Victoria, queen of Great Britain and Ireland
(r. 1837-1901), the longest-reigning monarch in English
history, established the monarchy as a respected and popular
institution while it was irrevocably losing its place as an
integral part of the British governing system.
Born in Kensington Palace, London, on May 24, 1819, Victoria was the only child of Edward, duke of Kent and son of George III, and Princess Victoria, daughter of the duke of Saxe-Coburg. Emerging from a lonely, secluded childhood to take the throne on the death of her uncle, William IV, Victoria displayed a personality marked by strong prejudices and a willful stubbornness.
Victoria and her court were greatly transformed by her marriage to her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, in 1840. Although her name now designates a supposedly prudish age, it was Albert who made a point of straitlaced behavior, and introduced a strict decorum in court. He also gave a more conservative tinge to Victoria's politics. The couple had nine children. Victoria populated most of the thrones of Europe with her descendants. Among her grandchildren were Emperor William II of Germany and Alexandra, consort of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.
Always prone to self-pity, Victoria fully indulged her grief at Albert's death in 1861. She remained in mourning until her own death, making few public appearances and spending most of each year on the Isle of Wight and in the Scottish Highlands, where her closest companion was a dour Scottish servant, John Brown. Her popularity declined as a result, and republican sentiment appeared during the late 1860s.
Victoria, however, regained the people's admiration when she resumed her determined efforts to steer public affairs. She won particular esteem for defending the popular imperialist policies of the Conservative ministries of Benjamin Disraeli, who flattered her relentlessly and made her empress of India in 1876. Conversely, she flayed William E. Gladstone, the Liberal prime minister, whom she intensely disliked, for ostensibly weakening the empire. Although Victoria also attacked Gladstone for encouraging democratic trends, the celebrations of her golden and diamond jubilees in 1887 and 1897 demonstrated her great popularity.
Victoria died on Jan. 22, 1901.
