Queen Victoria ruled Britain from 1837 to 1901, longer than any of the monarchs of foggy Albion. She became the empress of India, and her name served as the name for an entire era that was distinguished by innovation, enterprise and strengthening of morality.
The Victorian era is controversial. During the reign of the legendary queen, there were giant shifts in political, social and economic life. The surge of scientific and technological progress and the turn towards Puritanism were due to the views and nature of the mistress of most of the lands on the planet, who ruled almost without leaving her living room.
The path to the throne
Victoria was born on May 24, 1819, to Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent, fourth son of King George III. The mother of the future queen was German Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess of Kent. The father died when the girl was several months old. The girl was brought up in the tradition of strict German customs.
Victoria ascended the throne at the age of eighteen after the death of her uncle, King William IV, as the pretenders to the first line of throne died, leaving no legitimate heirs. The young queen always needed paternal care, so she surrounded herself with older men as advisers. Prior to her marriage, her main adviser was William Lam, 2nd Viscount of Melbourne, who was twice elected Prime Minister of Great Britain from the Whig party. Second time under the patronage of the queen herself.
Young Victoria had a strong character, a fluent political mind, which allowed her from the first steps to be the Queen of Great Britain in fact, and not in name. She did not give the ministers a single chance to rule it against her will.
Victoria and Albert
In February 1840 Victoria married her cousin Albert, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. This marriage was preceded by a romantic love story, Victoria was in love with her chosen one with all her heart. Since no one in England dares to propose to the Queen, the girl herself proposed to her lover.
Albert became her confidant and advisor and, undoubtedly, also influenced the course of history. Albert was in charge of education and culture. One of his largest projects was the Great Exhibition of Industrial Works of All Nations, which was housed in London's Hyde Park from May 1 to October 15, 1851. Never before have so many inventions, handicrafts and works of art been exhibited in one place. This exhibition was the starting point for the creation of the world-renowned Victoria and Albert Museum of Decorative Arts. The Prince Consort believed that industrialization in society would eliminate poverty and lead the state to general welfare.
In this happiest of marriages, nine children were born, four boys and five girls. The first daughter became the wife of the German Chancellor, Frederick III. The second son married a Danish princess. The son of Victoria and Albert, Alfred, married the Grand Russian Princess Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Emperor Alexander II.
This happy couple has 42 grandchildren: twenty boys and twenty-two girls. Victoria was related to many royal families in Europe and Russia. The Queen's granddaughter by her daughter Alice, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, was the wife of the last emperor of Russia, Nicholas II. As a result, Victoria received the nickname "grandmother of Europe".
The Queen's consort died at the age of forty-two from typhoid fever. Victoria's grief was long and heavy. The queen was in mourning for the rest of her days. In her life, a period began and dragged on for thirteen years when she practically retired, stopped appearing in society and meeting with ministers. Naturally, this caused a murmur among her subjects. The idea arose and spread that England did not need a monarch at all.
The most magnificent period of reign
The Queen was persuaded to return to public life by Benjamin Disraeli, the 40th Prime Minister of Great Britain. During his leadership of the country, Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in April 1876. India revived Victoria, gave strength to pursue an active foreign policy and become an ideal for its people. The empress never visited her colony in her life, but she admired the culture of this country and began to learn Urdu. At the Victoria court, advisers of Indian origin appeared.
Victoria symbolized the unity and tranquility of the great empire. She transferred family values to all her subjects, obliging herself to take care of their prosperity. Victoria throughout her life has earned the love and respect that the people of Great Britain still have for their queen.
Echoes of a bygone era
The Victorian era demonstrated the strength of scientific and technological progress, which, of course, had a beneficial effect on the development of the entire world economy.
Under the influence of the queen and her example of the guardian of family values, the subjects began to behave extremely modestly, not showing open sympathy for the opposite sex. However, puritanical morality still has a negative impact on relations in society. The etiquette prescribed by the Puritan society often reaches insanity, especially the concept of misalliance, when parents interfere in the decisions of children to marry representatives of their circle.
