Biography of Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria of England enjoyed monarchy for 63 years and seven months. This was the longest on record, one that came to be known as the Victorian Era. It was synonymous with industrial, scientific and military progress, not only within the United Kingdom, but throughout its colonies in Asia and Africa.

Biography of Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria was of German descent. Victoria was born in 1819, at the Kensington Palace, to Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent. She earned the nickname 'Grandmother of Europe' early in life having arranged the marriages of all her children and forty-two grandchildren in countries across the continent. This political move was read as an attempt to bind European power. Since her uncle, William IV had no legitimate children alive, Princess Victoria was declared 'heiress presumptive'. The law prevalent then required the appointment of a 'Regent' to play guide to the young princess, till she reached the age of eighteen. The Regency Act 1830 declared Victoria's mother as Regent.

In 1836, Princess Victoria met Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, her future husband, at the tender age of seventeen. He was her first cousin, the son of Ernest, her mother's brother. They were married in 1840, in the Chapel Royal, London. Victoria and Albert were part of a long and happy union. Victoria was fluent in German, French and the English language. When William IV died in June 1837, from congestive heart failure, Victoria became Queen of England. The coronation ceremony took place on 28 June 1838, making Victoria the first monarch to make the Buckingham Palace her home.

When Victoria ascended the throne, England was an established constitutional monarchy. Although the ruling monarch held limited political power and basically exercised influence via the Prime Minister, Victoria was a very symbolic political figure during her tenure. The Victorian Era witnessed expansion of the British Empire, making it a formidable global power. When Victoria ascended the throne, the political decisions were controlled by the Whig Party, headed by Lord Melbourne. He influenced the political life of the inexperienced queen. The Melbourne ministry resigned in 1839, amidst growing unpopularity and the Rebellions of 1837. The Radicals and Tories came to power thereafter, until the suspension of the Constitution of Jamaica by the House of Commons.

King Leopold I of Belgium, her maternal uncle, was Queen Victoria's main advisor. The Bedchamber Crisis arose out of the queen's decision to allow Sir Robert Peel to form a ministry. His preferences for the wives of Tories was challenged by the queen and this crisis culminated in the return of Lord Melbourne. An attempt was made on the queen's life, during her first pregnancy. Edward Oxford attempted an assassination by firing at the monarch while she was riding with Prince Albert, in London. Although he was tried for treason, he was acquitted as 'insane'. Another attempt was made to assassinate Queen Victoria at St. James' Park by one John Francis. Francis was charged for treason and given the 'transportation for life' sentence. Days later, John William Bean fired at the queen.

Victoria was part of much political turmoil that was churned out of the repeal of the Corn Laws. The Tories or Conservatives opposed the repeal, while the Whigs supported it. Her complaint in 1849 about the 'hidden' communication between Palmerston and foreign leaders was paid no attention to, until the ousting of Lord Palmerston in 1851. Queen Victoria was very fond of Ireland, but had to keep away on account of the potato blight that hit the region in 1845. She donated £2,000 sterling for the starving Irish population. However, Lord John Russell was blamed for exacerbating the famine and this adversely affected Victoria's popularity in Ireland. Her visit to the region in 1849 was amidst a number of nationalist party meetings and the coining of 'God Save the Queen'.

When the Prince Consort succumbed to typhoid on 14 December, 1861, the queen who was only just mourning the demise of her mother, was devastated. Queen Victoria wore black for the rest of her life and avoided public appearances. She earned the name 'Widow of Windsor'. This isolation took a toll on the popularity that monarchy enjoyed in England and is held responsible for the growth of the republican movement. On 22 January, 1901, Queen Victoria succumbed to cerebral hemorrhage. She was buried beside Prince Albert, in the Frogmore Mausoleum. Victoria's death meant a cessation of House of Hanover monarchy.