The nineteenth century is remembered by mankind for the rapid growth of trade and industry, the development of new lands, numerous wars of independence and attempts to redraw the political maps of the world. Against the backdrop of a bustling Europe, the British Empire stood out for its stable politics, a stable national currency and enormous achievements in science, industry and economics. A significant role in achieving prosperity British Empire played by Queen Victoria - a woman whose name is written in golden letters in the annals of world history.
Background
The Hanoverian royal dynasty has ruled Great Britain since 1714. Representatives of the royal power differed misbehavior, unbalanced character and violent disposition. Apart from this, none of the members of the large royal family had legitimate heirs. And therefore, the news that on May 24, 1819, the Duke of Kent’s daughter Victoria was born was greeted with particular joy. Russian Emperor Alexander 1 was invited to baptize her, so the baby’s middle name was Alexandrina. When the little princess was eight months old, her father died, leaving behind nothing but numerous debts.
Childhood and youth
Victoria was brought up in the greatest severity. Particular attention was paid to the study of etiquette. The portrait of Queen Victoria at that time conveys all the advantages and virtues of a modest, well-mannered girl from a noble family. She was brought up with the idea that a real lady should not allow herself to disrupt her daily routine, talk to strangers, raise your voice, show your emotions in public. Lord Melbourne was involved in the education of the young princess. Under his leadership, the future Queen Victoria studied history, the foundations of state and law, legislation, foreign languages. Fundamental knowledge good for her, as she later admitted, not a single problem related to government was completely unfamiliar to her. The princess's cheerful disposition was restrained by her strict and scrupulous mother. The inability to visit places where she would like to go, to meet people who would be close to her, made Victoria despondent. But one summer day everything changed.
Young Queen
In the early morning of June 20, 1837, eighteen-year-old Victoria was awakened by her mother. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the first chamberlain of England wanted to see the princess. As soon as Victoria entered the hall, the chamberlain knelt before her. So the princess learned that the king had died and that she had the honor of becoming the queen of one of the most powerful countries in the world - the British Empire.
Freed from her mother's control, young Victoria, Queen of England, plunged into a series of pleasures and entertainment. She had balls and receptions scheduled several weeks in advance.
Matchmaking
Even before the coronation, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha seemed to be the most acceptable groom for Victoria. The princess met with him several times and was, in principle, not against the wedding. But after Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, assumed full power, she preferred not to hear her family’s urgent requests for marriage. Relatives sounded the alarm. Prince Albert was urgently summoned to England to stay. Seeing Albert after a long separation, Queen Victoria was struck to the heart. However, Victoria had many competitors - noble English ladies were also not averse to meeting the educated, influential and eminent prince. The Queen decided to consult her friend and mentor, the Lord Chamberlain. The decision was made to act immediately. Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, invited Albert to an audience. The Duke of Saxe-Coburg was aware that before him was not only a beautiful young girl, but also a queen huge state. Victoria herself proposed marriage to him - a step almost impossible for a girl of her position and upbringing... But she is not just a girl, she is a queen...
The offer was accepted immediately. Victoria was aware that by leading her down the aisle, Albert would lose many, many rights. He will never be king of Great Britain, will not have the right to guardianship of his own children and will lose many of his privileges. But Albert was conquered... This girl with an iron will and a Puritan upbringing, modest, but at the same time brave and decisive, achieved her goal. Much later, in our time, a film was released about this period of her life. Queen Victoria is presented in it as a young girl who, despite enormous difficulties, knows how to achieve her goal.
Wedding
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert married on 10 February 1840. The husband was methodical and punctual, and had an encyclopedic education. Having fallen under his influence, the queen gradually becomes an exemplary monarch, whose life is focused on governing the state. Victoria and Albert's relationship was ideal. No ill-wishers could unearth betrayals, scandals, or rumors discrediting the behavior of these spouses. In letters to her uncle Leopold, the Belgian king, Victoria, the queen of a huge state, said that she was the most happy woman in the world.
Family life
From the very first days married life Albert tried to be useful to his queen. According to the law, he had no right to interfere in the political life of the country and change its laws. Therefore, Albert tried to apply his ideas and knowledge in those areas in which he had influence. First of all, this concerned charity. Albert oversaw major hospitals and charities in all corners of Great Britain, and was interested in new advances in science and medicine. Under his direct leadership, preparations were made for the opening of the London World Exhibition. For his queen, he turned out to be a valuable assistant and secretary. Rising at dawn, Albert was busy sorting important papers, drafting answers for the cabinet of ministers, and corresponded with the royal houses of all continental Europe. Seeing how her husband worked, Queen Victoria noted that she would gladly give up running the state, shifting this heavy burden onto the shoulders of her beloved husband. But... duty was above all.
Transformations
At the heart of England's well-being was the middle class of businessmen, capitalists and landowners, whose well-being rested unshakably on two pillars - family and business. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert managed to create ideal personal and public relationships and became an example for many, many British families. Queen Victoria gave her husband 9 children, listened to his advice and thanked him for his help. Their relationship became the basis for preserving family values; it was during their time that the expressions “Victorian morality” and “Victorian family” appeared and became stronger in consciousness.
The joint efforts of the spouses bore fruit. England has become industrial country with a developed economy and trade. Their joint rule brought transformation to the cities, with running water, sewerage and street lighting. People began to think about sanitation and hygiene. Inventions such as photography, the music box, the mechanical piano, toys and postcards appeared and became widespread. It was Queen Victoria and Albert who first introduced the fashion for Christmas pageants, and with them the phrase “ english christmas"was filled with new meaning.
The spouses did not forget about government affairs. Development merchant fleet went by leaps and bounds. Attention was paid the latest developments in the field of weapons. Britain's participation in the Crimean War strengthened the country's authority among its allies. The children of the royal couple became related to all the royal houses of Europe. For this Victoria, English queen, was awarded the honorary nickname “Grandmother of Europe”.
Loss of a spouse
The husband was the queen's most faithful and devoted assistant throughout all twenty years of their life together. Albert's sudden illness and then death in 1861 shocked the Queen. Inconsolable grief almost broke the queen; she refused to speak at public ceremonies and postponed her participation in the public life of the country. Her goal was to perpetuate the memory of Albert. The idea of building a memorial complex, named after the Prince by the Albert Hall, a monument was built in his honor on the busy streets of London. After the loss of her husband, Victoria lived for another forty years, and all these years she mourned her late husband and grieved that without his advice it was much more difficult for her to manage the empire.
Last years of reign
But her duty to her late husband and her country told her to plunge into work. After all, her Albert did not give up under any circumstances. In her work, Victoria began to be guided by the principles and ideas of her deceased husband. It is not surprising that under such rule Great Britain only strengthened its position in the world. international arena. The new adviser Benjamin Disraeli was closely involved in strengthening the prestige of the royal house and even gave Victoria a new title - Empress of India.
Death of the Queen
Queen Victoria ruled the country for 64 years. Until the end of her days, she maintained good health and amazing performance. Her death at the age of 82 shocked the entire nation. For the people, Victoria has long become an idol of the British nation, a symbol of British reliability, prosperity and respectability. Her role in the life of the country was enormous, the history of her personal relationships deserved description. Poems were composed in her honor, lands, rivers, cities and waterfalls were named. Her biography occupies entire shelves in libraries, oh early years A movie was made of her life.
Queen Victoria will forever remain a symbol of the ideal statesman, loving wife and caring mother. The success and prosperity of a huge state is associated with her name. Along with it, an entire era, which was rightfully called “Victorian,” went into oblivion.
She was born in 1819. At the age of eighteen, in 1837, she became queen. The years of her reign (1837-1901) were called the Victorian era - a time of stability, decency and prosperity. This was an unprecedentedly long reign in British history. Queen Victoria of England was the mistress of a huge country. England itself in the 19th century turned into the forge of the world: unprecedented strength was gaining industrial production, trade flourished and cities grew.
At birth she was given the beautiful name Alexandrina-Victoria. The first name is in honor of her godfather, the Russian emperor. The childhood of the pretender to the throne was more monastic than royal. The basis of her upbringing was all kinds of restrictions and strict instructions from the governess and mother (her father, the Duke of Kent, died 8 months after the birth of her daughter). Victoria learned about her brilliant prospects, that she was the future Queen of England, at the age of 12. “I will be good!” the princess then exclaimed, and throughout the long period of her reign she did not break her promise.
“Iron” upbringing influenced the development of such important character traits for the ruler as firmness in decision-making, the ability to choose the most useful from a variety of advice, and the most faithful from the personalities around her. The Queen of England was a powerful person, demonstrating independence, strength of character, strength of spirit, and at the same time always remained a woman. And then, when she fell madly in love with him, she became his wife, and later the mother of nine children. And then, when after 20 years happy life with my beloved husband for many years wore mourning and mourned his death.
It was from the reign of Victoria royalty stopped interfering in the political life of Great Britain. The monarchy lost the features of a political institution, becoming a symbol, an institution more moral than political. Victoria is the first Queen of England, whose role in governing the country was purely symbolic. Under her, the state of the monarchy was formed, which was wonderfully characterized by George Orwell: “... Gentlemen in bowler hats have real power, and another person sits in a gilded carriage, symbolizing greatness...”
For extensive family ties and the influence that Victoria, Queen of England had on European politics, she was affectionately nicknamed "the grandmother of Europe." No monarch in England was as popular as Victoria. Her reign strengthened the moral authority of the crown. Queen Victoria has far more monuments than any other British monarch, and her name is immortalized in the names of the Australian state, the famous waterfall on the largest lake on African continent, cities in Canada.
When the Queen of England died in 1901, people took the sad event as evidence of the end of the 19th century. With the death of Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, defender of the faith, Empress of India (this was the title at the end of the queen's reign), the era named after her - the Victorian - ended.
Egbert the Great (Anglo-Saxon. Ecgbryht, English Egbert, Eagberht) (769/771 - February 4 or June 839) - king of Wessex (802 - 839). A number of historians consider Egbert to be the first king of England, since for the first time in history he united under the rule of one ruler most of the lands located on the territory of modern England, and the remaining regions recognized his supreme power over themselves. Officially, Egbert did not use such a title and it was first used in his title by King Alfred the Great.
Edward II (English: Edward II, 1284-1327, also called Edward of Caernarfon, after his birthplace in Wales) was an English king (from 1307 until his deposition in January 1327) from the Plantagenet dynasty, son of Edward I.
The first English heir to the throne who bore the title “Prince of Wales” (according to legend, at the request of the Welsh to give them a king who was born in Wales and did not speak English, Edward I showed them his newborn son, who had just been born in his camp) . Having inherited the throne of his father at the age of less than 23, Edward II led very unsuccessfully fighting against Scotland, whose troops were led by Robert the Bruce. The popularity of the king was also undermined by his commitment to the favorites hated by the people (they were believed to be the king's lovers) - the Gascon Pierre Gaveston, and then the English nobleman Hugh Despenser the Younger. Edward's reign was accompanied by conspiracies and rebellions, the inspiration of which was often the king's wife, Queen Isabella, daughter French king Philip IV the Fair, who fled to France.
Edward III, Edward III (Middle English: Edward III) (November 13, 1312 - June 21, 1377) - king of England from 1327 from the Plantegenet dynasty, son of King Edward II and Isabella of France, daughter of King Philip IV the Fair of France .
Richard II (eng. Richard II, 1367-1400) - English king (1377-1399), representative of the Plantagenet dynasty, grandson of the king Edward III, son of Edward the Black Prince.
Richard was born in Bordeaux - his father fought in the fields of France Hundred Years' War. When the Black Prince died in 1376, while Edward III was still alive, the young Richard received the title Prince of Wales, and a year later inherited the throne from his grandfather.
Henry IV of Bolingbroke (English: Henry IV of Bolingbroke, April 3, 1367, Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire - March 20, 1413, Westminster) - king of England (1399-1413), founder of the Lancastrian dynasty (junior branch of the Plantagenets).
Henry V (English Henry V) (August 9, according to other sources, September 16, 1387, Monmouth Castle, Monmouthshire, Wales - August 31, 1422, Vincennes (now in Paris), France) - king of England since 1413, from the Lancaster dynasty, one of greatest commanders Hundred Years' War. Defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt (1415). According to the Treaty of Troyes (1420), he became the heir of the French king Charles VI the Mad and received the hand of his daughter Catherine. He continued the war with Charles’s son, the Dauphin (the future Charles VII), who did not recognize the treaty, and died during this war, just two months before Charles VI; if he had lived these two months, he would have become king of France. He died in August 1422, presumably from dysentery.
Henry VI (English Henry VI, French Henri VI) (December 6, 1421, Windsor - May 21 or 22, 1471, London) - third and the last king England from the Lancaster dynasty (from 1422 to 1461 and from 1470 to 1471). The only English king who bore the title “King of France” during and after the Hundred Years’ War, who was actually crowned (1431) and reigned over a significant part of France.
Edward IV (April 28, 1442, Rouen - April 9, 1483, London) - king of England in 1461-1470 and 1471-1483, a representative of the York Plantagenet line, seized the throne during the Wars of the Roses.
Eldest son of Richard, Duke of York and Cecilia Neville, brother of Richard III. On his father's death in 1460, he inherited his titles as Earl of Cambridge, March and Ulster and Duke of York. In 1461, at the age of eighteen, he ascended the English throne with the support of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.
Was married to Elizabeth Woodville (1437-1492), children:
Elizabeth (1466-1503), married to King Henry VII of England,
Maria (1467-1482),
Cecilia (1469-1507),
Edward V (1470-1483?),
Richard (1473-1483?),
Anna (1475-1511),
Catherine (1479-1527),
Bridget (1480-1517).
The king was a great lover of women and, in addition to his official wife, was secretly engaged to one or more women, which later allowed the royal council to declare his son Edward V illegitimate and, together with his other son, imprison him in the Tower.
Edward IV died unexpectedly on April 9, 1483.
Edward V (November 4, 1470(14701104)-1483?) - King of England from April 9 to June 25, 1483, son of Edward IV; not crowned. Deposed by his uncle the Duke of Gloucester, who declared the king and his younger brother Duke Richard of York illegitimate children, and himself became King Richard III. A 12-year-old and a 10-year-old boy were imprisoned in the Tower, further fate their exactness is unknown. The most common point of view is that they were killed on the orders of Richard (this version was official under the Tudors), but in the murder of the princes various researchers Many other figures of the time are also accused, including Richard's successor, Henry VII.
Richard III (English Richard III) (October 2, 1452, Fotheringhay - August 22, 1485, Bosworth) - king of England since 1483, from the York dynasty, last representative the Plantagenet male line on the English throne. Brother of Edward IV. He took the throne, removing the young Edward V. At the Battle of Bosworth (1485) he was defeated and killed. One of two kings of England to die in battle (after Harold II, killed at Hastings in 1066).
Henry VII (eng. Henry VII;)
