Even after more than a century, the British remember the Victorian era with nostalgia. The reason is clear: then life flowed according to unshakable rules, as was customary, and tomorrow did not promise any unpleasant surprises.

Gentlemen were gentlemen, and therefore sat in the House of Lords; criminals were criminals, and therefore were in prison. An impeccable reputation was valued more than any money, and a faulty one instantly closed all doors to its owners. There were few police officers on the streets, but everyone was truly a servant of the law. The monarchy enjoyed universal respect, but real politics was done in parliament and in elections; patriotism was not instilled under pressure. Politeness and restraint were considered virtues. It was truly a sunny afternoon in Britain. Without winning any significant military, political or personal victories, Queen Victoria still lived up to the name given to her at birth. She won the heart of her own people. True, in the long life of the queen herself there were not only victories...

Goddaughter of the Russian Emperor - salvation of the British crown

It all started sadly. By the end of the first third of the 19th century, the Hanoverian dynasty ruling the country was a pitiful sight. A disordered psyche, apathy, drunkenness, extravagance, debauchery - only a clinical ultra-patriot could ignore all these evidence of dynastic degeneration. Victoria's grandfather, King George III, ended up in a psychiatric hospital at the end of his life, and of his dozen children, only two sons were able to try on the crown, and even then not for long. All the other offspring of the mad king, for various reasons, turned out to be “non-throne-capable.” And fate decreed that in 1837 his granddaughter, the 18-year-old daughter of Edward, Prince of Kent, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg, ascended the throne. At birth, the future queen was named Alexandrina Victoria - in honor of her mother and godfather, Russian Emperor Alexander I.

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The modest childhood of the future queen

The baby was born on May 24, 1819, healthy and strong - unlike the rest of the offspring of the degenerating dynasty. But Victoria’s childhood cannot be called cloudless. She did not remember her father: he died of pneumonia when his daughter was not even a year old, and left the family only debts. The future queen received a new dress as a child only when she grew out of the old one. Throughout her subsequent life, she was distinguished by modesty in her outfits, which was rare for her position, condemning all other ladies for their penchant for luxury and frequent changes of clothes.

Home education included foreign languages, arithmetic, geography, music, horse riding, and drawing. Only at the age of 12 did Victoria learn about her destiny - it turns out that all these years her mother was secretly preparing her daughter to be the future queen of Great Britain. Along the way, Victoria was explained that the crown implies not only power, but also grave responsibility. Even in small things: an impressive list of prohibitions and restrictions in everyday life the monarch also constituted one of the traditions of good old England. The Queen was not allowed to meet strangers, publicly express feelings, arbitrarily change your daily routine, read whatever you want, even indulge in sweets.

Bad omens at Victoria's coronation

On June 20, 1837, King William IV, Victoria's royal uncle, died. His 18-year-old niece took the throne with the firm knowledge that from now on, royal duty would be the main priority in her life. This is not to say that the coronation ceremony was flawless. And the desperate question asked in a whisper, “I beg you, tell me, what should I do?”, and the royal ring, which turned out to be out of size (the Archbishop of Canterbury almost dislocated the girl’s finger), many present considered bad signs. In general, the British did not hope for a long and good reign of the new queen. Bad heredity, what can you do!

Tough decisions of young Victoria

However, already with his first steps in the political field new queen dispelled the anxiety of her subjects. To begin with, she explained to her mother that she no longer needed her daily care and intended to perform royal duties herself, as befits an adult. Then the Queen just as firmly and uncompromisingly explained herself to Parliament. From childhood, Victoria was raised to respect the law, which stated that the monarch in England does not make independent political decisions, but only approves the decisions of the cabinet. Which does not negate the right of the king or queen to be aware of all the details of what he seals with his royal signature. Therefore, already in her first messages to the government, the young queen made it clear that ministers who would hide details from her or deliberately mislead her would risk losing their posts.

I can't bear to get married

20-year-old Victoria was burdened by the obligation to live in the same palace with her mother, as was expected of unmarried girls of those times. Fortunately for the young queen, she became interested in her cousin, the handsome Duke Albert, whom she described in her diary as having good teeth and a fine nose. Without thinking twice, Victoria invited the Duke to visit, and just five days after Albert arrived in Windsor, she invited him to get married. Victoria did not make a revolution here: according to tradition, British queens themselves propose to their chosen ones.

Family happiness like royalty

On the evening after the wedding on February 10, 1840, Victoria wrote in her diary: “MY DEAR, DEAR, DEAR Albert... his great love and affection gave me a feeling of heavenly love and happiness that I never hoped to feel before! He pulled me into his arms and we kissed each other over and over again! His beauty, his sweetness and gentleness - how can I ever be truly grateful for such a Husband! ... It was the happiest day of my life!”

Victoria and Albert truly fell in love and created a model royal family. This is what the British no longer expected to see from their monarchs: no scandals, no betrayals! Nothing that could cast a shadow on high rank the first family in the empire.

At first, people doubted whether Albert was so lucky. Even the most ardent supporters of the monarchy could not help but admit that nature deprived the queen of external data. All her life she unsuccessfully struggled with obesity, which was aggravated by her short stature, and in general, by all accounts, she was never a beauty. Natural intelligence, calm character, directness, rare for a crowned person (sometimes, however, turning into straightforwardness) and good manners - that’s what she could offer her husband. The same one, on the contrary, was handsome, fit, widely educated in various fields: he was well versed in technology, painting, and architecture. Even in music, the tastes of the young couple diverged - Victoria preferred operetta and dancing until the morning, while her husband was fond of the classics and became bored by palace balls. However, this did not prevent a happy marriage.

Mother of many children and part-time queen

Exactly 9 months after the wedding, the royal couple had a daughter, Victoria, a little later a son, the future King Edward VII, and then seven more children. However, the “heroine mother” could not even imagine devoting herself entirely to home and family. She and her husband gradually attracted to government affairs, to which Albert was initially cool. To increase social status Alberta, the Queen “pushed through” in Parliament the constitutional assignment of the title of Prince Consort (Prince Consort of the Queen) to her husband.

Over time, his influence on the queen in all matters, including state affairs, became decisive. Victoria did not object, although recently she ironically noted that she had to read and sign documents, while her husband could only blot them. Now Albert has become for her not only her life partner and loved one, but also her first and most reliable adviser.

Victoria's tragedy

This went on for exactly twenty years. And suddenly everything collapsed overnight. At 42, Albert unexpectedly died of typhoid fever, and Victoria was left alone. Twice alone - as a woman and as a queen.

She was not able to fully recover from the blow until the end of her long life - another forty years. At first, after the death of her husband, Victoria fell into apathy, voluntarily imprisoning herself within four walls. The Queen did not want to see anyone, did not appear at official events, and completely removed herself from government affairs. Many feared that the queen, like her grandfather, would lose her mind.

The Queen's Heart Servant

And then a story happened, the details of which are still unclear. Next to the slowly fading widow was a man who returned the ruler's taste for life, and England - its queen. It was a long-time royal servant - a simple Scotsman, John Brown. What kind of relationship they actually had remained a mystery. There were various rumors - even to the point that the queen, who served as a symbol of morality, later called Victorian, secretly married her servant.

Brown became the queen's only friend. Real, sincere and reliable. He did not behave at all as is customary for a favorite: he did not become arrogant, did not appropriate money, estates and titles, and did not get involved in politics. And prim, full of class arrogance and highly moral (at least on show) England forgave its queen for her reprehensible friendship with a simple servant.

Victorian political victories

Queen Victoria remained for the remaining forty years.

During this time - an entire era - the British Empire steadily strengthened its power. Victoria herself, who discovered the gift of a tough and pragmatic politician, and those who practically pursued this policy, first of all the famous English Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, succeeded in this. Thanks to their combined efforts, Britain entered the 20th century as one of the leading powers, adding several magnificent stones to its crown, notably the riches of India and South Africa, as well as the newly built Suez Canal that promised enormous benefits.

Shameful victory of the British crown

The first cracks in this colonial stronghold were revealed during the reign of Victoria. The war with the South African Boers and the “opium war” in China ended with a “shameful victory.” In the first case, vaunted British gentlemen exterminated Europeans and Christians, “enriching” humanity with such inventions as concentration camps and barbed wire. In the second, the same gentlemen asserted their “civilized” right to put an entire nation on a cheap drug needle. And then the rebellious Ireland continued to seethe (there were six attempts on Victoria’s life - and all six were Irish!), India rebelled... But in general, the Victorian era remained in the history of England an era of victories and glory.

And the mother of the nation has shortcomings...

At the same time, the queen remained not just a politician, but “the mother of the nation.” Victoria often appeared in public surrounded by her large family, did not allow palace scandals, religiously followed the law, did not cheat or be a hypocrite. In a word, she did everything to ensure that the life of her subjects was calm and predictable - no worries or unpleasant surprises or defaults.

However, the years took their toll, and by the end of his life, stability gradually turned into stagnation, and the Victorian morality implanted by the queen turned into general hypocrisy and hypocrisy. And Victoria’s character was clearly deteriorating: she increasingly found fault with those around her, be it ministers or her own children. She showed typical senile stinginess, manifested, in particular, in her reluctance to give the throne to her no longer young son. Edward became king on the eve of his seventieth birthday! Doesn't remind you of anything?

Queen Victoria's Last Will

The 20th century brought the Victorian era to a close. In the last year of the outgoing century, marking the next anniversary of the death of her husband Interesting...
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Hello my dear readers.

I recently had to spend the entire day with a friend searching for the perfect wedding dress. And in the next store, while she was trying on one of dozens of amazingly beautiful dresses, I walked among the others, and my inquisitive mind asked me the same questions: when did the tradition of wearing white dress? Who even came up with this? And why?

Do you know the answer? No? Then I will share it with you. It was Victoria - Queen of England. And today I want to tell you about how she grew up, what influenced her, who she loved and why this great woman nicknamed "the woman of the era."

Contents:

Are you ready? Then let's go!

Where it all started!

You know, they say that we are formed in childhood: by events, environment and attitude. The biography of the future Queen of Great Britain begins with her birth on May 24, 1819, and her life immediately begins with doubts: for a very long time they could not choose a name for the baby. But as a result, she was named Alexandrina Victoria.

Moreover, to say that the childhood of the future Queen of Great Britain was dreary is to say nothing. It would seem that if you are a princess, do what you want. As in our Soviet cartoon: “do you want a cake, do you want ice cream...”. But Victoria grew up away from other children; she was not allowed to talk to other people or show feelings. She slept only in her mother’s bedroom, because she was afraid that the baby would be attacked, and played exclusively with dolls and her favorite spaniel.

The heir to the throne of Great Britain received a classic education: she knew languages, arithmetic, geography, history, music, drawing. She studied the foundations of the state, law and legislation. As she admitted later, not a single problem related to governing the country was unfamiliar to her.
This is how the future Queen was raised until her 18th birthday.

Rise of the Queen!

Victoria learned that it was her time to become queen early on the morning of June 20, 1837, at age 18. She was awakened and told that the Archbishop of Canterbury wanted to see her. As soon as she entered the hall, he fell to one knee, and she immediately realized: she was the new queen. Victoria became the first monarch, who chose Buckingham Palace as his residence. In addition, it was she who became the ancestor of the House of Windsor that still rules in Britain.

Love is in the air!

Having ascended the throne of Great Britain, Victoria flatly refused to get married and didn’t even want to hear anything about it. But, as they say, we assume, but fate... The love and destiny of the queen’s entire life was her cousin, Prince Albert.

He came to stay in Windsor, and after 5 days the queen invited him to get married. Albert was so captivated by Victoria, her will and Puritan upbringing, modesty and determination that without a doubt he agreed to everything.

Their relationship can be called ideal. Of course, like any married couple, they experienced quarrels and resentments, but all this passed, and one thing remained - love. Victoria later wrote to her uncle that she was the happiest woman in the whole world.

Having come under the influence of her husband, she began to change. In place of a young, inexperienced girl, a wise woman appeared, focused on managing her state.

Victorian era!

The period of Victoria's reign even got its own name: the Victorian era. It can be considered one of the most significant in history. No ruler in the history of England made so many significant changes in all spheres life.

Rapid population growth contributed to urban sprawl. Having initially been hostile to Albert's idea of ​​creating a railway network, she later agreed, and in the 1950s the whole of Great Britain was covered by a network of railway tracks. This could not but favor industrialists, because it made the delivery of goods and raw materials faster and more convenient. More factories, warehouses and shops appeared.

The middle class has become the dominant class. This has led to the fact that values ​​such as sobriety, hard work, frugality, thriftiness and punctuality have become the norm for everyone.

New colonies were conquered, the country received dividends from the old ones. This era had a great influence on the history of countries such as Canada, India, Egypt and many others.

Want some more? Here are a few facts from the life of the great queen.

• In the family circle, little Victoria was called Drina.
• Victoria's height is 1.52cm.
• During Victoria's coronation, a black swan was seen over London. This led to rumors that the queen would not last long on the throne. “Ha-ha-ha”, I want to say)).
• At least 5 attempts were made on Victoria's life.
• Victoria and Albert had 9 children!!!
• Albert died at the age of 41 from typhus. Until the day of her death, Victoria - and the whole country along with her - mourned for him.

What can I add? To be honest, I just get goosebumps just by looking at the photo of this woman. Confidence and ability to combine being a great ruler and loving wife and mother - a unique gift that Victoria fully possessed. The real "Mother of Great Britain".

There are now hundreds of books that can be read online in the public domain. Moreover, there are dozens of films that can be watched online (by the way, you can watch an interesting video about Victoria’s life below). And today I know exactly what I will add to my to-do-list.

If you are as inquisitive as I am, if you want to know a lot more about the history of England, then subscribe to my blog newsletter: there is still a lot of interesting things ahead of you.

See you again!

24 June 1819 at Kensington Palace Archbishop of Canterbury Charles Manners-Sutton held a baptism ceremony for the baby, who was exactly one month old. The girl was given two names - Victoria in honor of her mother, and Alexandrina in honor of her godfather, who became a Russian Emperor Alexander I.

The Napoleonic Wars had recently died down in Europe, and the English royal family was full of gratitude to the Russian ruler for his help in the fight against the French emperor.

Period good relations will not last long, and Alexandra’s goddaughter, having taken the throne, will try not to remember her middle name. The British Empire and Russia will continue to alternate short periods warming with many years of violent conflicts.

Conception of national significance

Victoria Alexandrina was born due to state necessity. In the British royal family early XIX centuries, God knows what was going on. The formal monarch was George III, however, since 1811 he was incapacitated due to severe mental illness.

George III fathered a dozen children, but his only legitimate granddaughter was Charlotte of Wales. On November 6, 1817, the 21-year-old princess died after an unsuccessful birth, during which the child did not survive.

The shadow of a dynastic crisis loomed large over the empire. The sons of George III were no longer young, but from their older brother George, who served as regent under their crazy father, they received a categorical order to immediately acquire wives and give birth to an heir.

In pursuance of this order George III's fourth son, Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent, in 1818 married daughter of Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld Franz Victoria.

The groom was 51 years old, the bride almost 32. Moreover, Victoria was a widow with two children. But these little things didn’t matter - she could give birth to a child, and everything else didn’t matter.

On May 24, 1819, Victoria gave birth to a girl. To the joy of the parents, according to the doctors, the child was absolutely healthy. Yes, it was not a boy, but in the current situation there was no choice

The last hope of the empire

At the time of Alexandrina's birth, Victoria was fifth in line to the throne. But eight months later she became the fourth - her father, Prince Edward, died of pneumonia.

She was 10 years old when, after the death of one Victoria's uncle George IV and the accession of another uncle, William IV, she became heir to the throne.

Uncle William ascended the throne at the age of 65 - before him, no English king had ascended to the throne so late. He lived happily for many years with actress Dorothy Jordan, who gave birth to 10 healthy children. But the actress could not be the mother of the heir to the throne, and therefore, in his old age, Wilhelm married Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. The couple had two girls, but they did not survive. The only heir was her niece Victoria.

Queen Victoria at four years old. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Uncle Wilhelm, talking with the courtiers, promised to live until Victoria came of age, so that her niece would somehow have time to prepare for the role of queen. He kept his promise - Wilhelm died a month after Victoria turned 18.

Mother was terribly worried about Victoria, about her health and morality. In order to protect her child from vice, Victoria Sr. loaded her daughter with classes with teachers and isolated her from secular entertainment. She did not have a separate bedroom, she was not allowed to cry in public and talk to strangers. Subsequently, the mother’s “hedgehog gloves”, the so-called “Kensington System”, will affect Victoria’s attitude towards the moral standards of society as a whole.

"Therefore, I am the queen"

Even in her youth, Victoria discovered her talent as a writer. Its development was facilitated by the fact that the girl kept a diary for many years. On June 20, 1837, she wrote in it: “At 6 o’clock I was woken up by Mama, who told me that the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Conyngham were here and wanted to see me. I got out of bed and went to my living room (in just my robe) and alone and saw them. Lord Conyngham then told me that my poor uncle the King was no longer with us, and left at 12 minutes past 3 this morning, therefore I am the Queen.”

Victoria receives news that she has become queen from Lord Conyngham (left) and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

On the first day, in documents the young queen was called Alexandrina Victoria, but, at her request, later they began to call her simply Queen Victoria.

Victoria's coronation took place on June 28, 1838, and she became the first monarch to choose Buckingham Palace as her residence.

The laws ordered the young queen to find a husband with whom she could produce offspring. By becoming a husband, he did not become a king. However, Victoria was not enthusiastic about the prospect of marriage. In conversations with those close to her, she admitted that she was very tired of her mother’s care, but considered marriage a “shocking alternative.”

Russian-English novel

In the spring of 1839, a Russian delegation led by Tsarevich Alexander.

The handsome man in a perfectly fitting Russian military uniform was 21 years old, Victoria turned 20. After the ball in honor of the Russian Tsarevich Alexander's adjutant Colonel Yurievich wrote in his diary: “The day after the ball, the heir spoke only about the queen... and I am sure that she also found pleasure in his company.”

A couple of days later, Yuryevich writes: “The Tsarevich admitted to me that he is in love with the queen, and is convinced that she fully shares his feelings...”

Yes, the goddaughter of Alexander I, who was brought up in strictness and spoke with longing about marriage, fell in love with the Russian heir to the throne.

Both the British and the Russians were horrified - it was a real disaster. Russia could lose an heir who could simply turn into the husband of the Queen of England. But if the Russians, at least theoretically, had someone to replace Alexander, then in Victoria’s Britain there was no alternative.

But one of the Russians or British probably had a crazy thought: what if Alexander and Victoria united the two crowns, then... Yes, such a “then” never occurred to any science fiction writer.

In fact, everything turned out to be more prosaic. The young people were reminded that duty is higher than personal feelings, they were allowed to say goodbye, and then they were taken away from each other.

Albert

Soon Victoria was offered a more suitable, from a political point of view, candidate for groom - a 20-year-old Albert Franz August Emmanuel of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who was her cousin.

Victoria had seen Albert before, and now she unleashed all her unspent girlish feelings on him.

Five days later, Victoria asked Albert to marry her. “I will be happy to spend my life next to you,” replied the young man.

Victoria and Albert's wedding. Painting by George Hayter. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

On February 10, 1840, they became husband and wife. Victoria wrote in her diary: “I have never, never spent such an evening!!! My dear, dear, dear Albert... his great love and affection gave me a feeling of heavenly love and happiness that I never hoped to feel before! He pulled me into his arms and we kissed each other over and over again! His beauty, his sweetness and gentleness - how can I ever be truly grateful for such a Husband! ... It was the happiest day of my life!”

Albert truly became the love of Victoria’s life. She was disgusted by the state of pregnancy, did not have warm feelings for newborns, but, nevertheless, over the next seventeen years she bore her husband nine children.

Victoria's family in 1846 by Franz Xaver Winterhalter. From left to right: Prince Alfred and the Prince of Wales; the Queen and Prince Albert; princesses Alice, Elena and Victoria. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

“We women are not cut out to rule.”

Albert had never shown such ardor. But he was a reliable friend, adviser, assistant. Possessing encyclopedic knowledge, he was always ready to tell his wife the necessary information.

Albert devoted a lot of time to philanthropy, caring for the life of the people, and education. He organized the construction of new schools, contributed to the development of all kinds of technical innovations and involved his wife in them. Victoria was afraid to use the railway, but her husband overcame her prejudice.

Looking at her husband, Victoria wrote in her diary: “We women are not created for rule, if we were honest with ourselves, we would refuse men’s occupations... Every day I am more and more convinced that women should not take assume the rule of the Kingdom."

Albert, Victoria and their nine children, 1857. From left to right: Alice, Arthur, Albert, Edward, Leopold, Louise, Victoria with Beatrice, Alfred, Victoria and Helen. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

With Albert, Victoria could afford to be just a weak woman. She survived several assassination attempts, and Albert, who was nearby, shielded her from the bullets. And even though the attackers were neutralized before they hit the target, her husband’s readiness for self-sacrifice made Victoria love him even more.

In 1861, Victoria's mother died, and Albert, trying to alleviate his wife's suffering, took on her responsibilities as best he could. At the same time, he was busy preparing for an art and industrial exhibition and dealing with the behavior of his eldest son, who had an affair with an actress. By December, his health condition had worsened, and doctors diagnosed him with typhoid fever. Albert died on December 14, 1861.

Portrait of Queen Victoria by Henrietta Ward. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Victoria's grief had no end. From that day on, she always wore black and rarely appeared in public. She was nicknamed "The Widow of Windsor", or simply "The Widow".

She built a luxurious mausoleum for her husband, erected monuments in his honor throughout the country, and tried to continue his endeavors by opening new schools, museums and hospitals. The famous Albert Hall concert hall in London is also named after Victoria's husband.

The glitter and suffocation of the Victorian era

The reign of Queen Victoria was the heyday of the power of the British Empire. The queen's rights were limited, and main role Parliament played a role in governing the state, but Victoria, to the best of her ability, supported everything that contributed to strengthening the power of the empire.

She was not afraid of bloody wars; she willingly pitted countries against each other if it was beneficial to England. Drowning the rebellious Irish in blood or shooting the leaders of the Indian uprising from cannon - Victoria blessed such actions without even flinching.

The external beauty of the “Victorian era” was mesmerizing - the behavior of ladies and gentlemen of that time is considered exemplary.

But it is good to admire the norms of Victorian morality from the outside. The restrictions absorbed by Victoria in childhood, with her light hand were introduced into English society, and led to amazing results.

By 1870, up to 40 percent of British women remained unmarried. All sorts of moral and ethical restrictions led to the fact that finding a suitable groom was an almost impossible task.

It was unacceptable for a lady to show feelings in public - it was believed that this was the lot of women, as they say today, with low social responsibility. Marriage to a person on a different rung of the social ladder was considered an insult to the norms of public morality.

Courtship was turned into some kind of bureaucratic ritual that could last for years.

Those who were lucky enough to become spouses were not let go by public morality. Not only were expressions of affection forbidden, but even communication in public had to be strictly formal, using the words “Mr.” and “Mrs.” Pregnant women were ordered to isolate themselves at home, because the public appearance of a lady with a belly was also considered bad manners.

A widower’s father was not supposed to live with his unmarried daughter—this was also considered a violation of moral standards.

British doctors could treat men with peace of mind, but with women problems again began. How, tell me, could a doctor make a competent diagnosis if he did not have the right to properly examine the patient? There was no question of the lady undressing in his presence.

Medical prejudices were overcome at a price human lives— an endless series of female deaths forced the British to gradually lift the taboo.

The flip side of Victorian morality was the violent flourishing of seedy places - brothels, dens for opium smokers, where the English, stupefied by public morality, as they say, had a blast. Arthur Conan Doyle did not invent Sherlock Holmes' addiction to cocaine, but took it from the life of the twilight period of the Victorian era.

Parade for "Granny Europe"

After the end of the East India Campaign in 1876, Queen Victoria became Empress of India. Another unofficial title was the title “grandmother of Europe.” Her children became related to almost all the ruling royal families of the Old World, and gave birth to grandchildren who, a few decades later, would commit a bloody massacre called the First World War.

In September 1896, Victoria surpassed her grandfather George III as the longest reigning monarch in the history of England, Scotland and Great Britain.

Queen Victoria at 80, by Heinrich von Angeli. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

The following year, 1897, celebrated both this record and the “Diamond Jubilee” of the Queen’s reign (60 years), turning the celebrations into a festival of the British Empire.

In London, the Queen was greeted by the heads of all the dominions; regiments from all corners of the colossal British Empire, which was experiencing its heyday under the “Widow of Windsor,” took part in the parade.

The Queen accepted congratulations while sitting in a carriage, and the British looked at her with adoration. Two or even three generations of citizens of the empire knew no other life than life under the rule of Queen Victoria.

"Bury Me in White"

But she herself understood that along with the 19th century, her time was running out. My health was failing more and more often. She carefully prepared instructions for her funeral, ordering that she be placed in a coffin in a white dress. In this form, she wanted to be reunited with her beloved Albert.

During Albert's lifetime, they developed a tradition of celebrating Christmas in the specially built Osborne House palace on the Isle of Wight. In 1900, despite feeling unwell, she did not change her habit. At the beginning of January 1901, the Queen's condition deteriorated significantly. She lost track of time and did not recognize those around her well. It became clear that her days were numbered. On January 22, 1901, at about half past five in the evening, Queen Victoria died.

On February 2, 1901, the official funeral ceremony took place, and on February 4, her coffin was placed in the Frogmore Mausoleum in Windsor Great Park, next to Albert.

Queen Victoria's reign lasted 63 years, seven months and two days, a record surpassed by her great-great-granddaughter Elizabeth II, who has been on the throne for more than 65 years.

Queen Victoria (born 24 May 1819 - died 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 to 1901. Empress of India from 1 May 1876 (House of Hanover).

Victorian era

Queen Victoria was in power for 64 of her 82 years, and in this she has no equal. It was she, Victoria, who gave her name to the “Victorian era” - the era economic development and the formation of civil society, the era of Puritanism, family values ​​and eternal, timeless truths. During Victoria's reign, Britain experienced an unprecedented economic and political rise. The Victorian era saw the flowering of architecture, fashion, literature, painting and music.

1851 - the first International Industrial Exhibition was held in London, later the Engineering Museum and the Science Museum were created. At this time, photography (the Queen adored photography), music boxes, toys, and postcards were invented and widely spread. At the same time, urban everyday civilization emerged: street lighting, sidewalks, water supply and sewerage, metro. The Empress made her first trip to railway in 1842, after which this type of transport became traditional for the British.

Upbringing. Ascension to the throne

Victoria learned that she had the honor of being the heir to the British throne only at the age of 12. She would never have seen the royal crown if the numerous offspring of George III had been richer in heirs. However, the daughters and sons of the monarch were either childless or did not marry at all, having illegitimate children. Despite the fact that in 1818 three sons of George III urgently got married and tried to have offspring, only one of them was “lucky” - Duke Edward of Kent, who had a daughter, Victoria, the future Queen of England.

The little princess was brought up with great severity: she was never left unattended, and she was forbidden to communicate with her peers. Over time, the supervision of her mother, the German Princess Victoria-Marie-Louise, and her favorite John Conroy (Victoria's elderly father died 8 months after her birth) became increasingly burdensome for the heiress. Having become queen, she alienated this couple from her throne. In addition to her mother, Victoria was raised by the strict governess Louise Letzen, whom the girl listened to in everything and loved very much, despite her stern character. For a long time, the former teacher retained her influence on the throne, until Victoria’s legal husband Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha removed her from the young queen.

Queen Victoria. Childhood. Youth

Prince Albert and Queen Victoria

The first time Prince Albert, who was Victoria's cousin, came to England on a visit was in 1839. For the 19-year-old queen, his appearance at court was like a lightning strike. Victoria, touchingly and girlishly, fell in love with the attractive Albert. The son of Duke Ernest of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was not only handsome, but also had many other advantages: he passionately loved music and painting, was an excellent fencer, and was distinguished by enviable erudition. Moreover, the prince was not a frivolous reveler, a lazy person or a spendthrift. He instantly ousted the 58-year-old Prime Minister, Lord W. Melbourne, her indispensable mentor in the first year of her reign, from the heart of the young queen.

In this youthful, impressive socialite and successful politician, Victoria saw good friend and was a little in love with him. In her diary she wrote: “I am glad that Lord Melbourne is next to me, because he is so honest, kind-hearted, good man, and he is my friend - I know it." However, with the appearance of a young cousin, the Prime Minister ceased to occupy Victoria's thoughts. She did not wait for Prince Albert’s favor and explained herself to him. “I told him,” the queen wrote in her diary, “that I would be happy if he agreed to do as I wanted (marry me); we hugged, and he was so kind, so gentle... Oh! How I adore and love him..."

Wedding

1840, February 10 - in compliance with all the traditions and rules of centuries-old British etiquette, a magnificent wedding ceremony of Victoria and Albert took place. The married couple lived together for 21 years and had 9 children. Throughout all of them life together Victoria adored her husband, rejoicing in family happiness and mutual love: “My husband is an angel and I adore him. His kindness and love for me is so touching. It’s enough for me to see his bright face and look into his beloved eyes - and my heart overflows with love...” Despite the fact that evil tongues predicted failure for this union, claiming that Albert married only out of cold calculation, the royal marriage turned out to be ideal, serving as a model for all nation. Representatives of the bourgeoisie looked with approval at the couple's zeal in serving England.

Prince Albert and Queen Victoria

Board. Foreign and domestic policy

Over the long years of her reign, Queen Victoria managed to completely change the usual public opinion about the monarchy. Her ancestors, who believed that kings and queens were allowed everything, did not care much about the reputation of the British dynasty. The family tradition of the English royal house was terrifying: suffice it to say that Victoria became the 57th granddaughter of George III, but the first legitimate one. Thanks to her, the royal dynasty turned from a den into a stronghold of nepotism, stability and unshakable morality, creating a completely new image of the royal family.

Victoria treated her power like a caring mistress big house, in which not a single detail remained without her attention. She was not distinguished by brilliant intellect or encyclopedic knowledge, but with enviable skill she fulfilled her destiny - from all decisions she chose the only correct one, and from many pieces of advice she chose the most useful one. All this contributed to the prosperity of Great Britain, which, precisely under Victoria, became a powerful empire with its lands in India, Africa, and Latin America.

Successful domestic and foreign policies, victory in the Crimean War, and the economic rise of England formed the cult of the queen among the British. Not being a democrat, she was still able to become a truly “people's monarch.” It is no coincidence that her last prime minister, Lord Salisbury, said that “Victoria, in an incomprehensible way, always knew exactly what the people wanted and thought.” The Queen owes her successful management of the state to a large extent to her husband, who was her irreplaceable adviser and best friend.

Widowhood

Albert, naturally endowed with intelligence and will, helped his wife in every possible way in solving state problems. Although at first his duties were very limited, he gradually gained access to all government papers. With his light hand, market relations developed more and more rapidly in England. Very efficient, Albert worked tirelessly, but his life was very short.

At the beginning of December 1861, the “dear angel,” as his wife Victoria called him, fell ill with typhoid fever and died. At 42, Queen Victoria became a widow. Having a hard time experiencing the death of her loved one, she closed herself within four walls for a long time, refusing to participate in public ceremonies. Her position was greatly shaken, many condemned the poor widow: after all, she is a queen and must fulfill her duty, no matter what the cost.

No matter how inconsolable Victoria’s grief was, after some time she was able to take up government affairs again. True, the queen’s former energy never returned, and many events in the domestic and international life of those years passed her by. Queen Victoria managed to deftly maneuver in difficult political situations, and gradually she returned to “big politics.”

Queen Victoria's Family - 1846

Rise of Reign

The real heyday of her reign occurred in the mid-1870s, when the leader of the Conservative Party, Benjamin Disraeli, came to power. This man, who first became the head of the Conservatives back in 1868, occupied a special place in the fate of Victoria. The 64-year-old prime minister captivated the queen with his respectful remarks about the late Albert. Disraeli saw in Victoria not only an empress, but also a suffering woman. He became the person thanks to whom Victoria was able to recover after the death of her husband and end her seclusion.

Disraeli informed her of everything that was happening in the cabinet, and she, in turn, provided him with “the desired aura of special proximity to the throne.” At the beginning of his second premiership (1874–1880), he was able to achieve British control of the Suez Canal and presented this fortunate acquisition to the Queen as a personal gift. With his direct assistance, a parliamentary bill was also passed to confer the title of Empress of India on Queen Victoria. Disraeli, who could not be proud of his noble origin, received from her the title of earl as a token of gratitude.

Mysterious connection

Besides him, there were other men who sought the special favor of the empress and who played a significant role in her life. The queen's relationship with her servant and confidant, Scotsman John Brown, however, like her entire personal life during the period of widowhood, is shrouded in mystery. It was rumored at court that Brown could enter the queen's bedroom without knocking and remain there for many hours. The possibility was not excluded that Victoria and her servant were connected not only love relationship, but also the bonds of a secret marriage. There were also those who explained what was happening by saying that Brown was a medium and with his help the empress communicated with the spirit of Prince Albert. When John died of erysipelas, Victoria commissioned a statue of a Scotsman in national costume in his memory.

In 1887 and 1897 In England, magnificent celebrations took place on the occasion of the Queen's golden and diamond jubilee - the 50th and 60th anniversary of her reign.

Assassination attempts

Victoria's authority as a constitutional monarch in the country grew steadily, although her real power became less and less. The subjects still revered their queen, and attempts on her life caused even greater outbursts of popular love.

The first of them happened in 1840, then Prince Albert was able to save the empress from a gunshot, the second - in 1872, this time the queen was saved thanks to her servant John Brown. Queen Victoria was subsequently shot four more times, with the last attempt in March 1882 being particularly dangerous. But then, at Windsor railway station, a boy, a student at Eton College, managed to hit a criminal aiming a pistol at the empress with an umbrella.

Last years of life

Queen Victoria was getting old, at the age of 70 she began to go blind from cataracts, and because of her bad legs it was difficult for her to move independently. But the empress still continued to reign in the world that always belonged undividedly to her - in her family. All her children, except her daughter Louise, had heirs. Not without Victoria’s participation, many of her grandchildren became related to representatives of the royal houses of Europe, including Russia (she gave her beloved granddaughter Alice in marriage to the heir to the Russian crown, Nicholas, and she became the last Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna). No wonder Victoria was called the grandmother of European monarchs.

IN recent years Throughout her life, the empress continued to be involved in state affairs, although her strength was already running out. Overcoming her infirmities, she traveled around the country, speaking to the troops who took part in the Boer War. But in 1900, Victoria's health deteriorated; she could no longer read papers without outside help. Added to her physical suffering were mental ones caused by the news of the death of her son Alfred and the incurable illness of her daughter Vikki. “Again and again, blows of fate and unforeseen losses make me cry,” she wrote in her diary.

Death of Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria died after a short illness on January 22, 1901. Her death was not unexpected for the people, but nevertheless, it seemed to millions of subjects as if the death of the queen at the turn of the century entailed a world catastrophe. This is not surprising, because for many Englishmen Victoria was the “eternal” queen - they did not know anyone else in their long life. “It seemed as if the column that held up the firmament had collapsed,” wrote the British poet R. Bridge about those days. According to the will, Victoria was buried according to military rites. At the bottom of her coffin lay an alabaster cast of Prince Albert's hand and his quilted robe, next to them was a photograph of John Brown's servant and a lock of his hair. Queen Victoria carried away the secrets of her personal life into oblivion...

In the memory of her people, this empress forever remained a monarch, whose reign became one of the brightest pages in the history of England. Queen Victoria rightfully belongs to those few rulers who were not only loved and appreciated by her contemporaries, but also whom historians have never denied respect.

Actor Stephen Fry jokes about Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria managed to restore the reputation of the monarchy, which had been considerably tarnished during the reign of her extravagant uncles. Moreover, Victoria forged a completely new model of relations between society and the Royal Family by introducing civil functions for the latter.

Despite his miniature stature 157 sentiments, about which Stephen Fry joked that Victoria “was wider than long” (her impressive breasts reached 168 centimeters in circumference), this woman became a symbol of the soaring greatness of the British Empire. Together with her husband, Prince Albert, and their nine children, Queen Victoria became the personification of a new, happy era in British history.

Waiting for the throne

Portrait of Princess Victoria and her mother

Alexandrina Victoria received a title at birth Duchess of Kent. Her father was the fourth son of King George III, and little Victoria became fifth in line to the throne, ahead of her father and three elderly uncles.

Victoria's father died when the baby was only 8 months old, and, given the advanced age of the other contenders, baby Victoria had every chance to eventually take the throne.

The princess was brought up in Kensington Palace. Her education was carried out by a governess, Baroness Lehzen, who taught the future Queen languages, arithmetic, drawing and music.

Victoria's widowed mother was lonely and completely dependent on John Conroy- servants of her deceased husband, who strove for power by any means.

Controlled childhood

Portrait engraving of Victoria in 1834

Very soon, young Victoria became first in line to the throne after her only surviving uncle, King William IV.

However, despite this, everything early years the princesses were subject to the strictest rules, called " Kensington system». This system, in particular, implied that the young heir to the throne would share a room with her mother and would not be able to be alone. Invented the system John Conroy, who thus hoped to manipulate Victoria in order to gain more power and influence over her.

When Victoria was 13 years old, she went on a tour of the midlands with Conroy and her mother, the purpose of which was to introduce the future Queen to the public. The princess found this trip extremely tiring, and her character became more and more stubborn and willful. At that time she began to lead diary. Her first entry in it was the following: “Men, women, children, country, houses - everything around is black... And now I see one building blazing with fire.”.

Victoria becomes Queen

Victoria came to the throne only a few weeks after her 18th birthday. Her first order was to leave her alone for an hour - something she had been denied for many years.

Victoria moved to Buckingham Palace, making it his official royal residence in London. The first manifestation of her strong will was the removal of her mother, who was immediately sent to the distant chambers of the palace. Her next step was to expel John Conroy, the courtier who poisoned her childhood, from the state apartments. Her first Prime Minister became the Queen's close associate, Lord Melbourne, who treated young Victoria with paternal affection. Soon after Parliament awarded her an annual annuity of £385,000, Queen Victoria became richest woman in the world.

Victoria was crowned Westminster Abbey, near which a crowd of 400 thousand people gathered, eager to catch the eye of the newly proclaimed Queen.

Victoria wore a robe of white satin and red velvet. The ceremony lasted a full 5 hours and was not flawless: this was explained by the fact that the abbot of the abbey, who had been present at previous coronations, was absent due to illness. As a result, Victoria was mistakenly given the orb at the wrong moment, and the Archbishop of Canterbury put the ring on the wrong finger, after which it took an hour to remove it. After the ceremony, Victoria returned to Buckingham Palace for a family celebration and watched the fireworks from her mother's balcony.

Beginning of reign

At the beginning of her reign, Queen Victoria made a number of rash acts, allowing her emotions to prevail over reason. For example, young Victoria believed false reports about the pregnancy of her maid of honor Lady Flora Hastings, for which she was booed by the public. On another occasion, Victoria found itself in the midst of a political crisis when the Whig government fell and Lord Melbourne resigned. Tory politician Robert Peel agreed to become prime minister on the condition that Victoria replace some of her Whig ladies-in-waiting with Tories. The Queen refused and reappointed Lord Melbourne to this post. This decision by the Queen was subsequently heavily criticized as unconstitutional.

Prince Albert and Victoria

Victoria fell in love with her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, when he visited Great Britain in 1839. In her diary on October 15, 1839, she wrote: “He was so kind and so affectionate; ABOUT! The feeling that I was loved, loved by an angel like Albert, is too great a joy to describe in words!”

As head of state, the Queen herself proposed to her lover, and in next year the couple got married. On her wedding day Victoria wore white wedding dress , and a multi-level wedding cake was prepared for the guests of the ceremony. This started a new tradition among brides who previously wore their best prom dress to the wedding. It cannot be said that an idyll reigned in this marriage - very often, when communicating with her husband, Victoria lost her composure. Albert took on the role of his wife’s “moral mentor,” which, on the one hand, irritated her very much, but, on the other, allowed her to often resort to his support.

Attempts on Victoria

Queen Victoria, who often traveled in an open carriage, suffered a total of 8 assassination attempts.

During the first attempt, a teenager named Edward Oxford shot her as she left Buckingham Palace with Albert. The shooter was detained by witnesses to this scene. And although the Queen was in shock and horror, she found the strength to smile at the audience during the return trip through Hyde Park.

Here is what Victoria wrote in her diary about this, June 10, 1840: “I saw him aiming at me with another pistol. I lowered my head and another shot immediately followed, just as loud as the previous one.”.

Oxford was declared insane and sent to Bedlam, a hospital for the mentally ill in London, the name of which became a household name. In 1867 he was released from the hospital and deported to Australia. All those who attacked the Queen acted alone and were subsequently recognized as mentally ill.

Royal family

Victoria became pregnant for the first time shortly after the wedding and gave birth to a daughter, named Victoria, 9 months later.

The Queen hated the process of childbirth and suffered from postpartum depression. However, this did not stop her from giving birth to nine children over the 16 years of her marriage to Albert. An astute diplomat, she helped her children marry into the royal families of Europe. Unfortunately, Victoria was a carrier hemophilia gene, which was passed on to her 10 male descendants, including son of Russian Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarevich Alexei.

Love for Scotland

On their first visit to Scotland, the Victoria and Albert couple fell in love with this country with all their hearts. Scotland seemed to them a romantic and untouched land, and the North Scottish Highlands reminded Albert of his native Germany.

As a result, the royal couple acquired in Scotland Balmoral estate, and from 1853 to 1856 Albert personally supervised the construction of a new castle there in the neo-Gothic style. To this day, this castle remains a private residence for members of the royal family. Victoria's frequent visits to Scotland helped strengthen the monarchy in that country.

New royal traditions

Queen Victoria started many royal traditions. In 1852, she attended the Opening of Parliament for the first time in a luxurious Irish parade carriage. The ceremony was held in the new building of the Palace of Westminster (the previous one was destroyed in a fire in 1834). The Queen led the procession and made a speech in Parliament. The protocols and traditions laid down then have since been carefully observed by all subsequent British monarchs.

Together with Albert, Victoria rebuilt the system of constitutional monarchy in order to prevent the growing republican movement.

She became the patron of 150 different institutions, including dozens of charities, and Prince Albert strongly supported the development of educational museums. The royal couple made public visits to industrial cities such as Leeds and attended military training camps to support the military. Together, Victoria and Albert were able to stop rumors that the royal family was not living up to their wages.

Victoria Cross

Reward "Victoria Cross" was introduced by the Queen to encourage acts of military heroism during the Crimean War. This award was awarded for special merits in battle, regardless of rank and type of troops.

The Crimean War was fought by an alliance of several countries, including Great Britain, against Russia. The queen was then suspected of secretly supporting the Russian Tsar. But Victoria managed to dispel these suspicions by showing increased attention to the care of wounded soldiers. She also personally awarded the first Victoria Crosses to 62 military personnel at a grand awards ceremony in Hyde Park in 1857. This marked the first time in history that officers received awards together with ordinary military personnel.

Royal photographs

During Victoria's reign, a set of 14 portrait photographs of the royal couple was published.

Total sold over 60 thousand copies this set, despite the rather high price for those times of four pounds and four shillings each. This led to the emergence of a photography culture famous people. Women imitated Queen Victoria's dressing style, and men copied Prince Albert's hairstyle and mustache.

Death of Albert

Prince Albert died at the age of 42. Victoria was inconsolable with grief and mourned for the rest of her life.

After Albert's death, Victoria withdrew from public life, but continued to correspond and receive ministers and official visitors. She ordered the construction of monuments in honor of Prince Albert throughout the country and throughout the British Empire, including the famous Prince Albert Memorial in London. She became very close to John Brown, her servant at Balmoral Castle, which caused rejection from her children. Victoria was mockingly called "Mrs. Brown" in the press, but despite all the speculation, the Queen flatly refused to break off this friendship.

Victoria returns to public life

When her son Edward fell ill with typhus, the Queen became desperate.

This happened a year after the founding of the Third French Republic, which provoked a wave of anti-monarchical sentiment in Great Britain. As Edward recovered, the Queen carefully planned events to increase support for the royal family. She ordered a public thanksgiving service and for the first time in for a long time appeared before the public on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. This event marked the Queen's gradual return to public life.

The Queen Who Became Empress

Caricature: Prime Minister Disraeli presenting the Imperial Crown to Victoria

Victoria became Empress of India, in order to strengthen the bonds between the monarchy and the empire.

She accepted this title on the advice of her seventh Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, whose political advice she completely trusted. Victoria approved of his imperial ambitions, which made Britain the most powerful country in the world. As a result, Victoria's popularity in Britain skyrocketed, and by the end of her reign she had become a true symbol of the empire.

New lover from India

In commemoration "Golden Jubilee"(50th anniversary of the reign) of Queen Victoria, she received Indian servants at her disposal. One of them Abdul Karim, became her favorite and personal teacher (“munshi”).

Karim taught Victoria the Urdu language and told her about the peculiarities of life in India, and also introduced her to an Indian dish for the first time. curry" (the most popular dish in Britain these days). He was only 24 years old, but thanks to the efforts of this young man Victoria was fascinated by India, a country she ruled but never visited. Despite the disapproval of politicians and members of the royal family, Victoria rewarded Karim with various honors and lands in India, and even took him with her on trips to the French Riviera.

Victoria's Golden Jubilee on the throne strengthened her image as a ruler. In honor of this event, her face appeared on a variety of products, from mugs to mustard jars.

Although the jubilee celebrations centered around the Queen's personality, at the same time they demonstrated Britain's greatness as a world power. Her Majesty's troops proceeded in a solemn march through London. In honor of the anniversary, Victoria threw a real feast, which was attended by 50 foreign kings and princes, along with the heads of overseas British colonies and dominions.

Diamond Jubilee

Victoria's Golden Jubilee was followed by Diamond(60 years on the throne). Celebrations were organized in his honor throughout the country.

The elderly Queen attended a number of events, although her health was by then in poor health.

Victoria decided to resort to new technologies and sent telegrams of gratitude to the subjects of her Empire. She also attended the ceremonial procession to St. Paul's Cathedral. Street celebrations were held across Britain to mark the Jubilee, and Sydney Harbor in Australia was decorated with illuminations. In India, 19 thousand prisoners were pardoned by the Queen.

End of the Victorian era

Victoria died after several weeks of serious illness. Her son and heir, Edward VII, and grandson, Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, were at her deathbed.

Although the Queen ruled a vast Empire that covered a quarter of the globe and numbered 400 million subjects, she never forgot the people who supported her. Before her death, Victoria asked that her late husband Albert's robe and a plaster cast of his hand be placed in her coffin. In addition, she ordered that a lock of John Brown's hair and a photograph of him be placed in her hand. She also ordered that Abdul Karim be among the chief mourners at her funeral.

Until the very last days Victoria remained an indomitable monarch, consistently implementing her will.

Based on materials from bbc.co.uk. All images taken from bbc.co.uk