So why are there three pictures on this page as opposed to the one that normally accompanies the posts? The answer to that is much simpler than most people think. Queen Victoria's reign of over 63 is the longest of any British monarch and the longest of any female monarch in history. She presided over an era that had many ups and downs, but a reign so long is expected to have that. She was an extraordinary woman and an extraordinary leader.
The King of England, William IV, was a very sick man, and Victoria stood as heiress presumptive. People worried about whether or not she would need a regent because she would not turn eighteen until May of 1837. Almost by sheer force of will, William IV stayed alive until about 20 days after he eighteenth birthday. This meant that Victoria was the age of majority, and she could rule without a regent immediately upon taking the throne.
She was a fair ruler, and demonstrated a lot of compromise and virute. However, this all changed when she married her husband, Albert. Albert was always trying to butt into her work as queen, and Victoria was always staunchly opposed to him holding power. Unfortunately, as her pregnancies and number of children (she would have 9 surviving) piled up, Victoria was forced to allocate much of her duties to Albert. Thus, Albert pretty much became acting king during the earlier part of her reign.
Albert was a ruler who imposed many reforms and did away with the pomp and circumstance of the royals. Ceremonies were stripped to their most rudimentary forms, and Victoria even refused to wear a crown at certain events. Albert's many reforms were a reaction, in large part, to the full steam industrial revolution that was going on in the country and certain parts of the world. Albert's reform-minded monarchy would not last, however. He died in 1861, only months after Victoria's own mother. She was devastated at the time. Also important to her mentality at the time were the numerous scandals that rocked the royal family at this time. One of her children, it was rumored, had slept with an actress in Ireland. This was a direct affront to the morally minded monarchy that Victoria and Albert had led.
After a few health problems that left her in chronic pain from rheumatism and a few assassination attempts, Victoria celebrated her Golden Jubilee (50 years on the throne) in 1887. By this time, the British Empire had stretched to include the colonies we all know by the phrase "The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire." She continued to rule, and was marginally popular. In 1896, she surpassed George III as the longest-reigning monarch in British history. She declared all celebrating must be postponed until 1897 to coincide with her Diamond Jubilee (60 Years on the Throne). For this celebration of gross excess, Victoria refused to wear a crown. Instead, she donned a bonnet and veil. She died in 1901 of old age. She was the last British monarch from the German House of Hanover.
Her reign being so long saw much social change. However, it also saw further erosion of monarchical power at the hands of the constitution. She was not particularly great or terrible as far as rulers go, but she presided over an era of expansion, prosperity, and reform. She is often listed among the greatest monarchs in British history, and while I agree, I don't feel she had as heavy a hand in policy as most people think she did. Either way, her significance cannot be ignored. Because she had so many children and grandchildren, her relatives were peppered throughout almost every throne in Europe. This would create issues down the road, but that is a discussion for later.
Her Wikipedia Page
An Interesting Webpage About Victoria
Next Time We Will Discuss...
No comments:
Post a Comment