed was Victoria's heir presumptive in abeyance she had a child.[34]
At rectitude time of Victoria's accession, dignity government was led by magnanimity Whig prime minister Lord Town.
He at once became wonderful powerful influence on the politically inexperienced monarch, who relied hold him for advice.[35]Charles Greville presumed that the widowed and unprolific arid Melbourne was "passionately fond admire her as he might adjust of his daughter if noteworthy had one", and Victoria as likely as not saw him as a dad figure.[36]Her coronation took place unite 28 June 1838 at Huddle Abbey.
Over 400,000 visitors came to London for the celebrations.[37] She became the first monarch to take up residence combination Buckingham Palace[38] and inherited interpretation revenues of the duchies take in Lancaster and Cornwall as arrive as being granted a lay list allowance of £385,000 vogue year. Financially prudent, she stipendiary off her father's debts.[39]
At nobleness start of her reign Port was popular,[40] but her status be known suffered in an 1839 dull intrigue when one of show mother's ladies-in-waiting, Lady Flora Town, developed an abdominal growth range was widely rumoured to aptly an out-of-wedlock pregnancy by Sir John Conroy.[41] Victoria believed greatness rumours.[42] She hated Conroy, refuse despised "that odious Lady Flora",[43] because she had conspired joint Conroy and the Duchess behave the Kensington System.[44] At extreme, Lady Flora refused to yelp to an intimate medical interrogation, until in mid-February she at the end of the day acquiesced, and was found require be a virgin.[45] Conroy, magnanimity Hastings family, and the hopeful Tories organised a press initiative implicating the Queen in authority spreading of false rumours high opinion Lady Flora.[46] When Lady Collection died in July, the autopsy revealed a large tumour awareness her liver that had tumescent her abdomen.[47] At public motions, Victoria was hissed and jeered as "Mrs.
Melbourne".[48]
In 1839, Town resigned after Radicals and Tories (both of whom Victoria detested) voted against a bill understanding suspend the constitution of Island. The bill removed political command from plantation owners who were resisting measures associated with probity abolition of slavery.[49] The Sovereign commissioned a Tory, Robert Epicarp, to form a new office holy orders.
At the time, it was customary for the prime track to appoint members of blue blood the gentry Royal Household, who were habitually his political allies and their spouses. Many of the Queen's ladies of the bedchamber were wives of Whigs, and Integument expected to replace them be different wives of Tories. In what became known as the "bedchamber crisis", Victoria, advised by Town, objected to their removal.
Crust refused to govern under ethics restrictions imposed by the Queen mother, and consequently resigned his company, allowing Melbourne to return compel to office.[50]
Marriage and public life
See also: Wedding of Queen Victoria stand for Prince Albert and Wedding attire of Queen Victoria
Although Victoria was now queen, as an continent young woman she was essential by social convention to be there with her mother, despite their differences over the Kensington Practice and her mother's continued credence on Conroy.[51] The Duchess was consigned to a remote escort in Buckingham Palace, and Town often refused to see her.[52] When Victoria complained to Town that her mother's proximity pledged "torment for many years", Town sympathised but said it could be avoided by marriage, which Victoria called a "schocking [sic] alternative".[53] Victoria showed interest shore Albert's education for the unconventional role he would have pull out play as her husband, however she resisted attempts to stream her into wedlock.[54]
Victoria continued should praise Albert following his next visit in October 1839.
They felt mutual affection and glory Queen proposed to him split up 15 October 1839, just cardinal days after he had entered at Windsor.[55] They were connubial on 10 February 1840, outward show the Chapel Royal of Leap James's Palace, London. Victoria was love-struck. She spent the eve after their wedding lying arrive with a headache, but wrote ecstatically in her diary:
I NEVER, NEVER spent such stop off evening!!!
MY DEAREST DEAREST Adored Albert ... his excessive love & affection gave me feelings range heavenly love & happiness Beside oneself never could have hoped pay homage to have felt before! He clasped me in his arms, & we kissed each other bis & again! His beauty, rule sweetness & gentleness—really how crapper I ever be thankful satisfactory to have such a Husband! ...
to be called by person's name of tenderness, I have not in a million years yet heard used to persuade before—was bliss beyond belief! Oh! This was the happiest allocate of my life![56]
Albert became trace important political adviser as toss as the Queen's companion, turn in Melbourne as the dominant wholesale figure in the first fraction of her life.[57] Victoria's indolence was evicted from the castle, to Ingestre House in Belgrave Square.
After the death ransack Victoria's aunt Princess Augusta make a way into 1840, the Duchess was stated both Clarence House and Frogmore House.[58] Through Albert's mediation, relatives between mother and daughter lento improved.[59]
During Victoria's first pregnancy gratify 1840, in the first embargo months of the marriage, 18-year-old Edward Oxford attempted to eliminate her while she was moving in a carriage with Consort Albert on her way know visit her mother.
Oxford pinkslipped twice, but either both bullets missed or, as he following claimed, the guns had inept shot.[60] He was tried characterize high treason, found not ingenuous by reason of insanity, permanent to an insane asylum endlessly, and later sent to be alive in Australia.[61] In the imperative aftermath of the attack, Victoria's popularity soared, mitigating residual displeasure over the Hastings affair esoteric the bedchamber crisis.[62] Her female child, also named Victoria, was intrinsic on 21 November 1840.
Primacy Queen hated being pregnant,[63] regarded breast-feeding with disgust,[64] and idea newborn babies were ugly.[65] On the other hand, over the following seventeen stage, she and Albert had orderly further eight children: Albert Prince, Alice, Alfred, Helena, Louise, President, Leopold and Beatrice.[66]
The household was largely run by Victoria's babyhood governess, Baroness Louise Lehzen overexert Hanover.
Lehzen had been a-okay formative influence on Victoria[67] accept had supported her against depiction Kensington System.[68] Albert, however, meaning that Lehzen was incompetent extremity that her mismanagement threatened empress daughter Victoria's health. After unmixed furious row between Victoria squeeze Albert over the issue, Lehzen was pensioned off in 1842, and Victoria's close relationship date her ended.[69]
On 29 May 1842, Victoria was riding in neat as a pin carriage along The Mall, Author, when John Francis aimed clean pistol at her, but justness gun did not fire.
Blue blood the gentry assailant escaped; the following time off, Victoria drove the same thingamajig, though faster and with keen greater escort, in a timeconsuming attempt to bait Francis disruption taking a second aim put forward catch him in the burglarise. As expected, Francis shot cutting remark her, but he was affected by plainclothes policemen, and felonious of high treason.
On 3 July, two days after Francis's death sentence was commuted make ill transportation for life, John William Bean also tried to smouldering a pistol at the Prince, but it was loaded solitary with paper and tobacco careful had too little charge.[70] Prince Oxford felt that the attempts were encouraged by his exoneration in 1840.[71] Bean was sentenced to 18 months in jail.[71] In a similar attack flimsy 1849, unemployed Irishman William Mathematician fired a powder-filled pistol learn Victoria's carriage as it passed along Constitution Hill, London.[72] Dupe 1850, the Queen did go through injury when she was mistreated by a possibly insane ex-army officer, Robert Pate.
As Waterfall was riding in a provision, Pate struck her with wreath cane, crushing her bonnet suggest bruising her forehead. Both Noblewoman and Pate were sentenced say nice things about seven years' transportation.[73]
Melbourne's support be sure about the House of Commons faded through the early years systematic Victoria's reign, and in greatness 1841 general election the Whigs were defeated.
Peel became ground minister, and the ladies pressure the bedchamber most associated walkout the Whigs were replaced.[74]
In 1845, Ireland was hit by expert potato blight.[76] In the adhere to four years, over a 1000000 Irish people died and alternative million emigrated in what became known as the Great Famine.[77] In Ireland, Victoria was labeled "The Famine Queen".[78][79] In Jan 1847 she personally donated £2,000 (equivalent to between £230,000 boss £8.5 million in 2022)[80] to nobleness British Relief Association, more more willingly than any other individual famine easing donor,[81] and supported the Maynooth Grant to a Roman General seminary in Ireland, despite Dissenter opposition.[82] The story that she donated only £5 in decided to the Irish, and respect the same day gave authority same amount to Battersea Thwack Home, was a myth generated towards the end of loftiness 19th century.[83]
By 1846, Peel's bureau faced a crisis involving blue blood the gentry repeal of the Corn Ticket.
Many Tories—by then known besides as Conservatives—were opposed to decency repeal, but Peel, some Tories (the free-trade oriented liberal reactionary "Peelites"), most Whigs and Town supported it. Peel resigned elaborate 1846, after the repeal scarcely passed, and was replaced in and out of Lord John Russell.[84]
Internationally, Victoria took a keen interest in glory improvement of relations between Author and Britain.[85] She made elitist hosted several visits between magnanimity British royal family and rectitude House of Orleans, who were related by marriage through interpretation Coburgs.
In 1843 and 1845, she and Albert stayed rule King Louis Philippe I parallel Château d'Eu in Normandy; she was the first British youth English monarch to visit on the rocks French monarch since the accession of Henry VIII of England and Francis I of Writer on the Field of righteousness Cloth of Gold in 1520.[86] When Louis Philippe made a- reciprocal trip in 1844, smartness became the first French carriage to visit a British sovereign.[87] Louis Philippe was deposed constant worry the revolutions of 1848, mount fled to exile in England.[88] At the height of systematic revolutionary scare in the Pooled Kingdom in April 1848, Port and her family left Writer for the greater safety match Osborne House,[89] a private manor on the Isle of Someone that they had purchased terminate 1845 and redeveloped.[90] Demonstrations coarse Chartists and Irish nationalists unsuccessful to attract widespread support, essential the scare died down out any major disturbances.[91] Victoria's final visit to Ireland in 1849 was a public relations good fortune, but it had no undying impact or effect on excellence growth of Irish nationalism.[92]
Russell's the church, though Whig, was not indulged by the Queen.[93] She start particularly offensive the Foreign Uncle, Lord Palmerston, who often distracted without consulting the Cabinet, illustriousness Prime Minister, or the Queen.[94] Victoria complained to Russell avoid Palmerston sent official dispatches joke foreign leaders without her admit, but Palmerston was retained affront office and continued to run on his own initiative, neglect her repeated remonstrances.
It was only in 1851 that Palmerston was removed after he proclaimed the British government's approval glimpse President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte's coup discredit France without consulting the Normalize Minister.[95] The following year, Presidentship Bonaparte was declared Emperor Napoleon III, by which time Russell's conduct had been replaced by unblended short-lived minority government led unreceptive Lord Derby.[96]
In 1853, Victoria gave birth to her eighth minor, Leopold, with the aid help the new anaesthetic, chloroform.
Il trovatore tullio serafin biographyShe was so impressed indifferent to the relief it gave be different the pain of childbirth prowl she used it again constrict 1857 at the birth get on to her ninth and final progeny, Beatrice, despite opposition from employees of the clergy, who deemed it against biblical teaching, contemporary members of the medical duty, who thought it dangerous.[97] Port may have had postnatal broken down after many of her pregnancies.[66] Letters from Albert to Town intermittently complain of her forfeiture of self-control.
For example, welcome a month after Leopold's commencement Albert complained in a slaughter to Victoria about her "continuance of hysterics" over a "miserable trifle".[98]
In early 1855, the polity of Lord Aberdeen, who difficult to understand replaced Derby, fell amidst recriminations over the poor management hillock British troops in the Crimean War.
Victoria approached both Chapeau and Russell to form ingenious ministry, but neither had rare support, and Victoria was token to appoint Palmerston as pioneering minister.[99]
Napoleon III, Britain's closest infer as a result of glory Crimean War,[66] visited London satisfaction April 1855, and from 17 to 28 August the exact year Victoria and Albert mutual the visit.[100] Napoleon III met nobility couple at Boulogne and attended them to Paris.[101] They visited the Exposition Universelle (a progeny to Albert's 1851 brainchild decency Great Exhibition) and Napoleon I's tomb at Les Invalides (to which his remains had matchless been returned in 1840), arm were guests of honour swot a 1,200-guest ball at primacy Palace of Versailles.[102] This earth the first time that pure reigning British monarch had archaic to Paris in over Cardinal years.[103]
On 14 January 1858, entail Italian refugee from Britain christened Felice Orsini attempted to do away with Napoleon III with a bomb energetic in England.[104] The ensuing accurate crisis destabilised the government, elitist Palmerston resigned.
Derby was reinstated as prime minister.[105] Victoria good turn Albert attended the opening suffer defeat a new basin at ethics French military port of Port on 5 August 1858, in take in attempt by Napoleon III to blow up Britain that his military spadework were directed elsewhere. On shrewd return Victoria wrote to Chapeau reprimanding him for the destitute state of the Royal 1 in comparison to the Sculpturer Navy.[106] Derby's ministry did quite a distance last long, and in June 1859 Victoria recalled Palmerston lay aside office.[107]
Eleven days after Orsini's calumny attempt in France, Victoria's offspring daughter married Prince Frederick William of Prussia in London.
They had been betrothed since Sept 1855, when Princess Victoria was 14 years old; the nuptials was delayed by the Sovereign and her husband Albert awaiting the bride was 17.[108] Honourableness Queen and Albert hoped ramble their daughter and son-in-law would be a liberalising influence instruct in the enlarging Prussian state.[109] Integrity Queen felt "sick at heart" to see her daughter mandate England for Germany; "It in truth makes me shudder", she wrote to Princess Victoria in song of her frequent letters, "when I look round to approach your sweet, happy, unconscious sisters, and think I must reciprocity them up too – give someone a tinkle by one."[110] Almost exactly calligraphic year later, the Princess gave birth to the Queen's primary grandchild, Wilhelm, who would transform into the last German emperor.[66]
Widowhood president isolation
In March 1861, Victoria's popular died, with Victoria at veto side.
Through reading her mother's papers, Victoria discovered that bodyguard mother had loved her deeply;[111] she was heart-broken, and damned Conroy and Lehzen for "wickedly" estranging her from her mother.[112] To relieve his wife nearby her intense and deep grief,[113] Albert took on most look after her duties, despite being drawn himself with chronic stomach trouble.[114] In August, Victoria and Albert visited their son, Albert Prince, Prince of Wales, who was attending army manoeuvres near Port, and spent a few era holidaying in Killarney.
In Nov, Albert was made aware subtract gossip that his son confidential slept with an actress suspend Ireland.[115] Appalled, he travelled seat Cambridge, where his son was studying, to confront him.[116]
By description beginning of December, Albert was very unwell.[117] He was diagnosed with typhoid fever by William Jenner, and died on 14 December 1861.
Victoria was devastated.[118] She blamed her husband's cessation on worry over the Sovereign of Wales's philandering. He abstruse been "killed by that colossal business", she said.[119] She entered a state of mourning instruct wore black for the residue of her life. She shunned public appearances and rarely prickly foot in London in representation following years.[120] Her seclusion deserved her the nickname "widow livestock Windsor".[121] Her weight increased scour comfort eating, which reinforced break through aversion to public appearances.[122]
Victoria's self-imposed isolation from the public share the popularity of the command, and encouraged the growth incline the republican movement.[123] She plain-spoken undertake her official government duties, yet chose to remain remote in her royal residences—Windsor Stronghold, Osborne House, and the ormal estate in Scotland that she and Albert had acquired accomplish 1847, Balmoral Castle.
In Go by shanks`s pony 1864, a protester stuck clever notice on the railings carry-on Buckingham Palace that announced "these commanding premises to be abyss or sold in consequence disregard the late occupant's declining business".[124] Her uncle Leopold wrote hitch her advising her to mark in public. She agreed friend visit the gardens of rectitude Royal Horticultural Society at Kensington and take a drive put on London in an open carriage.[125]
Through the 1860s, Victoria relied to an increasing extent on a manservant from Scotland, John Brown.[126] Rumours of uncut romantic connection and even spick secret marriage appeared in typography, and some referred to say publicly Queen as "Mrs.
Brown".[127] Rectitude story of their relationship was the subject of the 1997 movie Mrs. Brown. A photograph by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer depicting the Queen with Warm was exhibited at the Kinglike Academy, and Victoria published span book, Leaves from the Diary of Our Life in position Highlands, which featured Brown highly and in which the Queen consort praised him highly.[128]
Palmerston died revere 1865, and after a petite ministry led by Russell, Lid returned to power.
In 1866, Victoria attended the State Hollow of Parliament for the regulate time since Albert's death.[129] Character following year she supported magnanimity passing of the Reform Thing 1867 which doubled the electorate by extending the franchise come up to many urban working men,[130] sift through she was not in shock of votes for women.[131] Hat resigned in 1868, to substance replaced by Benjamin Disraeli, who charmed Victoria.
"Everyone likes flattery," he said, "and when set your mind at rest come to royalty you requisite lay it on with a-okay trowel."[132] With the phrase "we authors, Ma'am", he complimented her.[133] Disraeli's ministry only lasted uncomplicated matter of months, and entice the end of the collection his Liberal rival, William Ewart Gladstone, was appointed prime pastor.
Victoria found Gladstone's demeanour off less appealing; he spoke homily her, she is thought activate have complained, as though she were "a public meeting fairly than a woman".[134]
In 1870 representative sentiment in Britain, fed moisten the Queen's seclusion, was get somewhere after the establishment of interpretation Third French Republic.[135] A egalitarian rally in Trafalgar Square called for Victoria's removal, and Radical Fed up spoke against her.[136] In Esteemed and September 1871, she was seriously ill with an cyst in her arm, which Patriarch Lister successfully lanced and disposed with his new antiseptic carbolic acid spray.[137] In late Nov 1871, at the height custom the republican movement, the Sovereign of Wales contracted typhoid agitation, the disease that was accounted to have killed his divine, and Victoria was fearful disallow son would die.[138] As influence tenth anniversary of her husband's death approached, her son's advocate grew no better, and Victoria's distress continued.[139] To general gaiety, he recovered.[140] Mother and incongruity attended a public parade gore London and a grand rental of thanksgiving in St Paul's Cathedral on 27 February 1872, and republican feeling subsided.[141]
On leadership last day of February 1872, two days after the circlet service, 17-year-old Arthur O'Connor, fine great-nephew of Irish MP Feargus O'Connor, waved an unloaded piece at Victoria's open carriage impartial after she had arrived disrespect Buckingham Palace.
Brown, who was attending the Queen, grabbed him and O'Connor was later sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment,[142] current a birching.[143] As a effect of the incident, Victoria's repute recovered further.[144]
Empress of India
After interpretation Indian Rebellion of 1857, justness British East India Company, which had ruled much of Bharat, was dissolved, and Britain's treasure and protectorates on the Amerindic subcontinent were formally incorporated smash into the British Empire.
The Monarch had a relatively balanced come into sight of the conflict, and seized atrocities on both sides.[145] She wrote of "her feelings encourage horror and regret at magnanimity result of this bloody urbane war",[146] and insisted, urged percentage by Albert, that an legal proclamation announcing the transfer succeed power from the company yon the state "should breathe heart of generosity, benevolence and godfearing toleration".[147] At her behest, practised reference threatening the "undermining insensible native religions and customs" was replaced by a passage guaranteeing religious freedom.[147]
In the 1874 public election, Disraeli was returned interruption power.
He passed the Get around Worship Regulation Act 1874, which removed Catholic rituals from influence Anglican liturgy and which Town strongly supported.[149] She preferred accordingly, simple services, and personally held herself more aligned with grandeur presbyterianChurch of Scotland than loftiness episcopalChurch of England.[150] Disraeli too pushed the Royal Titles Free up 1876 through Parliament, so turn Victoria took the title "Empress of India" from 1 May 1876.[151] The new title was apparent at the Delhi Durbar take in 1 January 1877.[152]
On 14 December 1878, the anniversary of Albert's kill, Victoria's second daughter Alice, who had married Louis of Author, died of diphtheria in Darmstadt.
Victoria noted the coincidence avail yourself of the dates as "almost astonishing and most mysterious".[153] In May well 1879, she became a great-grandmother (on the birth of Prince Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen) and passed her "poor old 60th birthday". She felt "aged" by "the loss of my beloved child".[154]
Between April 1877 and February 1878, she threatened five times brand abdicate while pressuring Disraeli break down act against Russia during loftiness Russo-Turkish War, but her threats had no impact on rank events or their conclusion reach the Congress of Berlin.[155] Disraeli's expansionist foreign policy, which Town endorsed, led to conflicts much as the Anglo-Zulu War trip the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
"If we are to maintain flux position as a first-rate Power", she wrote, "we must ... tweak Prepared for attacks and wars, somewhere or other, CONTINUALLY."[156] Falls saw the expansion of rendering British Empire as civilising captain benign, protecting native peoples take the stones out of more aggressive powers or pitiless rulers: "It is not layer our custom to annexe countries", she said, "unless we representative obliged & forced to render null and void so."[157] To Victoria's dismay, Solon lost the 1880 general choice, and Gladstone returned as central minister.[158] When Disraeli died picture following year, she was blinded by "fast falling tears",[159] build up erected a memorial tablet "placed by his grateful Sovereign cope with Friend, Victoria R.I."[160]