Queen Victoria and her time (0)

QUEEN VICTORIA
&
HER TIME
Project
Mari Murakas
Class 11A

Plan

Early life of Queen Victoria 3
Early Reign 4
Marriage 4
Widowhood 5
Victorian Era 6
Later years 6
Death of Queen Victoria 6
Wordlist 8
Copies 9
Used sources 12

Early life of Queen Victoria

Victoria was born in London on 24 May 1819, the only child of Edward, Duke of Kent , and Victoria Maria Louisa of Saxe-Coburg. [1] The Duke of Kent was the fourth son of George III and Victoria Maria Louisa was the sister of King Leopold of Belgium. The Duke and Duchess of Kent selected the name Victoria but her uncle , George IV, insisted that she be named Alexandrina after her godfather , Tsar Alexander II of Russia. [2] Victoria's father died when she was eight months old. The Duchess of Kent developed a close relationship with Sir John Conroy, an ambitious Irish officer. Conroy acted as if Victoria was his daughter and had a major influence over her as a child. [2]
Edward, Duke of Kent Victoria Maria Louisa of Saxe-Coburg
When Princess Victoria of Kent was eleven years old, her uncle, King George IV, died childless, leaving the throne to his brother , the Duke of Clarence and St Andrews, who became King William IV. As the new king was childless, the young Princess Victoria became heiress-presumptive to the throne. Since the law at that time made no special provision for a child monarch , Victoria would have been eligible to govern the realm as would an adult . In order to prevent such a scenario , Parliament passed the Regency Act 1831 , under which it was provided that Victoria's mother , the Duchess of Kent and Strathearn, would act as Regent during the queen's minority. Ignoring precedent, Parliament did not create a council to limit the powers of the Regent. [3]
Princess Victoria met her future husband , Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, when she was sixteen years old. Prince Albert was Victoria's first cousin; his father was the brother of her mother. Princess Victoria's uncle, King William IV, disapproved of the match , but his objections failed to dissuade the couple. Many scholars have suggested that Prince Albert was not in love with young Victoria, and that he entered into a relationship with her in order to gain social status (he was a minor German prince) and out of a sense of duty (his family desired the match). Whatever Albert's original reasons for marrying Victoria may have been, theirs proved to be an extremely happy marriage. [3]

Early Reign

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. Barely eighteen, she refused any further influence from her domineering mother and ruled in her own stead . Popular respect for the Crown was at a low point at her coronation , but the modest and straightforward young Queen 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 Viscount Melbourneauthority resting within a cabinet formed of members of the House of Commons; the monarch was essentially removed from the loop . She respected and worked well with Lord Melbourne (Prime Minister in the early years of her reign) and England grew both socially and economically. [5]

Marriage

The Queen married Prince Albert on 10 February 1840 at the Chapel Royal in St. James's Palace; four days before , Victoria granted her husband the style His Royal Highness. Prince Albert was commonly known as the "Prince Consort", though he did not formally obtain the title until 1857. Prince Albert was never granted a peerage dignity . [4] Prince Albert replaced Melbourne as the dominant male influence in Victoria's life. She was thoroughly devoted to him, and completely submitted to his will. [5] Victoria did nothing without her husband's
approval. His interests in art, science and industry spurred him to organize the Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851, a highly profitable industrial convention. [6]
Her marriage to Prince Albert brought nine children between 1840 and 1857. Most of her children married into other Royal families of Europe . [7]
On December 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. [6] She had lost a devoted husband and her principal trusted adviser in affairs of state. For the rest of her reign she wore black.

Widowhood

Until the late 1860s she rarely appeared in public; although she never neglected her official Correspondence, and continued to give audiences to her ministers and official visitors, she was reluctant to resume a full public life. [7]
Victoria's isolation from the public greatly diminished the popularity of the monarchy, and even encouraged the growth of the republican movement. Although she did perform her official duties, she did not actively participate in the government , remaining secluded in her royal residences, Balmoral in Scotland or her residence at Osborne in the Isle of Wight. Meanwhile , one of the most important pieces of legislation of the nineteenth century — the Reform Act 1867 — was passed by Parliament. Lord Palmerston was vigorously opposed to electoral reform, but his ministry ended upon his death in 1865. He was followed by Lord Russell (the former Lord John Russell), and afterwards by Lord Derby, during whose ministry the Reform Act was passed. [3]

Victorian Era

The Victorian Era took place from 1837 to 1900 in England. The Victorian Era was at the height of the Industrial Revolution, a period of significant social, economic, and technological change in the United Kingdom. Named for Queen Victoria, the time period for its unique
fashions, arts and literature . Many pieces of literature that were produced in the Victorian Era continue to be recognized as classics today . The Victorian Era was named for Queen Victoria. [10]

Later years

Victoria never fully recovered from Albert's death in 1861 and she remained in mourning for the rest of her life. Her subsequent withdrawal from public life made her unpopular , but during the late 1870s and 1880s she gradually returned to public view and, with increasingly pro- imperial sentiment, she was restored to favour with the British public. After the Indian Mutiny in 1857, the government of India was transferred from the East India Company to the Crown. In 1877, Victoria became empress of India. Her empire also included Canada, Australia , New Zealand , and large parts of Africa . During this period, Britain was largely uninvolved in European affairs, apart from the Crimean War from 1853 - 1856 .[1] In 1887 Victoria's golden jubilee (fifty years in power ) was celebrated, and ten years later, her diamond jubilee (sixty years in power) was magnificently celebrated. [8]

Death of Queen Victoria

The Victorian Era came to an end when the symbol of the age, Queen Victoria, died on January 22, 1901. Britain's monarch, who had ascended to the throne at the age of 18, was 81 years old. [9] She was buried at Windsor beside Prince Albert, in the Frogmore Royal Mausoleum, which she had built for their final resting place. Above the Mausoleum door are inscribed Victoria's words : 'farewell best beloved, here at last I shall rest with thee, with thee in Christ I shall rise again '. [7]

Wordlist

• subsequent(adj)- happening or coming after something else
  
• a withdrawal( noun ) - the act of moving or taking something away or back
  
• the Electoral Reform- a group formed in 1884 to work for a change in the way British elections are decided, and to persuade Parliament that a system of proportional representation should be used. Through its company, Electoral Reform Services, it helps organizations with elections and ballots.
  
• vigorous(adj)- very active, determined or full of energy
  
• legislation(noun)- a law or a set of laws passed by a parliament
  
• reluctant(adj)- hesitating before doing something because you do not want to do it or because you are not sure that it is the right thing to do
  
• genuine(adj)- real ; exactly what it appears to be; not artificial
  
• self-imposed(adj)- is one that you force yourself to do rather than one that somebody else forces you to do
  
• typhoid fever(noun)- a serious disease that you get from eating food or drinking water containing a type of harmful bacteria
  
• to spur( verb )- to encourage somebody to do something or to encourage them to try harder to achieve something
  
• peerage(noun) - the position of being a peer in the UK
  
• dignity(noun)- the fact of being given honour and respect by people
  
• coronation(noun)- a ceremony at which a crown is formally placed on the head of a new king or queen
  
• willful (adj) - determined to do what you want; not caring about what other people want
  
• dissuade(verb)- to persuade somebody not to do something
  
• realm(noun)- a country ruled by a king or queen
  
• eligible(adj)- a person who is eligible for something or to do something, is able to have or do it because they have the right qualifications, are the right age, etc
  
• heiress-presumptive(noun)- an heir who may lose his or her legal right to receive somebody's property, money or title if somebody with a stronger claim is born
  

Copies

[1] Victoria was born in London on 24 May 1819, the only child of Edward, Duke of Kent, and Victoria Maria Louisa of Saxe-Coburg.
Victoria never fully recovered from Albert's death in 1861 and she remained in mourning for the rest of her life. Her subsequent withdrawal from public life made her unpopular, but during the late 1870s and 1880s she gradually returned to public view and, with increasingly pro-imperial sentiment, she was restored to favour with the British public. After the Indian Mutiny in 1857, the government of India was transferred from the East India Company to the Crown. In 1877, Victoria became empress of India. Her empire also included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and large parts of Africa. During this period, Britain was largely uninvolved in European affairs, apart from the Crimean War from 1853 - 1856.
[2] The Duke of Kent was the fourth son of George III and Victoria Maria Louisa was the sister of King Leopold of Belgium. The Duke and Duchess of Kent selected the name Victoria but her uncle, George IV, insisted that she be named Alexandrina after her godfather, Tsar Alexander II of Russia.
Victoria's father died when she was eight months old. The Duchess of Kent developed a close relationship with Sir John Conroy, an ambitious Irish officer. Conroy acted as if Victoria was his daughter and had a major influence over her as a child.
[3] When Princess Victoria of Kent was eleven years old, her uncle, King George IV, died childless, leaving the throne to his brother, the Duke of Clarence and St Andrews, who became King William IV. As the new king was childless, the young Princess Victoria became heiress-presumptive to the throne. Since the law at that time made no special provision for a child monarch, Victoria would have been eligible to govern the realm as would an adult. In order to prevent such a scenario, Parliament passed the Regency Act 1831, under which it was provided that Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent and Strathearn, would act as Regent during the queen's minority. Ignoring precedent, Parliament did not create a council to limit the powers of the Regent.
Princess Victoria met her future husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, when she was sixteen years old. Prince Albert was Victoria's first cousin; his father was the brother of her mother. Princess Victoria's uncle, King William IV, disapproved of the match, but his objections failed to dissuade the couple. Many scholars have suggested that Prince Albert was not in love with young Victoria, and that he entered into a relationship with her in order to gain social status (he was a minor German prince) and out of a sense of duty (his family desired the match). Whatever Albert's original reasons for marrying Victoria may have been, theirs proved to be an extremely happy marriage.
Victoria's isolation from the public greatly diminished the popularity of the monarchy, and even encouraged the growth of the republican movement. Although she did perform her official duties, she did not actively participate in the government, remaining secluded in her royal residences, Balmoral in Scotland or her residence at Osborne in the Isle of Wight. Meanwhile, one of the most important pieces of legislation of the nineteenth century — the Reform Act 1867 — was passed by Parliament. Lord Palmerston was vigorously opposed to electoral reform, but his ministry ended upon his death in 1865. He was followed by Lord Russell (the former Lord John Russell), and afterwards by Lord Derby, during whose ministry the Reform Act was passed.
[4] The Queen married Prince Albert on 10 February 1840 at the Chapel Royal in St. James's Palace; four days before, Victoria granted her husband the style His Royal Highness. Prince Albert was commonly known as the "Prince Consort", though he did not formally obtain the title until 1857. Prince Albert was never granted a peerage dignity.
[5] 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.
Prince Albert replaced Melbourne as the dominant male influence in Victoria's life. She was thoroughly devoted to him, and completely submitted to his will.
Victoria did nothing without her husband's approval. His interests in art, science and industry spurred him to organize the Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851, a highly profitable industrial convention.
[6] 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.
[7] She had lost a devoted husband and her principal trusted adviser in affairs of state. For the rest of her reign she wore black.
Until the late 1860s she rarely appeared in public; although she never neglected her official Correspondence, and continued to give audiences to her ministers and official visitors, she was reluctant to resume a full public life.
She was buried at Windsor beside Prince Albert, in the Frogmore Royal Mausoleum, which she had built for their final resting place. Above the Mausoleum door are inscribed Victoria's words: 'farewell best beloved, here at last I shall rest with thee, with thee in Christ I shall rise again'.
[8] In 1887 Victoria's golden jubilee (fifty years in power) was celebrated, and ten years later, her diamond jubilee (sixty years in power) was magnificently celebrated.
[9] The Victorian Era came to an end when the symbol of the age, Queen Victoria, died on January 22, 1901. Britain's monarch, who had ascended to the throne at the age of 18, was 81 years old.
[10] The Victorian Era took place from 1837 to 1900 in England. The Victorian Era was at the height of the Industrial Revolution, a period of significant social, economic, and technological change in the United Kingdom. Named for Queen Victoria, the time period for its unique fashions, arts and literature. Many pieces of literature that were produced in the Victorian Era continue to be recognized as classics today.

Used sources

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/victoria_queen.shtml
[2] http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRvictoria.ht m
[3] http://www.famouspeople.co.uk/q/queenvictoria.html
[4] http://www.absolutefacts.com/history/victorian-era/queen-victoria.ht m
[5] http://www.victorianstation.com/queen.html
[6] http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon58.html
[7] http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/KingsandQueensoftheUnitedKingdom/TheHanoverians/Victoria.aspx
[8] http://www.notablebiographies.com/Tu-We/Victoria.html
[9] http://history1800s.about.com/b/2010/01/22/death-of-queen-victoria.ht m
[10] http://www.absolutefacts.com/history/victorian-era/queen-victoria.ht m
2011