Queen Victoria - Pedigree, Children & Sister (2023)

Who Was Queen Victoria?

Queen Victoria was monarch of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 until her death in 1901. In 1877 she became Empress of IndiaQueen Elizabeth the second, Victoria is the second longest reigning British monarch.

Victoria's reign saw great cultural expansion; advances in industry, science and communications; and the building of railways and the London Underground.

Early life

Born Alexandrina Victoria on May 24, 1819, Queen Victoria's father died when she was 8 months old. Her mother became a dominant influence in her life. As a child, she was known to be warm-hearted and lively.

Raised in the royal palace by a governess, she had a talent for drawing and painting and developed a passion for journaling.

Despite a feisty temper, Victoria was notoriously tiny, measuring just 4ft 11in. Later in life, her weight skyrocketed, with her waist reportedly measuring 50 inches.

parents and half sister

Queen Victoria was the only child of Edward, Duke of Kent, who wasKing George III's fourth son. Her mother was Victoria Saxe-Saalfield-Coburg, sister of Leopold, King of the Belgians.

Queen Victoria also had a half-sister, Princess Feodora, 12 years her senior, from her mother's first marriage to Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen. When Princess Feodora was 6 years old, her father died. Her mother remarried Queen Victoria's father, the Duke of Kent, and promptly moved to England for the birth of the future Queen of Germany.

accession

At birth, Victoria was fifth in line to the throne. However, on her father's death in 1820, Victoria became the heir apparent, as her three surviving uncles - who preceded hersuccessor— had no legitimate heirs who survived childhood. When King William IV died in June 1837, Victoria became Queen at the age of 18.

Lord Melbourne, Queen Victoria's first Prime Minister

Lord Melbourne was Victoria's first Prime Minister, holding office in 1834 and again from 1835 to 1841. When she first took over the crown in 1837 at the young age of 18, Melbourne helped teach Victoria the intricacies of a constitutional monarch. During the early years of her reign, he acted as the Queen's political adviser and confidante.

In 1840, when Britain was at war with Afghanistan and China and faced a labor movement, Melbourne helped the Queen work with an uncooperative Conservative government and suggested that her husband Albert take over the reins of government.

Govern

Victoria acceded to the throne on June 20, 1837, aged 18, and served until her death on January 22, 1901, aged 81. Under Victoria's rule, Britain experienced unprecedented industrial expansion, building railways, bridges and underground sewers and electricity distribution networks across much of the Empire. Seven attempts were made on Victoria's life between 1840 and 1882.

There have been advances in science (Charles Darwintheory of evolution) and technology (telegraph and tabloids) with a large number of inventions; enormous wealth and poverty; growth of large cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham; increased literacy; and great civic works, often financed by industrial philanthropists.

During Victoria's reign, Britain expanded its imperial reach, doubling its size and encompassing Canada, Australia, India and various possessions in Africa and the South Pacific. The Queen was a symbol of the time: an enthusiastic supporter of the British Empire, which spanned the globe and earned the saying: "The sun never sets on the British Empire."

At various points in her reign, Victoria exercised some influence over foreign policy, expressing preference but not pushing beyond the limits of constitutional appropriateness. During this time, the British Empire saw few minor wars and exercised its authority over foreign possessions.

One of the most important factors that helped Britain avoid European entanglements was the intermarriage of Victoria's children: either directly or by marriage, she was related to the royal houses of almost every major European power. Although the English constitutional order denied her her powers in foreign affairs, she ruled her family with an iron fist that helped keep Britain aloof from the intrigues of European politics.

During the reign of Victoria the political climate changedBritish Parliamentwent through a major upheaval. The Tory party split, forming the Liberal and Conservative parties and beginning a series of opposing governments. Victoria played a crucial role as an intermediary between incoming and departing Prime Ministers.

Though she loathed the Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone, she found ways to work with him, even during her mourning. She was particularly fond of Conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, who combined monarchy with imperial expansion, helping to restore public opinion after Victoria's long seclusion following the death of her beloved husband Albert.

Victoria continued her duties until her death. She traditionally spent Christmas 1900 at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, where her health quickly deteriorated to the point where she was unable to return to London.

The Victorian Age

Life in Britain during the 19th century was known as Victorian England because of Victoria's long reign and the indelible stamp she and her persona left on the country. Her strict ethics and personality have become synonymous with this era.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

In 1840 Victoria married her cousin,Prinz Albertvon Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the son of her mother's brother. The couple met when Victoria was just 16; her uncle Leopold proposed marriage to her.

Since Victoria was Queen, Albert could not propose to her. So on October 15, 1839, she proposed to him.

At first, the British public did not warm to the German prince, and he was barred from all official political posts. Their marriage was tumultuous at times, a conflict of wills between two extremely strong personalities.

However, the couple was intensely linked. Prince Albert became Victoria's strongest ally, helping her navigate difficult political waters.

After suffering from stomach ailments for several years, Victoria's beloved Albert died of typhus in 1861 at the age of 42. Devastated, Victoria slept with a plaster cast of his hand by her side and went into 25-year seclusion. She wore black for the remainder of her reign.

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Queen Victoria's children

Victoria and Albert had nine children together:

• Princess Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise (1840-1901), who married the future German Emperor Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia in 1858. At his death three months after the accession to the throne became their eldest sonKaiserWilhelmII of Germany.
• Prince Albert Edward Wettin (1841-1910), who succeeded his mother to the crownKing Edward VIIin 1901.
• Princess Alice Maude Mary (1843–1878), whose daughter married AlixNicholas II, the last Russian tsar.
• Prince Alfred Ernest Albert (1844-1900), who married the daughter ofCzar Alexander IIfrom Russia. His eldest daughter Marie married the Crown Prince of Romania.
• Prinzessin Helena Augusta Victoria (1846-1923)
• Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848-1939) caused quite a scandal when she married a commoner, John Douglas Sutherland Campbell (later Duke of Argyll).
• Prince Arthur William Patrick (1850-1942), who married Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia.
• Prinz Leopold George Duncan (1853-1884)
• Prinzessin Beatrice Mary Victoria (1857-1944)

Relationship with John Brown

John Brown was Victoria's Scottish servant and one of her closest friends, with some speculation that the two may have been lovers. Seven years her junior and many ranks below her, the Queen said Brown was her dearest friend — an unthinkable relationship at the time. He became known in the royal household as "the Queen's Stallion" and vowed his lifelong loyalty to her.

There were rumors that Brown and Victoria were lovers, especially after Albert's death. Historians have since combed through her diaries - edited by her daughter Beatrice - and have never found any evidence of an affair. But one thing is clear: she loved him. When Brown died suddenly in March 1883, Victoria told his sister-in-law that he was "the best, the truest heart that ever beat".

Relationship with Abdul Karim

After Brown's death in 1883, Victoria's servant, Abdul Karim, rose into the Queen's inner circle and became her closest confidant. Karim was the son of a hospital attendant in North India and was brought to England in 1887 to serve at the Queen's Golden Jubilee. He quickly impressed the queen with his cooking skills and she asked him to teach her Urdu. Victoria showered Karim with gifts including a private carriage, titles and honors. She also commissioned several portraits.

In letters to Karim, the Queen referred to herself as "your loving mother" and "your closest friend". However, historians do not believe that the two had a physical relationship.

Abdul's great-grandson Javed Mahmood narratedThe Telegraphin 2010 that they shared "a mother-son relationship." She became an indophile in part because of her affection for him. But her family's prejudices have had an impact on Victoria's staff."

The close relationship between Victoria and Karim was a scandal for the royal family. After the Queen's death in 1901, they had all of the couple's letters burned, and Victoria's daughter Beatrice removed all references to Karim from the Queen's diaries. Although the family complied with the Queen's wish for Karim to be among a small group of mourners at her funeral, they later evicted Karim from the house Victoria had given him and sent him back to India.

Karim's relationship with Victoria was uncovered decades later by journalist Shrabani Basu, who visited the Queen's summer home in 2003 and noticed several paintings and a bust of Karim. Basu researched their relationship and wrote a book,Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant.

death and successor

Victoria died after a long illness on January 22, 1901 at the age of 81. Her son, later King Edward VII, and her eldest grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, were both at her bedside.

Prince Albert Edward Wettin, Victoria's eldest son, succeeded her to the British throne as King Edward VII after her death in 1901.