Queen Victoria Documentary: Life and Legacy of the Victorian Era Monarch

[00:00:03]the woman known to history as Queen Victoria was born on the 24th of May 1819 at Kensington Palace in London her mother was Princess Victoria Marie Louise of sax Coburg salfeld from the Royal House of sax Coburg and gota in modern East Central Germany the daughter of a Duke and a countess she had been married to Charles Prince of leinengan a small state in modern Bavaria in southern Germany and from her husband's death in 1814 she served as Regent for her young son from her first marriage Carl in 1818 Princess Victoria gave up the Regency to marry again this time to Prince Edward of Britain Victoria's father was Prince Edward Duke of Kenton strathearn fourth son of King George III Edward was from the house of Hanover a royal line which originated from northern Germany and his father was king of both Britain and Hanover although George III never visited Hanover and spoke English as his first language when they married in 1818 Princess Victoria became Duchess of Kent and together they had one child Victoria her father died of pneumonia in 1820 only eight months after the birth of his only child Victoria's mother had given birth to the Future Queen at 4 14 am in the dining room of Kensington Palace a strange decision that was actually based on rational thinking as hot water could be easily brought up from the kitchen she was also unusually delivered by a female doctor Shah who coincidentally also delivered her future husband Prince Albert thanks to our sponsor mover Globes they produced the most beautiful rotating Globes using Advanced first of its kind technology including hidden magnets the Globes turn on their own by using the Earth's magnetic field and ambient light no cords or batteries are needed they're all handmade and use the highest quality Graphics which for the outer space collection have been provided by NASA and JPL our globe is called the blue and gold globe and it's an amazing representation of the world with Cerulean blue oceans highlighted by gold metallic land masses it would truly make the ideal present for the person who thought they had everything the Globes are eco-friendly and with over 40 designs they will fit in any type of decor and are just a wonderful talking point whether you choose a world map an outer space globe or a famous artwork they are very calming and just beautiful objects to have Near You mover globe's biggest sale of the year is happening right now so check the description for your special discount at the time of her birth Victoria was fifth in line to the British crown she was privately christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury Charles Manor Sutton on the 24th of June 1819 in the cupola room at Kensington Palace she was baptized as alexandrina Victoria alexandrina after one of her godparents SAR Alexander the first of Russia and Victoria after her mother while her royal title was her Royal Highness Princess Victoria of Kent she was described as a studious thoughtful and quietly serious child qualities which would stand her in good stead when she became Queen in 1837 the house of Hanover to which Victoria belonged had ruled Britain since 1714. the first two Hanoverian monarchs George the first and George II ruled as King of Great Britain and Ireland in addition to the separate title of of king of Hanover but Victoria's grandfather George III was the first to rule the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the official Union of the two kingdoms on the 1st of January 1801. the hanoverians like their predecessors since the Glorious Revolution of 1688 were constitutional monarchs which meant they had limited power with law making in the hands of the elected House of Commons and House of Lords an ovarian Britain was a political anomaly in Europe where absolute monarchies reigned Victoria's grandfather George III had overseen moments of huge transformation both for Britain and the world under George III the British Empire began a rapid expansion that would reach its peak under Victoria though many of Britain's North American colonies were lost when the United States of America gained its freedom after victory in the American war of independence conflict on European Shores reduced after multiple Wars against revolutionary and Napoleonic France led to the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. the Hanoverian era saw industrialization and immense social change transformed Britain and the world innovators like the engineer izombard Kingdom Brunel inventor of the first computer Charles Babbage and inventor of the telephone Alexander Graham Bell belonged to this period the fires of the in Industrial Revolution were kept lit by the worker Brunell in particular as through the start of the 19th century Brunel built the roads Railways and the first all-iron steamship the SS Great Britain that connected Britain's industry and Commercial Networks before Victoria came to the throne in 1837 goods and people moved around Britain by Stagecoach at an average speed of 12 kilometers per hour during her Reign the building of the railways increased this to 30 kilometers per hour by the 1830s and to 80 kilometers per hour by the 1850s raw materials came to Britain on steamships feeding the hungry cotton Mills of the north and bringing new goods and exotic foods to the British Market the face of Britain was changing as Agriculture and imports supported a huge growth in the population from 11 million at the start of the 19th century to 37 Million by the end of Victoria's reign in 1901. this growing population became increasingly urbanized living in the growing industrial towns and working in the factories Mills and mines that powered the Industrial Revolution by the end of the Victorian era the towns streets and factories of Britain were thriving and uniform in appearance due to the cheap importing of building materials town planning had to adapt to the swell of urban dwellers and by 1900 Pavements and Street lighting improved many towns and most new build homes had electricity running water drainage indoor lavatories and gas for cooking with the rise of industrial progress came demands for social change trade unions became the voice of the exploited workers and campaigners began to call for political reform although women could still not vote several political reforms were passed during Victoria's reign which opened up politics secret voting was introduced in 1872 to prevent voter intimidation and laws were passed to prevent the bribing of Voters in 1883 but MPS were still not paid until 1911 meaning that working men could not get elected to Parliament without financial support from donors or trade unions education improved when in the 1870s the government took responsibility for educating children aged 5 to 10 and by 1900 ninety percent of children regularly attended School although children in rural areas were often pulled out of school to help with the Harvest religion was also a major topic of debate in Parliament at this time in particular about laws controlling what people could do on Sundays new churches continue to be built and not just ones belonging to the Church of England Catholic churches were also so built in this period as religious toleration was on the rise but underneath the progress Innovation and prosperity the Britain of Victoria and her Hanoverian predecessors was a place of harsh poverty laws Rife crime and over punitive punishment pollution prostitution slums and begging Victoria herself was deeply socially conservative and believed that people should not move out of the social class into which they were born Victoria even opposed women being given the vote describing the idea as a mad and wicked Folly it was during Victoria's reign that the British Navy ruled the Seas and the British Empire reached its peak the Victorian age was to be remembered as a golden era for Britain at the time of Victoria's birth it seemed unlikely that she would become Queen at all she was only fifth in line for the throne but by the time she turned 18 she had become the heir to the throne due to the quick succession of deaths of her relatives when Victoria was born her Uncle George Prince of Wales was acting as a regent while King George III was suffering from a debilitating mental illness which grew worse towards the end of his Reign her uncle ruled as Regent for nine years and finally ascended the throne in 1820 becoming King George IV even after the death of the incapacitated George III the problems for the British Monarchy were far from over George IV married the Catholic Widow Maria Ann fitzherbert in 1785 in a secret and illegal ceremony any children they produced would not be viewed as legitimate and so George was finally persuaded to marry Princess Caroline of Brunswick in 1795. this second marriage though legal and approved by the elites and public alike did not have a happy ending the couple had one child a daughter princess Charlotte together before separating causing a public Scandal George IV had already proved unpopular due to his spoiled nature greed and dissolute Behavior then in 1817 George IV's only daughter princess Charlotte died while giving birth to a stillborn son two generations of heirs had vanished and a desperate race to produce a legitimate Heir began between the king's unmarried Brothers the second oldest brother Frederick Duke of York had already married Princess Frederica Charlotte to Prussia but the couple had no children and Frederick died in 1827. the third brother William Duke of Clarence later King William IV abandoned his long-term mistress and married Princess Adelaide of sax meningan after Frederick's death William was next in line to the throne and any legitimate children he had would become his heirs ahead of his younger brother Edward the Fourth son but William had no legitimate children Victoria's father Edward Duke of Kent was the fourth son of George III and he quickly married Victoria's mother Princess Victoria in 1818 in order to continue the line of succession the widowed Victoria already had two children from a previous marriage her daughter princess Theodore would become Victoria's beloved half-sister and companion upon her birth Victoria took her place in the order of succession behind her Uncle William IV any of his surviving children and her own father at eight months old Victoria's world was overturned when her father died suddenly in January 1820 the family were left with large debts and found themselves under the controlling hand of Sir John Conroy Edwards equity and an ex-officer and the Royal household artillery who claimed that Victoria's father had asked him to take care of his widowed wife and child when she turned four Victoria began her education under the tutoring of Reverend George Davies her new tutor was said to be patient and polite and encouraged her to develop her talents she completed her lessons according to a strict timetable and was particularly good at languages learning to speak French German Italian and Latin as well as the English which she used at home she also benefited from the guidance of a singing teacher the opera singer Luigi leblage and drawing lessons from esteemed painter Richard westor a rigorous education was not the only hardship in Victoria's childhood her childhood was strictly regimented by her mother The Duchess of Kent and John Conroy her mother increasingly depended on the controlling Conroy partly because of the limitations of her English Conroy was highly ambitious and exerted his influence Over The Duchess and Victoria with the the intention of controlling the throne a tactic that would have been especially effective if Victoria were to ascend the throne under the age of 18 and so require her mother to act as Regent the Regency Act of 1830 had made provision for Victoria's mother to rule as Regent if King William IV died before Victoria reached majority age a decision which displeased William as he distrusted The Duchess Conroy set about attempting to increase the popularity of The Duchess who was unpopular amongst the wider royal family strict rules were established to govern the Royal household and Victoria in particular rules which became known as the Kensington system as a result of these rules Victoria grew up in isolation and naivety all forms of Independence were frowned upon and she was constantly supervised she wasn't allowed her own bedroom and had to sleep on a small bed in her mother's room she was not even permitted to walk down the stairs without holding someone's hand in case she fell Victoria later described her childhood at Kensington Palace as isolating and demoralizing given this isolation the child Victoria had very few friends and was left to entertain herself some of Victoria's favorite childhood Hobbies included drawing writing stories and making costumes for her collection of dolls with her beloved governess baroness lazen she also kept a diary and wrote over 60 million words across her lifetime she spent hours playing on her own or with her little dog the King Charles Spaniel Dash and even had trousers made for him she referred to this time as one of the loneliest of her life and had only her equally loved governess and her dog for company although Victoria grew to resent her isolation and the rules created by Conroy they did in some ways work in her favor her mother and Conroy's determination to keep her weak and dependent on them by keeping her away from people they thought undesirable including her father's family and especially King William IV who had several illegitimate children had backfired her absence from court ensured she wasn't associated with her unpopular uncles and predecessors George IV and William IV equally archival research by the historic Royal palaces curators has suggested that Victoria's later recollection of her unhappy childhood was misremembered there is plenty of evidence that her mother loved her deeply and spoiled Victoria she was surrounded by her beloved governess and supportive tutors she even enjoyed trips to the coast the theater and the ballet which she loved the most she also went on several Royal tours around the country between 1830 and 1835 an avid writer she recorded these excursions and noted down her impressions of the country she wrote of her shock after seeing the black country in the West Midlands so named because of the smog caused by Iron making and coal mining on one of her earliest trips the country is very desolate everywhere smoking and burning coal heaps intermingled with Richard huts and carts and little ragged children to William IV's annoyance Victoria was greeted warmly by crowds of people at every point of her Journeys William disliked the way that these tours seem to present Victoria as his rival rather than his Heir and compared them to Royal progresses a medieval Royal tour in which the king would be greeted at every town he stopped in with formal ceremonies and festivals Victoria too disliked these tours partly because of their exhausting nature and partly because of William's disapproval but her mother forced her to continue with them in 1835 Conroy made his biggest attempt to solidify his control over the future queen during another tour Victoria contracted a severe fever while at Ramsgate a Seaside town in southeast England and Conroy and her mother took advantage of her state to Badger her into making Conroy her private secretary but Victoria resisted as she had during all of Conroy's previous attempts to get himself an official position on her staff as her uncle the king finally approached the end of his life Victoria was viewed as the nation's hope she emerged from her isolation and from the strict rules of her mother and Conroy as a bright New Prospect a new start for the monarchy on the 20th of June 1837 Victoria was awoken early at 6am to receive some unexpected visitors at Kensington Palace who were bearing important news she went downstairs and unusually saw these visitors alone and while still wearing her dressing gum Chief among her visitors was Lord Cunningham the Lord Chamberlain the most senior officer of the royal household who told her that her uncle the king had died at 2 12 a.m Victoria was now Queen and at age 18 she was old enough to rule a low one of the first actions that Victoria took was having her bed removed from her mother's bedroom this was not the only step she took to break free from the influence of her mother and Conroy that day the day of her accession Victoria dressed in morning black to honor her uncle and made her first public appearance as Queen alone stepping confidently out of her mother's Shadow her first official appearance was a success 97 counselors cabinet ministers and officials arrived in the red Saloon at Kensington Palace for their first meeting with the new Queen the Duke of Wellington later described this Gathering of the accession council and noted that despite the new Queen's petite size Victoria was only five foot one she had not only filled her chair she filled the room flushed with the success of her first appearance Victoria set about asserting her influence and crafting a new life for herself she fled the confinement of the Kensington system and left Kensington Palace itself for buck Buckingham Palace which became her main residence she dismissed Conroy and kept her mother at arm's length by installing her in a distant apartment in Buckingham Palace and later in a house in belgrave square a governess baroness lazen was invited to live in Buckingham Palace as Victoria's companion it was around this time that Victoria dropped her first name alexandrina and went solely by Victoria despite her outward confidence Victoria did admit to feeling nervous on her coronation day held on the 28th of June 1838 the coronation Drew thousands of people out onto the streets to catch a glimpse of the young new Queen Victoria later wrote in her diary that the sight of the cheering and waving crowd from her carriage calmed her nerves how proud I felt to be queen of such a nation the coronation itself did not run smoothly the bishop fumbled his lines and called the ceremony to an end too early an elderly peer had a fall and the coronation ring was placed onto the incorrect finger but the elated public would not remember these mishaps as they enjoyed fireworks and Affair at Hyde Park as well as free access to the theaters across London as with many important moments in Victoria's reign care was taken to allow the public a glimpse of the Monarch and a chance to celebrate the monarchy unlike her coronation the first year of Victoria's reign passed without any serious missteps her Youth and distance from her unpopular predecessors encouraged a rose-tinted view of her Reign many people looked forward to a new and hopeful era under her rule her petite size youth inexperience and gender resulted in people underestimating her agenda had barred her from taking up the Throne of Hanover upon which her predecessors had sat because ancient salic law excluded women from Hanoverian succession instead her father's unpopular younger brother Ernest Augustus Duke of Cumberland became king of Hanover as well as Victorious Heir until she had a child but Victoria was determined to succeed as Monica Britain writing in her diary I shall do my utmost to fulfill my duty towards my country I am very young and perhaps in many although not all things inexperienced but I am sure that very few have more real good will and more real desire to do what is fit and right than I have her Rosy first year was followed by a harder second one partly as a result of her over-dependence on her favorite administers and advisors particularly prime minister Lord Melbourne of the Whig party and King Leopold of Belgium Victoria's Reliance on Melbourne and their close relationship caused rumors to spread that the new Queen was under the prime minister's influence and even despite a large age gap of 40 years that they were having a secret romantic relationship a rumor that has never been proven it seems more likely that the inexperienced Victoria relied on Melbourne for advice and looked up to him as a father figure given that Melbourne was widowed and childless many including Aristocrat and diarist Charles greville noted that he was passionately fond of her as he might be of his daughter if he had one in the year 1839 two political scandals threatened to tarnish Victoria's reputation the first was a court Intrigue involving lady Flora Hastings a lady in waiting to Victoria's mother who it was rumored was expecting an illegitimate child with Conroy an abdominal growth later proved in a post-mortem to be a large tumor on the liver fueled these rumors Victoria who harbored deep resentment against Conroy and her mother for her restricted childhood believed the rumors and demanded evidence lady Flora initially refused to submit to an intimate medical examination only acquiescing to an examination in February which proved that she was a virgin the Hastings family Conroy and the opposing Tories turned the press against the queen claiming that she had spread false rumors about lady floor Florida and Victoria was hissed at during public appearances to make matters worse another political Scandal quickly succeeded the first the bedchamber crisis of 1839. Lord Melbourne had resigned as prime minister after the liberal radicals and tories voted against a bill to suspend the Constitution of Jamaica the bill passed by a narrow majority and removed political power from the plantation owners who had resisted the abolition of slavery a Tory government was to be formed under Robert peel but Victoria's refusal to allow peel to appoint her ladies of the bed chamber as was the political custom caused a political crisis when peel refused to govern under the restrictions Victoria had imposed Melbourne returned to office and many questioned Victoria's ability to rule as a constitutional Monarch a figure who should sit above and apart from the politics of parliament when support for Melbourne and the House of Commons finally dried up in 1841 the ladies of the bedchamber most associated with the Whigs were replaced as peel became prime minister during the 1841 general election just as the dominance of her mother and Conroy had waned Lord Melbourne's influence over Victoria was also to come to an end her next confidante and chief political advisor was to have the greatest impact on her life and Reign her husband German Prince Albert of sax Coburg and gota Victoria and Prince Albert had first met in May 1836 Albert who was also Victoria's cousin was invited to visit Kensington Palace by Victoria's mother and under the encouragement of his uncle King Leopold of Belgium a union between them had been planned by their families almost from birth despite King William IV's disapproval he had wanted to avoid another Coburg Royal match and preferred Prince Alexander of the Netherlands as a Suitor Victoria and Albert had already become friends during Albert's visit in 1832 6 but it wasn't until 1839 that Victoria decided she was ready for marriage on the 23rd of November 1839 Victoria summoned the privy Council to Buckingham Palace to declare her intention to marry Albert she had carefully evaluated the parade of eligible princes which had been sent her way and concluded that Albert was extremely handsome with a most delightful countenance she had already written to Albert's Uncle King Leopold at the age of 17 before she was ready for marriage thanking him for the prospect of great happiness you have contributed to give me in the person of dear Albert he possesses every quality that could be desired to render me perfectly happy Victoria's decision to marry Albert was complex as Queen love could not be the only motivator for marriage though Victoria did love Albert she decided to marry partly because she needed support with her royal responsibilities and partly to win public approval when on the 15th of October 1839 she proposed to Albert as Royal protocol demanded Victoria gushed at his acceptance the couple embraced and Victoria later wrote joyfully in her diary oh how I adore and love him I cannot say Victoria and Albert's wedding on the 10th of February 1840 was a public Affair it was the first Royal Wedding which had been planned with public enjoyment in mind the people of London enjoyed a view of Queen Victoria in an open carriage ride on her way way to the ceremony at the chapel Royal at Saint James's Palace Victoria wore a fashionable White Satin Court dress instead of Royal robes appearing as the woman she was as well as a queen the style has been copied by bride since she also wore an orange blossom wreath over her veil a brooch made by Albert and earrings and a necklace made of Turkish diamonds Prince Albert wore the uniform of a British Field Marshal photographs were taken of the happy couple in their wedding clothes and were shared widely Victoria's wedding the white dress carriage ride through the streets the cheering crowds set the pattern for all future Royal weddings involving the main line of descent of the royal family a Fanfare of trumpets announced the bride's procession Lord Melbourne headed the procession with the queen following on the arm of her uncle Prince Augustus Frederick Duke of Sussex who took the place of her late father Victoria reveled in her marriage it became a true love match she wrote in her diary that her wedding day had been the happiest day of my life the couple enjoyed a short but sweet honeymoon and proceeded happily into married life together despite Victoria's status as Queen both Albert and Victoria were traditionalists they both believed that the man should be the dominant one in any marriage yet Albert proved to be a devoted husband and Victoria's first pregnancy in 1840 helped to ease the situation as her pregnancy progressed Albert supported her reading her the daily dispatchers from the government when she wasn't well enough to get up they worked closely together on side-by-side desks at Buckingham Palace and Albert gradually became in effect Victoria's private secretary taking on more of her responsibilities as she approved approached the end of her pregnancy and began increasingly devoting herself to Motherhood and her family Albert had encouraged Victoria to work towards improving her relationship with her mother and it was while the pregnant Victoria and Albert were on route to visit The Duchess that 18 year old Edward Oxford attempted to assassinate her as she passed in her carriage Oxford's gun was fired twice but either the bullets missed or as he later claimed the gun was not loaded he was tried for high treason found not guilty on the grounds of insanity was committed to an insane asylum and later deported to Australia in the aftermath of the attack Victoria's popularity rose and the Hastings Affair and bed chamber crisis were forgotten but this assassination attempt and the acquittal of Oxford encouraged further attacks including in 1842 1849 1850 1872 and 1882 later in life Victoria showed great bravery when after dodging an assassination attempt while out riding along the mall in London on the 29th of May 1842 she agreed to ride out again on the following day so that John Francis there would be a assassin could be lured out and caught in the act by plain clothed policemen but Victoria's popularity among her subjects was most rooted in her motherhood and the perfect image of the royal family she created Victoria and Albert were devoted parents and were thrilled by the arrival of their first child Princess Victoria or Vicky their family quickly grew despite the difficulties Victoria experienced during pregnancy their first child Vicky was followed by Albert Edward the future Edward VII Alice Alfred Helena Louise Arthur Leopold and Beatrice Victoria suffered postnatal depression after many of her pregnancies and vehemently disliked breastfeeding by the time of her eighth and 9th pregnancies she promoted the use of chloroform as pain relief despite the protestations of the clergy who saw it as against biblical teachings and some members of the medical profession who thought it was dangerous the royal couple shared a great interest in their children and took great pleasure in raising and educating them they presented an image of a happy family to the world sharing their Joy on holidays and birthdays with the public through the new Illustrated newspapers Albert took an active role in parenting spending lots of time playing with his children unlike many aristocratic fathers at the time Victoria happily described her husband's wonderful relationship with their children in her diary he is so kind to them and romps with them delightfully Albert crafted joyful scenes of domestic Christmases popularizing festive Traditions such as decorating a Christmas tree which have survived into present-day British homes the image of the happy domestic royal family added to Victoria's popularity she became a symbol of medical Harmony and domestic Bliss widely known to be driven by strong moral convictions which made her very popular with the rising middle classes her financial Prudence meant that she successfully cleared her father's debts and she ran a relatively simple home for a royal in sharp contrast to the excesses of her predecessors Victoria recognized that public opinion Rose when she openly devoted herself to her children and letting Albert take over some of her royal duties proved to be a wise decision upon their marriage Albert had been granted the formal title of hrh Prince Albert but had been popularly known as hrh Prince consort a title which Victoria formalized on the 29th of June 1857. the effective working partnership between Victoria and Albert was summed up by Charles greville in 1845 when he wrote they are one person and he likes and she dislikes business Albert aimed to create a new powerful role as Prince consort recognizing a rival and influence over his wife Albert persuaded Victoria to send her confident baroness lazen back to Germany for a quiet retirement after the death of prime minister Melbourne in 18 1942 Victoria became entirely dependent on Albert Albert's wise guidance and connections proved invaluable to Victoria but she still took ownership over decisions which were important to her as the Great Famine tore through Ireland killing over a million people and displacing another million Victoria was denounced as the famine Queen in Ireland in January 1847 she donated 2 000 pounds of her personal money to the British relief Association an amount worth several million in today's money the greatest donation made by any individual she supported the repeal of the Corn Laws which were keeping the price of grain artificially high and fueling the devastating impact of the famine for Irish people she boldly ignored Protestant opposition to support the increase of an annual Grant from the British government to Saint Patrick's College mainuth a dilapidated Catholic Seminary in Ireland later rumors of Victoria's Cold indifference to the plight of the artish and the story that she had only donated five pounds to the relief and had given the same amount to battersei dogs home on the same day were fabricated Victoria's first visit to Ireland in 1849 when the famine was almost at an end was a success though it had no lasting impact on the growth of Irish nationalism Victoria and Albert both took a keen interest in Europe and especially in improving foreign relations between Britain and France Victoria became the first British monarch to visit a French monarch since King Henry VII had visited King Francis the first of France in 1520 through Albert Victoria was related to the house of orlia via the coburgs and visited King Louis Philippe the first in Normandy twice in 1843 and 1845 when Louis Philippe returned the visit in 1844 he became the first French King to visit a British sovereign and when he was deposed during the Revolutions of 1848 he sought Exile in England demonstrations in England by the chartists and Irish nationalists failed to attract the widespread support that revolutionary movements were seeing on the European continent Albert was also responsible for the great exhibition of 1851 which was designed as a public celebration of technological innovation and the growth of trade Albert was very intelligent and highly interested in trade industry Art and Science the great exhibition featured over 100 000 exhibits from across the world and even displayed the famous Kohinoor diamond from India as Albert was socially conscious perhaps more so than his wife the great exhibition was fairly priced to allow anyone to visit the top price season ticket of three guineas was equivalent to over two thousand pounds in today's money but there were also cheap day tickets available at the reasonable price of one shilling over 6 million people visited the great exhibition it gave many people their first taste of The Wider world and was widely laudered as a huge success Victoria herself was so enthralled by her husband's project that she visited the exhibition almost every day for three months the great exhibition also had foreign admirers Napoleon III of France invited Victoria and Albert to the exposition Universal in August 1855 after visiting the royal couple in London earlier that year they were also guests of honor at an extravagant ball at the Palace of Versailles and visited the tomb of Napoleon the First on their trip Victoria and Albert also sought to bolster relations with Albert's German Homeland in 1858 Albert's favorite child Vicky their firstborn was married at age 17 to Prince Frederick Wilhelm of Prussia the future Kaiser of Germany on the 25th of January 1858 at the Royal Chapel of Saint James's palace in London Albert hoped that the liberal education he had given his daughter would help her steer Prussia and later the German Empire into a liberal constitutional monarchy based on the British model but he hugely miscalculated overestimating the strength of the very small middle class in Prussia and underestimating the popularity of conservatism Vicky was not to have the happy life which her father had when he married into a foreign royal family Vicky was criticized for her overly British views on monarchy and her English Origins she was ostracized by the Royal House of the hernzollens the conservatives at the Berlin court and her Rising political opponent Otto von Bismarck as tensions deepened between her childhood nation and the nation of her marriage Vicky became very unpopular and suffered through the fortuitous managers of their nine children Victoria and Albert successfully made connections to foreign royal families across the European continent many of the thrones of Europe belonged to or were closely related to Victoria's nine children and her 42 grandchildren of the eight grandchildren which their eldest child Vicky gave them Sophie went on to marry a Greek Prince becoming queen of Greece the manage of their second child Prince Albert to princess Alexandra of Denmark resulted in connections with Denmark and when their own child moored married the king to Norway several connections were formed with the German States including through the marriage of their third child Princess Alice to Grand Duke Louis IV of the German state of Hess their daughter Alex went on to marry the last tsar of Russia Nicholas II connections with Russia had already been formed when Victoria's fourth child Prince Alfred was married to the Grand Duchess Marie daughter of Tsar Alexander II their fifth child princess Helena married Prince Frederick Christian of schleswick Holstein further solidifying relations with the German states however their sixth child Princess Louise broke the mold by marrying a commoner John Douglas Sutherland Campbell who became the Duke of Argyll a prominent MP and governor-general of Canada this unique marriage actually had the support of Victoria British prime minister Disraeli and the general public as many feared yet another German marriage Prince Arthur child number seven and a military Enthusiast he had risen to the rank of field Marshal married Princess Louise Marguerite of Prussia their eighth child and youngest boy Prince Leopold married Princess Helena Frederica of waldek and parmont another German State although he died two years after this happy Union was formed due to hemophilia a genetic condition which spread through Victoria's network of descendants across Europe a condition which particularly harmed the Russian royal family when the soul heir to the throne Alex a the son of Victoria's granddaughter Alex and Tsar Nicholas was found to Harbor the often deadly disease as Victoria's husband Albert had died when their ninth and last child Princess Beatrice was four years old Victoria rejected any potential suitors and kept her close as a companion at the age of 27 Beatrice finally met her love match Prince Henry of battenberg at a family wedding and although Victoria remained opposed to the match for eight months the couple eventually wore her down and they married with her blessing under the condition that they live in Britain their daughter Victoria would marry into the Spanish royal family introducing the hemophilic gene into another European Dynasty on the whole Victoria and Albert had succeeded in their aim of building connect actions across Europe with the managers of their nine children and 42 grandchildren but their goal of europe-wide Peace failed enormously as the first world war broke out even with three cousins on the Rival Thrones of Britain Russia and Germany Victoria's life and her happy family were blown apart in 1861 when her mother died although they had not had a perfect relationship Victoria felt huge grief when she discovered in her mother's papers that she had in fact deeply loved her daughter worst tragedy followed when the person she depended on most for support and strength her husband Albert also died Albert Fell ill of typhoid fever and died on the 14th of December 1861 at the young age of 42. Victoria was heartbroken and never moved Beyond her grief she wrote to her uncle Leopold that my life as a happy one is ended the world is gone for me her royal duties and the carefully honed image of the royal domestic family came under threat during a privy council meeting three weeks after Albert's death Victor Toria was so full of grief that she couldn't speak consumed by Deep grief Victoria Warm Morning black and minimal jewelry for the rest of her life and withdrew from public gaze which was disastrous for her Public Image her depression caused her to put on weight which further discouraged her from making public appearances she became very lonely and overcompensated by dominating her children's time and obsessively keeping the memory of their father alive Victoria's seclusion LED people to assume that she was incapable of doing her job she lost her confidence and avoided public appearances other than her official government duties retreating Behind the Walls of her favorite Royal residences Balmoral and Scotland Osborne house on the Isle of Wight and Windsor Castle the public began to lose respect for the queen and some even began to call for the abolition of the monarchy doctors who came to see Victoria feared that she was mentally ill she remained in self-imposed seclusion until the early 1880s when her family in particular her uncle Leopold confidants and prime minister Disraeli finally convinced her to appear more in public under their encouragement she agreed to visit The Gardens of The Royal Horticultural Society at Kensington and to take a drive through London in an open outage but it was really two men John Brown and Abdul Karine who succeeded in pulling Victoria out of her grief enough to fully repair Her Image and become involved in the political sphere once more John Brown a plain speaking Highlander and Victoria's manservant became one of her favorites in 1861. Victoria described his constant presence as a real Comfort but not everyone approved of his influence over the Queen the Press suggested the two were secretly married and brown became very unpopular within the Royal household a fact which did not dissuade Victoria in the slightest Brown helped Victoria deal with her deep grief and treated her as a woman rather than a queen in 1866 Victoria stepped back into the political sphere attending the state opening of parliament for the first time since Albert's death and openly supporting the Reform Act of 1867 which extended voting rights to many Urban working men the second of Victoria's confidance was even more unpopular with the court than John Brown Abdul Karim was Victoria's personal servant and munchie or teacher from India from 1887 to the end of her life Karim perhaps attracted more Prejudice and jealousy than brown due to ideas of racial superiority which were widespread at the time and because he was from a low social background but as with brown Victoria did not listen to the advice and jealous mutterings of others Kareem taught Victoria the Urdu language which she became fluent in and about Indian culture which fascinated her Victoria's notes from her lessons still survive along with many of her other writings the queen became increasingly interested in the British Empire and the latter part of her Reign and devoted much time and energy to promoting the expansion and glorification of the Empire by the end of Victoria's reign the British Empire covered more than a fifth of the world's land mass and included nearly one in four people including the entire Indian subcontinent as well as large parts of Africa and several Caribbean islands between 1815 and 1914 approximately 400 million people and 10 million square miles were added to the Empire the majority of which occurred during Victoria's long Reign the wars of Victorious era were often once fought on Distant Shores an exception being the Crimean War which was fought against Russia in 1854 to 1856. it was during this war that the First Victoria Cross was awarded it was the first official honor granted to ordinary servicemen for bravery the British Army and Royal Navy were involved in conflicts in Afghanistan China India Ghana against the Ashanti people in eastern southern Africa against the Zulus Egypt and in South Africa against the boers Victoria was not naive about the cost of Empire she was very much in favor of expansionism and the Empire and deeply approved of prime minister disraeli's expansionist foreign policy if we are to maintain our position as a first-rate power we must be prepared for attacks and Wars somewhere or other she saw the expansion of the British Empire as necessary for civilization and for protecting native people from aggressive rulers on the 1st of May 1876 Victoria was crowned Empress of India a title bestowed on her by parliamentary vote although she had been both interested and involved in the ruling of India long before then in the 1840s she had registered her disgust at the behavior of the East India Company a semi-private corporation that ran the British territories in India and profited hugely from trade in the region in 1856 she wrote I always feel sorry for those poor deposed Indian princes Victoria had actually met one of the men deposed by the British duleep Singh the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire who had been deposed by the British in 1848 and was invited to meet Victoria and Albert in 1854 after he had converted to Christianity despite an attempt to return to Lahore and take back the throne in later life he was reconciled with Victoria in 1890 when she gave him a full pardon Victoria would become the Godmother to Singh's daughter Princess Sofia alexandrovna dulip Singh who became a prominent English suffragette and campaigned for women's rights outside Hampton Court Palace where Victoria had allowed her family to live despite her interest in India her Mastery of the Urdu language and her friendship with Abdul Kareem Victoria never visited India as well as her investiture as empress of India Victoria's popularity was restored by the extravagant celebrations of her golden jubilee in 1887 marking 50 years of her Rule and the Diamond Jubilee in 1897 celebrating 60 years her appearances in public caused Great excitement and her open Smile as she processed through London on an open carriage ride on the day of her golden jubilee was one of very few moments when Victoria's smile was captured on camera but Victoria did not forget her grief in private writing on the day of her golden jubilee the day has come and I am alone by 1897 Victoria's popularity and her confidence were fully restored she became seen as the nation's grandmother and received thousands of congratulatory messages for her Diamond Jubilee from across the world she sent a telegraph message of thanks to her subjects from my heart I thank my beloved people may God bless them the huge outpouring of national pride led to the era being known as Victorian Britain the lack of major Wars to fund during her Reign especially in comparison with the decades following her Reign and the huge New Wealth generated by industry and trade resulted in a larger and more affluent middle and upper class which could afford to spend more on Leisure Town Parks began to open the first in Preston Lancashire and Cricket football rugby and athletic clubs were established music Halls theaters readings and comic operators became increasingly popular and museums opened including the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1852 for those not living in poverty the Victorian age was truly a golden period by 1901 at the age of 81 Victoria was becoming frail had lost a lot of weight and had to use a wheelchair to move around she moved to Osborne house on the Isle of Wight for peace and to avoid the spotlight the few people who saw her at this time said she seemed to have shrunk to half the person she had been she suffered from osteoarthritis a condition which made her joints painfully stiff and her surviving dresses from this period were altered to accommodate a dowager's hump a hump on her upper back caused by spinal collapse the last year of Victoria's life had been hard she had lived to see the death of her second son Alfred in July 1900 who had died after the suicide of his own son the breakdown of his marriage and excessive drinking her favorite grandson Christian Victor child of her daughter Beatrice died in October 1900 of malaria along with his father the sorrow perhaps shortened Victoria's life as her companions noted that not only her stature but also her spirit seemed to be shrinking and she lost her appetite despite being nearly blind Victoria continued to write in her diary until her last entry on the 13th of January 1901 when her strength began to leave her her first grandson Wilhelm II the German Kaiser rushed to her side as her death loomed joining her son and successor Edward VII Victoria died on the 22nd of January in 1901 at the age of 81 in her grandson's arms on the Isle of Wight she had ruled for almost 64 years the longest reign of any British monarch up to that point in keeping with the Queen's wishes her body was dressed in a white dress and her wedding veil and brought back to London her funeral procession passed through streets full of mourners on its way to Saint George's Chapel at Windsor where her funeral was held her eldest son King Edward VII walked behind her coffin accompanied by her third son Prince Arthur and Grandson Kaiser Wilhelm II her funeral was simple and respectful as she had requested Victoria was then laid to rest with her husband Albert at the Royal Mausoleum near Frogmore house in the grounds of Windsor Castle she had asked for certain items to be buried with her including some jewelry plaster casts of her children's hands and Albert's dressing up she had also secretly asked her trusted Royal doctor to add a photograph of John Brown and a lock of his hair to her left hand above the mausoleum door were inscribed Victoria's words farewell best beloved here at last I shall rest with thee with thee in Christ I shall rise again Victoria was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover and was succeeded by her son Edward VII of the House of sax Coburg and gota on the 22nd of January in 1901. Victoria never believed that she as a woman was the best person to be Monarch she believed like many of her contemporaries that men made the best leaders but by the time of her Diamond Jubilee in 1897 no one not even Victoria herself could doubt that a woman was capable of being the Monarch despite several years of unpopularity when she became a reclusive Widow Victoria was immensely popular especially in the 1880s and 1890s she appeared to many to be a benevolent matriarchal figure above politics only after her death and the release of her Diaries and letters to the extent of her deep political influence become clear although constrained by the constitutional monarchy she represented Victoria took advantage of her rights that is the right to be consulted the right to encourage and the right to warn as SAS Walter badgett stated and more than once she altered the direction of policies and politicians by wielding her influence Victoria despite her lack of confidence had been a skilled politician who successfully presented herself as a devoted wife and mother which home-loving victorians idolized identified with strict standards of personal morality Victoria brought stability to a monarchy which had been rocked by a series of unreliable and often unpopular Kings she had made the monarchy more accessible for example by opening up her birthplace Kensington Palace to the public in 1899 by setting the public-oriented tone of her own and future Royal weddings and through her public appearances such as at the great exhibition Victoria's reign took Britain through a tumultuous period of industrial economic technological and social change she had overseen huge expansion abroad and stability and growth at home and her Reign was remembered by the Victoria and their descendants as a golden age of British greatness yet in some ways her Legacy and the legacy of her era has become more contentious over time as historians evaluate the cost of industrial progress and expansion abroad the experiences of non-british subjects of the Empire and the poor in Britain are now being included in The Narrative of the Victorian age Victoria's investiture as empress of India and her role as leader of the Empire complicates her Legacy Victoria and Albert's intention to promote peace in Europe by establishing a network of alliances through Royal marriages represented another failure although Victoria was fondly known as the grandmother of Europe and had successfully married off her nine children and 42 grandchildren into several Royal European houses war was not avoided by the turn of the 20th century Victoria's grandchildren were on the Thrones of Germany Russia Denmark Greece Norway Romania and Spain but her vision of a peaceful Europe was not to come to pass as her own grandson Kaiser Wilhelm II LED Germany into war against Britain in 1914 amongst her notable Descendants the three cousins Kaiser Wilhelm II Tsar Nicholas II and King Edward VII have often been blamed by historians for the outbreak of the first world war but Victoria and Albert's Legacy lives on as their living descendants still sit on several European Thrones from her links to present-day monarchs to the history of the Victorian age that British children are taught at school Victoria endures the image of her as a stately old lady clad in her black morning attire has defined her to this day but a more complex image of Victoria and her era is coming to light what do you think of Queen Victoria was she a passive woman dominated by powerful male advisors and far removed from the suffering of her people or was she a complex and intelligent ruler who did what she could within the limitations of a constitutional monarchy please let us know in the comment section and in the meantime thank you very much for watching [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] thank you [Music] foreign