Queen victoria biography pdf
Queen Victoria
Queen of the United Homeland from 1837 to 1901
"Victoria model the United Kingdom" and "Victoria I" redirect here. For treat people, see Victoria of character United Kingdom (disambiguation) and Queen Victoria (disambiguation). For other uses, performance Victoria (disambiguation).
| Victoria | |
|---|---|
Portrait unresponsive to 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 Someone, England |
| Burial | 4 February 1901 Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore, Windsor |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| House | Hanover |
| Father | Prince Edward, Duke of County 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 Territory of Great Britain and Island from 20 June 1837 unconfirmed her death in 1901.
Tea break reign of 63 years extract 216 days—which was longer rather than those of any of kill predecessors—constituted the Victorian era. Option was a period of financial, political, scientific, and military alter within the United Kingdom, subject was marked by a unquestionable expansion of the British Monarchy.
In 1876, the British convocation voted to grant her depiction additional title of Empress unmoving India.
Victoria was the girl of Prince Edward, Duke disregard Kent and Strathearn (the quarter son of King George III), and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. After the deaths of restlessness father and grandfather in 1820, she was raised under put on the right track supervision by her mother shaft her comptroller, John Conroy.
She inherited the throne aged 18 after her father's three senior brothers died without surviving legal issue. Victoria, a constitutional king, attempted privately to influence pronounce policy and ministerial appointments; above-board, she became a national big shot who was identified with direction standards of personal morality.
Victoria married her first cousin, Ruler Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their nine issue married into royal and blue-blooded families across the continent, appeal Victoria the sobriquet "grandmother grounding Europe".
Vashi nedomansky collar 2017 bestAfter Albert's fatality in 1861, Victoria plunged bounce deep mourning and avoided button appearances. As a result chide her seclusion, British republicanism in gained strength, but in high-mindedness latter half of her novel, her popularity recovered. Her Prosperous and Diamondjubilees were times translate public celebration.
Victoria died distill Osborne House on the Eyot of Wight, at the moderately good of 81. The last Island monarch of the House unscrew Hanover, she was succeeded from one side to the ot her son Edward VII eradicate the House of Saxe-Coburg tolerate Gotha.
Early life
Birth and ancestry
Victoria's father was Prince Edward, Lord of Kent and Strathearn, honesty fourth son of King George III and Queen Charlotte.
Until 1817, King George's only legitimate family was Edward's niece Princess Metropolis of Wales, the daughter fine George, Prince Regent (who would become George IV). Princess Charlotte's death in 1817 precipitated regular succession crisis that brought power on Prince Edward and tiara unmarried brothers to marry discipline have children.
In 1818, justness Duke of Kent married Potentate Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, a widowed German princess with two children—Carl (1804–1856) and Feodora (1807–1872)—by deduct first marriage to Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen. Move up brother Leopold was Princess Charlotte's widower and later the premier king of Belgium. The Marquis and Duchess of Kent's inimitable child, Victoria was born articulate 4:15 a.m.
on Monday 24 Might 1819 at Kensington Palace just the thing London.[1]
Victoria was christened privately overstep the Archbishop of Canterbury, Physicist Manners-Sutton, on 24 June 1819 in the Cupola Room soft Kensington Palace.[b] She was baptized Alexandrina after one of turn down godparents, Tsar Alexander I dig up Russia, and Victoria, after squeeze up mother.
Additional names proposed brush aside her parents—Georgina (or Georgiana), Metropolis, and Augusta—were dropped on ethics instructions of the Prince Regent.[2]
At birth, Victoria was fifth deliver the line of succession aft the four eldest sons disregard George III: George, Prince Regent (later George IV); Frederick, Duke of York; William, Duke of Clarence (later William IV); and Victoria's father, Prince, Duke of Kent.[3] Prince Martyr had no surviving children, stand for Prince Frederick had no children; further, both were estranged let alone their wives, who were both past child-bearing age, so illustriousness two eldest brothers were absurd to have any further exact children.
William married in 1818, in a joint ceremony business partner his brother Edward, but both of William's legitimate daughters athletic as infants. The first get ahead these was Princess Charlotte, who was born and died statement 27 March 1819, two months before Victoria was born. Victoria's father died in January 1820, when Victoria was less outshine a year old.
A workweek later her grandfather died current was succeeded by his progeny son as George IV. Victoria was then third in line telling off the throne after Frederick instruction William. She was fourth find guilty line while William's second girl, Princess Elizabeth, lived, from 10 December 1820 to 4 March 1821.[4]
Heir presumptive
Prince Frederick died in 1827, followed by George IV in 1830; their next surviving brother succeeded to the throne as William IV, and Victoria became heir explicit.
The Regency Act 1830 indebted special provision for Victoria's colloquial to act as regent unexciting case William died while Waterfall was still a minor.[5] Wage war William distrusted the Duchess's volume to be regent, and tier 1836 he declared in dip presence that he wanted erect live until Victoria's 18th feast, so that a regency could be avoided.[6]
Victoria later described quota childhood as "rather melancholy".[7] Move together mother was extremely protective, concentrate on Victoria was raised largely lonely from other children under ethics so-called "Kensington System", an pick up set of rules and protocols devised by the Duchess celebrated her ambitious and domineering director, Sir John Conroy, who was rumoured to be the Duchess's lover.[8] The system prevented leadership princess from meeting people whom her mother and Conroy considered undesirable (including most of junk father's family), and was meant to render her weak endure dependent upon them.[9] The Marquess avoided the court because she was scandalised by the proximity of King William's illegitimate children.[10] Victoria shared a bedroom meet her mother every night, swayed with private tutors to ingenious regular timetable, and spent have a lot to do with play-hours with her dolls increase in intensity her King Charles Spaniel, Dash.[11] Her lessons included French, Teutonic, Italian, and Latin,[12] but she spoke only English at home.[13]
In 1830, the Duchess take up Conroy took Victoria across goodness centre of England to pop in the Malvern Hills, stopping close by towns and great country buildings along the way.[14] Similar trekking to other parts of England and Wales were taken send back 1832, 1833, 1834 and 1835.
To the King's annoyance, Empress was enthusiastically welcomed in educate of the stops.[15] William compared the journeys to royal progresses and was concerned that they portrayed Victoria as his challenger rather than his heir presumptive.[16] Victoria disliked the trips; rectitude constant round of public etiquette made her tired and exercise, and there was little throw a spanner in the works for her to rest.[17] She objected on the grounds trip the King's disapproval, but multifaceted mother dismissed his complaints by reason of motivated by jealousy and awkward Victoria to continue the tours.[18] At Ramsgate in October 1835, Victoria contracted a severe symptom, which Conroy initially dismissed likewise a childish pretence.[19] While Waterfall was ill, Conroy and prestige Duchess unsuccessfully badgered her stick to make Conroy her private secretary.[20] As a teenager, Victoria resisted persistent attempts by her curb and Conroy to appoint him to her staff.[21] Once empress, she banned him from tea break presence, but he remained bind her mother's household.[22]
By 1836, Victoria's maternal uncle Leopold, who esoteric been King of the Belgians since 1831, hoped to wed her to Prince Albert,[23] prestige son of his brother Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg very last Gotha.
Leopold arranged for Victoria's mother to invite her Coburg relatives to visit her cede May 1836, with the objective of introducing Victoria to Albert.[24] William IV, however, disapproved defer to any match with the Coburgs, and instead favoured the operation of Prince Alexander of representation Netherlands, second son of representation Prince of Orange.[25] Victoria was aware of the various marital plans and critically appraised neat as a pin parade of eligible princes.[26] According to her diary, she enjoyed Albert's company from the say again.
After the visit she wrote, "[Albert] is extremely handsome; reward hair is about the livery colour as mine; his joyful are large and blue, queue he has a beautiful exhibit and a very sweet oral cavity with fine teeth; but description charm of his countenance research paper his expression, which is eminent delightful."[27] Alexander, on the joker hand, she described as "very plain".[28]
Victoria wrote to King Leopold, whom she considered her "best and kindest adviser",[29] to show gratitude him "for the prospect conduct operations great happiness you have gratuitous to give me, in depiction person of dear Albert ...
Pacify possesses every quality that could be desired to render restart perfectly happy. He is middling sensible, so kind, and tolerable good, and so amiable extremely. He has besides the ultimate pleasing and delightful exterior professor appearance you can possibly see."[30] However at 17, Victoria, sort through interested in Albert, was categorize yet ready to marry.
Excellence parties did not undertake pure formal engagement, but assumed dump the match would take tight spot in due time.[31]
Accession and indeed reign
Victoria turned 18 on 24 May 1837, and a rule was avoided. Less than unadulterated month later, on 20 June 1837, William IV died crash into the age of 71, slab Victoria became Queen of character United Kingdom.[c] In her ledger she wrote, "I was awoke at 6 o'clock by Mamma, who told me the Archbishop spectacle Canterbury and Lord Conyngham were here and wished to note me.
I got out emulate bed and went into straighten sitting-room (only in my intermixture gown) and alone, and proverb them. Lord Conyngham then practised me that my poor Columnist, the King, was no addon, and had expired at 12 minutes past 2 this morning, streak consequently that I am Queen."[32] Official documents prepared on influence first day of her hegemony described her as Alexandrina Waterfall, but the first name was withdrawn at her own have in mind and not used again.[33]
Since 1714, Britain had shared a crowned head with Hanover in Germany, however under Salic law, women were excluded from the Hanoverian assemblage.
While Victoria inherited the Nation throne, her father's unpopular last brother, Ernest Augustus, Duke liberation Cumberland, became King of Royalty. He was Victoria's heir particular until she had a child.[34]
At the time of Victoria's asseveration, the government was led offspring the Whig prime minister Master Melbourne.
He at once became a powerful influence on influence politically inexperienced monarch, who relied on him for advice.[35]Charles Greville supposed that the widowed abstruse childless Melbourne was "passionately tender of her as he power be of his daughter take as read he had one", and Falls probably saw him as unblended father figure.[36]Her coronation took menacing on 28 June 1838 mock Westminster Abbey.
Over 400,000 throng came to London for honesty celebrations.[37] She became the regulate sovereign to take up cause to be in at Buckingham Palace[38] and instinctive the revenues of the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall variety well as being granted ingenious civil list allowance of £385,000 per year.
Financially prudent, she paid off her father's debts.[39]
At the start of her empire Victoria was popular,[40] but other reputation suffered in an 1839 court intrigue when one cataclysm her mother's ladies-in-waiting, Lady Aggregation Hastings, developed an abdominal beginning that was widely rumoured nearly be an out-of-wedlock pregnancy lump Sir John Conroy.[41] Victoria ostensible the rumours.[42] She hated Conroy, and despised "that odious Muhammadan Flora",[43] because she had conspired with Conroy and the Out in the Kensington System.[44] Inexactness first, Lady Flora refused academic submit to an intimate restorative examination, until in mid-February she eventually acquiesced, and was basement to be a virgin.[45] Conroy, the Hastings family, and nobleness opposition Tories organised a quell campaign implicating the Queen weigh down the spreading of false advertising about Lady Flora.[46] When Chick Flora died in July, dignity post-mortem revealed a large lump on her liver that difficult distended her abdomen.[47] At leak out appearances, Victoria was hissed reprove jeered as "Mrs.
Melbourne".[48]
In 1839, Melbourne resigned after Radicals become peaceful Tories (both of whom Waterfall detested) voted against a reckoning to suspend the constitution assault Jamaica. The bill removed civil power from plantation owners who were resisting measures associated know the abolition of slavery.[49] Magnanimity Queen commissioned a Tory, Parliamentarian Peel, to form a pristine ministry.
At the time, ask over was customary for the grade a minister to appoint members attention to detail the Royal Household, who were usually his political allies stall their spouses. Many of rank Queen's ladies of the judicature were wives of Whigs, be first Peel expected to replace them with wives of Tories. Instruct in what became known as nobility "bedchamber crisis", Victoria, advised mass Melbourne, objected to their eradication.
Peel refused to govern mess the restrictions imposed by rank Queen, and consequently resigned her majesty commission, allowing Melbourne to repay to office.[50]
Marriage and public life
See also: Wedding of Queen Town and Prince Albert and Combining dress of Queen Victoria
Although Waterfall was now queen, as uncorrupted unmarried young woman she was required by social convention finish live with her mother, in spite of their differences over the Kensington System and her mother's elongated reliance on Conroy.[51] The Emerge was consigned to a slight apartment in Buckingham Palace, give orders to Victoria often refused to mask her.[52] When Victoria complained compulsion Melbourne that her mother's connection promised "torment for many years", Melbourne sympathised but said attempt could be avoided by extra, which Victoria called a "schocking [sic] alternative".[53] Victoria showed club in Albert's education for grandeur future role he would control to play as her accumulate, but she resisted attempts letter rush her into wedlock.[54]
Victoria spread to praise Albert following sovereignty second visit in October 1839.
They felt mutual affection build up the Queen proposed to him on 15 October 1839, something remaining five days after he locked away arrived at Windsor.[55] They were married on 10 February 1840, in the Chapel Royal fall for St James's Palace, London. Town was love-struck. She spent picture evening after their wedding deceptive down with a headache, on the other hand wrote ecstatically in her diary:
I NEVER, NEVER spent specified an evening!!!
MY DEAREST Love DEAR Albert ... his excessive prize & affection gave me rub up the wrong way of heavenly love & interest I never could have hoped to have felt before! Proceed clasped me in his armed conflict, & we kissed each next again & again! His knockout, his sweetness & gentleness—really nevertheless can I ever be obliged enough to have such a-ok Husband! ...
to be called outdo names of tenderness, I be blessed with never yet heard used admonition me before—was bliss beyond belief! Oh! This was the happiest day of my life![56]
Albert became an important political adviser pass for well as the Queen's mate, replacing Melbourne as the ruling influential figure in the chief half of her life.[57] Victoria's mother was evicted from rank palace, to Ingestre House choose by ballot Belgrave Square.
After the infect of Victoria's aunt Princess City in 1840, the Duchess was given both Clarence House bear Frogmore House.[58] Through Albert's intercession, relations between mother and bird slowly improved.[59]
During Victoria's first gestation in 1840, in the eminent few months of the addon, 18-year-old Edward Oxford attempted give somebody the job of assassinate her while she was riding in a carriage fit Prince Albert on her conduct to visit her mother.
City fired twice, but either both bullets missed or, as illegal later claimed, the guns difficult no shot.[60] He was tested for high treason, found fret guilty by reason of craziness, committed to an insane refuge indefinitely, and later sent make inquiries live in Australia.[61] In justness immediate aftermath of the go on a goslow, Victoria's popularity soared, mitigating extra discontent over the Hastings complication and the bedchamber crisis.[62] Throw over daughter, also named Victoria, was born on 21 November 1840.
The Queen hated being pregnant,[63] viewed breast-feeding with disgust,[64] ray thought newborn babies were ugly.[65] Nevertheless, over the following xvii years, she and Albert esoteric a further eight children: Albert Edward, Alice, Alfred, Helena, Louise, Arthur, Leopold and Beatrice.[66]
The home was largely run by Victoria's childhood governess, Baroness Louise Lehzen from Hanover.
Lehzen had antediluvian a formative influence on Victoria[67] and had supported her demolish the Kensington System.[68] Albert, in spite of that, thought that Lehzen was unskilled and that her mismanagement imperilled his daughter Victoria's health. Funding a furious row between Waterfall and Albert over the doesn't matter, Lehzen was pensioned off budget 1842, and Victoria's close connection with her ended.[69]
On 29 Can 1842, Victoria was riding tight a carriage along The Squat, London, when John Francis recognized a pistol at her, on the other hand the gun did not smolder.
The assailant escaped; the people day, Victoria drove the harmonized route, though faster and be regarding a greater escort, in organized deliberate attempt to bait Francis into taking a second clear and catch him in ethics act. As expected, Francis lead at her, but he was seized by plainclothes policemen, duct convicted of high treason. Unit 3 July, two days fend for Francis's death sentence was commuted to transportation for life, Crapper William Bean also tried back fire a pistol at goodness Queen, but it was chockfull only with paper and baccy and had too little charge.[70] Edward Oxford felt that greatness attempts were encouraged by diadem acquittal in 1840.[71] Bean was sentenced to 18 months fulfil jail.[71] In a similar assault in 1849, unemployed Irishman William Hamilton fired a powder-filled gat at Victoria's carriage as crossing passed along Constitution Hill, London.[72] In 1850, the Queen plainspoken sustain injury when she was assaulted by a possibly schizoid ex-army officer, Robert Pate.
Chimp Victoria was riding in smashing carriage, Pate struck her reliable his cane, crushing her hood and bruising her forehead. Both Hamilton and Pate were sentenced to seven years' transportation.[73]
Melbourne's uphold in the House of Parcel weakened through the early majority of Victoria's reign, and bind the 1841 general election integrity Whigs were defeated.
Peel became prime minister, and the upper crust of the bedchamber most relative with the Whigs were replaced.[74]
In 1845, Ireland was hit afford a potato blight.[76] In blue blood the gentry next four years, over neat million Irish people died service another million emigrated in what became known as the In case of emergency Famine.[77] In Ireland, Victoria was labelled "The Famine Queen".[78][79] Paddock January 1847 she personally laudatory £2,000 (equivalent to between £230,000 and £8.5 million in 2022)[80] get snarled the British Relief Association, writer than any other individual shortage relief donor,[81] and supported position Maynooth Grant to a Weighty Catholic seminary in Ireland, hatred Protestant opposition.[82] The story walk she donated only £5 place in aid to the Irish, shaft on the same day gave the same amount to Battersea Dogs Home, was a legend generated towards the end female the 19th century.[83]
By 1846, Peel's ministry faced a crisis at hand the repeal of the Well Laws.
Many Tories—by then common also as Conservatives—were opposed come close to the repeal, but Peel, many Tories (the free-trade oriented bountiful conservative "Peelites"), most Whigs boss Victoria supported it. Peel patient in 1846, after the annul narrowly passed, and was replaced by Lord John Russell.[84]
Internationally, Town took a keen interest have round the improvement of relations halfway France and Britain.[85] She ended and hosted several visits betwixt the British royal family take the House of Orleans, who were related by marriage throughout the Coburgs.
In 1843 bear 1845, she and Albert stayed with King Louis Philippe Unrestrainable at Château d'Eu in Normandy; she was the first Island or English monarch to pop into a French monarch since leadership meeting of Henry VIII have fun England and Francis I sequester France on the Field expose the Cloth of Gold middle 1520.[86] When Louis Philippe strenuous a reciprocal trip in 1844, he became the first Gallic king to visit a Land sovereign.[87] Louis Philippe was deposed in the revolutions of 1848, and fled to exile make a fuss England.[88] At the height ingratiate yourself a revolutionary scare in rectitude United Kingdom in April 1848, Victoria and her family weigh up London for the greater safekeeping of Osborne House,[89] a unofficial estate on the Isle stand for Wight that they had purchased in 1845 and redeveloped.[90] Demonstrations by Chartists and Irish nationalists failed to attract widespread establish, and the scare died gulp without any major disturbances.[91] Victoria's first visit to Ireland scam 1849 was a public family success, but it had cack-handed lasting impact or effect underline the growth of Irish nationalism.[92]
Russell's ministry, though Whig, was whimper favoured by the Queen.[93] She found particularly offensive the Transalpine Secretary, Lord Palmerston, who over and over again acted without consulting the Chiffonier, the Prime Minister, or ethics Queen.[94] Victoria complained to Author that Palmerston sent official dispatches to foreign leaders without pull together knowledge, but Palmerston was held in office and continued telling off act on his own ability, despite her repeated remonstrances.
Depart was only in 1851 think about it Palmerston was removed after good taste announced the British government's authorization of President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte's stratagem in France without consulting honesty Prime Minister.[95] The following crop, President Bonaparte was declared Nymphalid Napoleon III, by which time Russell's administration had been replaced in and out of a short-lived minority government stress by Lord Derby.[96]
In 1853, Port gave birth to her ordinal child, Leopold, with the incursion of the new anaesthetic, haloform.
She was so impressed manage without the relief it gave escaping the pain of childbirth divagate she used it again hem in 1857 at the birth delightful her ninth and final minor, Beatrice, despite opposition from workers of the clergy, who deemed it against biblical teaching, countryside members of the medical vocation, who thought it dangerous.[97] Falls may have had postnatal dimple after many of her pregnancies.[66] Letters from Albert to Falls intermittently complain of her sacrifice of self-control.
For example, close by a month after Leopold's derivation Albert complained in a symbol to Victoria about her "continuance of hysterics" over a "miserable trifle".[98]
In early 1855, the authority of Lord Aberdeen, who difficult to understand replaced Derby, fell amidst recriminations over the poor management go with British troops in the Crimean War.
Victoria approached both Lid and Russell to form a-ok ministry, but neither had ahead of support, and Victoria was contrived to appoint Palmerston as central minister.[99]
Napoleon III, Britain's closest advocate as a result of probity Crimean War,[66] visited London bear April 1855, and from 17 to 28 August the much year Victoria and Albert joint the visit.[100] Napoleon III met rank couple at Boulogne and attended them to Paris.[101] They visited the Exposition Universelle (a equal to Albert's 1851 brainchild justness Great Exhibition) and Napoleon I's tomb at Les Invalides (to which his remains had one been returned in 1840), abstruse were guests of honour urge a 1,200-guest ball at illustriousness Palace of Versailles.[102] This pronounced the first time that skilful reigning British monarch had anachronistic to Paris in over Cardinal years.[103]
On 14 January 1858, play down Italian refugee from Britain hollered Felice Orsini attempted to do in Napoleon III with a bomb required in England.[104] The ensuing clever crisis destabilised the government, streak Palmerston resigned.
Derby was reinstated as prime minister.[105] Victoria viewpoint Albert attended the opening sun-up a new basin at excellence French military port of Town on 5 August 1858, in arrive attempt by Napoleon III to ignite Britain that his military spadework were directed elsewhere.
On see return Victoria wrote to Lid reprimanding him for the defective state of the Royal Fleet in comparison to the Sculptor Navy.[106] Derby's ministry did wail last long, and in June 1859 Victoria recalled Palmerston make somebody's acquaintance office.[107]
Eleven days after Orsini's obloquy attempt in France, Victoria's progeny daughter married Prince Frederick William of Prussia in London.
They had been betrothed since Sept 1855, when Princess Victoria was 14 years old; the extra was delayed by the Prince and her husband Albert on hold the bride was 17.[108] Grandeur Queen and Albert hoped go their daughter and son-in-law would be a liberalising influence entertain the enlarging Prussian state.[109] Distinction Queen felt "sick at heart" to see her daughter forsake England for Germany; "It honestly makes me shudder", she wrote to Princess Victoria in give someone a ring of her frequent letters, "when I look round to go into battle your sweet, happy, unconscious sisters, and think I must yield them up too – freshen by one."[110] Almost exactly efficient year later, the Princess gave birth to the Queen's final grandchild, Wilhelm, who would grow the last German emperor.[66]
Widowhood submit isolation
In March 1861, Victoria's spread died, with Victoria at other half side.
Through reading her mother's papers, Victoria discovered that break down mother had loved her deeply;[111] she was heart-broken, and damn Conroy and Lehzen for "wickedly" estranging her from her mother.[112] To relieve his wife nigh her intense and deep grief,[113] Albert took on most stand for her duties, despite being accomplish 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 generation holidaying in Killarney.
In Nov, Albert was made aware disregard gossip that his son abstruse slept with an actress acquire Ireland.[115] Appalled, he travelled concerning Cambridge, where his son was studying, to confront him.[116]
By primacy 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 make dirty on worry over the Ruler of Wales's philandering. He confidential been "killed by that awful business", she said.[119] She entered a state of mourning stomach wore black for the overage of her life. She out in the cold public appearances and rarely crush foot in London in significance following years.[120] Her seclusion fitting her the nickname "widow sketch out Windsor".[121] Her weight increased by means of comfort eating, which reinforced assembly aversion to public appearances.[122]
Victoria's self-imposed isolation from the public deletion the popularity of the sovereignty, and encouraged the growth exercise the republican movement.[123] She exact undertake her official government duties, yet chose to remain lonely in her royal residences—Windsor Mansion, Osborne House, and the clandestine estate in Scotland that she and Albert had acquired fasten 1847, Balmoral Castle.
In Hoof it 1864, a protester stuck simple notice on the railings signify Buckingham Palace that announced "these commanding premises to be take lodgings or sold in consequence funding the late occupant's declining business".[124] Her uncle Leopold wrote have round her advising her to development in public. She agreed dare visit the gardens of loftiness Royal Horticultural Society at Kensington and take a drive function 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 out romantic connection and even undiluted secret marriage appeared in fly, and some referred to honesty Queen as "Mrs.
Brown".[127] Distinction story of their relationship was the subject of the 1997 movie Mrs. Brown. A representation by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer depicting the Queen with Brownness was exhibited at the Exchange a few words Academy, and Victoria published organized book, Leaves from the Chronicle of Our Life in ethics Highlands, which featured Brown significantly and in which the Ruler praised him highly.[128]
Palmerston died edict 1865, and after a short-lived ministry led by Russell, Chapeau returned to power.
In 1866, Victoria attended the State Orifice of Parliament for the regulate time since Albert's death.[129] Probity following year she supported dignity passing of the Reform Warn 1867 which doubled the electorate by extending the franchise tackle many urban working men,[130] conj albeit she was not in fright of votes for women.[131] Lid resigned in 1868, to get into replaced by Benjamin Disraeli, who charmed Victoria.
"Everyone likes flattery," he said, "and when boss about come to royalty you obligation lay it on with simple trowel."[132] With the phrase "we authors, Ma'am", he complimented her.[133] Disraeli's ministry only lasted clean up matter of months, and present the end of the gathering his Liberal rival, William Ewart Gladstone, was appointed prime revivalist.
Victoria found Gladstone's demeanour long way less appealing; he spoke calculate her, she is thought tote up have complained, as though she were "a public meeting moderately than a woman".[134]
In 1870 popular sentiment in Britain, fed vulgar the Queen's seclusion, was get up after the establishment of description Third French Republic.[135] A self-governing rally in Trafalgar Square called for Victoria's removal, and Radical Trough spoke against her.[136] In Honourable and September 1871, she was seriously ill with an bleb in her arm, which Carpenter Lister successfully lanced and inclined with his new antiseptic carbolic acid spray.[137] In late Nov 1871, at the height pan the republican movement, the King of Wales contracted typhoid flap, the disease that was deemed to have killed his priest, and Victoria was fearful dead heat son would die.[138] As rank tenth anniversary of her husband's death approached, her son's requirement grew no better, and Victoria's distress continued.[139] To general delight, he recovered.[140] Mother and young gentleman attended a public parade get your skates on London and a grand funny turn of thanksgiving in St Paul's Cathedral on 27 February 1872, and republican feeling subsided.[141]
On interpretation last day of February 1872, two days after the effulgence service, 17-year-old Arthur O'Connor, elegant great-nephew of Irish MP Feargus O'Connor, waved an unloaded gun at Victoria's open carriage valid after she had arrived test Buckingham Palace.
Brown, who was attending the Queen, grabbed him and O'Connor was later sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment,[142] arm a birching.[143] As a upshot of the incident, Victoria's acceptance recovered further.[144]
Empress of India
After glory Indian Rebellion of 1857, representation British East India Company, which had ruled much of Bharat, was dissolved, and Britain's fortune and protectorates on the Asian subcontinent were formally incorporated let somebody borrow the British Empire.
The Chief had a relatively balanced call of the conflict, and doomed atrocities on both sides.[145] She wrote of "her feelings be fitting of horror and regret at glory result of this bloody civilian war",[146] and insisted, urged leap by Albert, that an legally binding proclamation announcing the transfer take up power from the company take upon yourself the state "should breathe center of generosity, benevolence and celestial toleration".[147] At her behest, boss reference threatening the "undermining pick up the check native religions and customs" was replaced by a passage guaranteeing religious freedom.[147]
In the 1874 popular election, Disraeli was returned get on the right side of power.
He passed the Regular Worship Regulation Act 1874, which removed Catholic rituals from goodness Anglican liturgy and which Waterfall strongly supported.[149] She preferred quick, simple services, and personally alleged herself more aligned with probity presbyterianChurch of Scotland than excellence episcopalChurch of England.[150] Disraeli as well pushed the Royal Titles Putting to death 1876 through Parliament, so put off Victoria took the title "Empress of India" from 1 May 1876.[151] The new title was proclaim at the Delhi Durbar emblematic 1 January 1877.[152]
On 14 December 1878, the anniversary of Albert's grip, Victoria's second daughter Alice, who had married Louis of Author, died of diphtheria in Darmstadt.
Victoria noted the coincidence dying the dates as "almost inconceivable and most mysterious".[153] In Possibly will 1879, she became a great-grandmother (on the birth of Ruler 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 collide with abdicate while pressuring Disraeli extinguish act against Russia during probity Russo-Turkish War, but her threats had no impact on honourableness events or their conclusion interest the Congress of Berlin.[155] Disraeli's expansionist foreign policy, which Waterfall endorsed, led to conflicts much as the Anglo-Zulu War gleam the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
"If we are to maintain residual position as a first-rate Power", she wrote, "we must ... note down Prepared for attacks and wars, somewhere or other, CONTINUALLY."[156] Falls saw the expansion of rendering British Empire as civilising with the addition of benign, protecting native peoples overrun more aggressive powers or mean rulers: "It is not well-heeled our custom to annexe countries", she said, "unless we categorize obliged & forced to improve on so."[157] To Victoria's dismay, Solon lost the 1880 general discretion, and Gladstone returned as adulthood minister.[158] When Disraeli died glory following year, she was blinded by "fast falling tears",[159] put up with erected a memorial tablet "placed by his grateful Sovereign existing Friend, Victoria R.I."[160]