Queen Victoria

On November 6, 1817 Princess Charlotte, the only heir to the crown of England died. She was the only child of the Prince Regent and was not a happy women. She was married off to prince of Orange at the age or 17, but broke off the marriage after falling in love with Prince Augustus of Prussia. He was already married but she was unaware and she continued seeing him. After a long time of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Cobury admiring her, Princess Charlotte gave him a chance and finally they were married in 1816. Later she got pregnant and for nine months of doctors told her that she was not in good health to have the baby on November 5, 1817 at nine o'clock in the evening after a 50 hour labor, Princess Charlotte delivered a dead baby boy. That night she was obviously dying. The Prince was in her room for hours and left for but a moment when a doctor came out and told him his wife was dead.

After many controversies between the royal family about who was to become the heir to the crown there was a female infant born in Kensington Palace in London on May 24, 1819.

Born Alexandrina Victoria to Victoria Mary Louisa, daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Cobury-Saalfeld, and Edward Augustus, duke of Kent and Strathern, the fourth son of George III and youngest brother of George IV and William IV, both kings of Great Britain.

In January of 1920 the Duke a Kent remembered a prophecy that a fortune teller told him. The fortune teller said two members of the royal family would die. The Duke of Kent never would have thought one of the two members would be him and the other would be his father George III. The Duke of Kent caught a cold and inflammation of lungs occurred and he died on January 22 and then six days later his father's long, unhappy life was ended. Victoria called Drina by her family was raised in Kensington Palace and was very spoiled she was idolized by her mother's ladies and despite her mother's strictness about her being spoiled, she had everything she cloud have wanted. At the age of five, Fraulein Lehzen came who was the previous governess of Princess Feodoram she helped Drina learn her letters and she acted like an angel unlike before the arrival of Fraulein Lehzen when she was naughty and violent.

In 1830 Victoria was told that she was to become heir to the British crown upon the accession of William IV. This was to occur because William IV had no legitimate children therefore his niece was to become queen. In 1833 a few days before Victoria's eighteenth birthday and the date of her legal majority the king fell very ill. He recovered and the Princess had her birthday festivities which was a stale ball and a drawing room suddenly. Shortly later the King collapsed due to extreme weakness and everyone knew his death was close at hand. On, June 18, the King fell very ill and two days later early in the morning on June 20, 1837 the King saw his final sunset and Princess Victoria had become Queen Victoria.

The Queen was very unknown to her subjects. At her public addresses her mother usually spoke. Once the public started to know her they realized that she was the contrast of her selfish and ridiculous uncles. Within a month of her rule she moved the royal household from Kensington to Buckingham Palace. She moved her mother into an entirely different section of the palace than hers. Then she had a bedroom for Baroness Lehzen placed right next to hers. Lord Melbourne was Prime Minister of England for three years. He taught Queen Victoria much about the government because she was led a sheltered life and knew nothing about the government and its working. He taught her about the government, told her how to relate to the people, and advised her on Acts and Bills to be passed. She gained a clear grasp of constitutional principles and the scope of her own prerogative. After six months of her depending completely on him their was an election for the nest Prime Minister. Sir Robert Peel had beaten Lord Melbourne and he would have to leave the Queen. She was very emotionally upset but had to now depend on Peel. She disliked him and wrote Melbourne numerous times for advice. Later Peel was "fired" by the Queen and Lord Melbourne was again her Prime Minister.

Victoria's Uncle Leopold had determined that she would marry her cousin Albert. She told the public that she liked him very much and that he would make the happy but in her diaries she said that she didn't like him and didn't want to marry him. In fact she told Lord Melbourne that she had no desire to get married at all. After one meeting with him her opinion changed and she really liked Albert now. She then met with him again and they agreed to get married. In 1840 Victoria married Albert, who was prince of Saxe-Cobury- Gotha. He grew up a clever boy who was sometimes violent. He was always told he was going to be married to Victoria and he anticipated it. He was tutored and later attended a university. Although their marriage was a marriage of the state it was very successful and romantic. Victoria was devoted to her domestic responsibilities.

Victoria and Albert had nine children, four sons and five daughters. The first was Victoria Adelaide Mary Lousie, who later was Empress of Germany. Their first son was born in 1841 and his name was Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and later King of Great Britain known as Edward VII. After having children Victoria became very dependent on Albert. She turned most of her power over to Albert although she officially still ruled. Albert convinced her that the Liberal party jeopardized the future of the crown, the queen lost her enthusiasm for the party. After 1841, when Lord Melbourne's government fell, Sir Robert Peel became Prime Minister and Victoria became a supporter of the Conservative Party. Due to Albert she also began to question the tradition that restricted the British sovereign to an advisory rule.

In 1850 Victoria challenged the authority of Henry John Temple. Her position was that the sovereign should at least be consulted on foreign policy. Palmerson ignored her request and they struggle climaxed in 1851 when the prime minister who was displeased with Palmerson dismissed him from office. Their struggle with Palmerson who was very popular caused Victoria and Albert to lose popularity. Their popularity decrease even more in 1854 when they tried to avert the Crimean War. After the was begun they supported it greatly in 1856, she even instituted the Victorian Cross, The highest British award for wartime valor.

Albert had become a man of unbending determination who took no interest in politics. He still basically ran the country with the consultation of Victoria. She saw how much her husband did and how much time he put into his work.

Victoria was told that her husband was sick but she didn't want to face the fact that her husband was dying. On the morning of December 14, 1861 Albert seemed better but in the course of the day there was a serious relapse. The whole family was called one by one to say farewell to their father and husband. He whispered something to Victoria but she was unable to understand him. She left for a moment to go into the other room and was called back immediately. She knelt by his bed and he breathed deeply then gently then no more. She screamed throughout the castle and finally had realized that he was gone forever.

After Albert's death Victoria went into a long seclusion neglecting many duties which brought her unpopularity and motivated a Republican movement. The Queen herself felt that her life had ceased with Albert's. Conservative Party leader Benjamin Disraeli who held office in 1868 and from 1874 to 1880, gained her confidence. He ingratiated himself with the queen by his personal approach and his gift for flattery. He also gave her a say in the awarding of church, military, and some political appointments.

She greatly disliked Gladstone who was a follower of Peel and a Prime Minister. Disraeli and Gladstone had different approaches at every situation. She fully endorsed Disraeli and his policy of strengthening and extending the British Empire and 1876 he gave her the title of Empress of India. Because of this title her popularity with her subjects raised greatly.