- Victoria Alexandrina Hanover
- 1837-1901: Queen of the United Kingdom
Victoria of the United Kingdom, Queen Regnant of the United Kingdom, was born 24 May 1819 in Kensington Palace, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom to Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1767-1820) and Viktoria von Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld (1786-1861) and died 22 January 1901 Osborne House, Isle of Wight, England, United Kingdom of cerebral hemorrhage. She married Albert von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (1819-1861) 10 February 1840 St. James's Palace in Westminster, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom.
Biography
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from 1 May 1876, until her death on 22 January 1901.
Her reign of 63 years and seven months is known as the Victorian era and is today considered as the second-longest reign of a British monarch. It was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover. Her son and successor, Edward VII, belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the line of his father.
Birth and Ancestry
Victoria, aged four, by Stephen Poyntz Denning,1823
Victoria's father was Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Until 1817, King George's only legitimate grandchild was Edward's niece Princess Charlotte of Wales, the daughter of George, Prince Regent (who would become George IV). Charlotte's death in 1817 precipitated a succession crisis that brought pressure on the Duke of Kent and his unmarried brothers to marry and have children. In 1818, the Duke of Kent married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, a widowed German princess with two children—Carl (1804–1856) and Feodora (1807–1872)—by her first marriage to Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen. Her brother Leopold was Princess Charlotte's widower and later the first king of Belgium. The Duke and Duchess of Kent's only child, Victoria, was born at 4:15 a.m. on 24 May 1819 at Kensington Palace in London.[1]
Victoria was christened privately by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Manners-Sutton, on 24 June 1819 in the Cupola Room at Kensington Palace.[lower-alpha 1] She was baptised Alexandrina after one of her godparents, Tsar Alexander I of Russia, and Victoria, after her mother. Additional names proposed by her parents—Georgina (or Georgiana), Charlotte, and Augusta—were dropped on the instructions of Kent's eldest brother, the Prince Regent.[2]
At birth, Victoria was fifth in the line of succession after the four eldest sons of George III: George, Prince Regent (later George IV); Frederick, Duke of York; William, Duke of Clarence (later William IV); and Victoria's father, Edward, Duke of Kent.[3] Prince George had no surviving children, and Prince Frederick had no children; further, both were estranged from their wives, who were both past child-bearing age, so the two eldest brothers were unlikely to have any further legitimate children. William and Edward married on the same day in 1818, but both of William's legitimate daughters died as infants. The first of these was Princess Charlotte, who was born and died on 27 March 1819, two months before Victoria was born. Victoria's father died in January 1820, when Victoria was less than a year old. A week later her grandfather died and was succeeded by his eldest son as George IV. Victoria was then third in line to the throne after Frederick and William. She was fourth in line while William's second daughter, Princess Elizabeth, lived, from 10 December 1820 to 4 March 1821.[4]
Ascension to the Throne
Victoria receives the news of her accession from Lord Conyngham (left) and the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Howley. Painting by Henry Tanworth Wells, 1887
Victoria turned 18 on 24 May 1837, and a regency was avoided. Less than a month later, on 20 June 1837, William IV died at the age of 71, and Victoria became Queen of the United Kingdom.[lower-alpha 2] In her diary she wrote, "I was awoke at 6 o'clock by Mamma, who told me the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Conyngham were here and wished to see me. I got out of bed and went into my sitting-room (only in my dressing gown) and alone, and saw them. Lord Conyngham then acquainted me that my poor Uncle, the King, was no more, and had expired at 12 minutes past 2 this morning, and consequently that I am Queen."[5] Official documents prepared on the first day of her reign described her as Alexandrina Victoria, but the first name was withdrawn at her own wish and not used again.[6]
Since 1714, Britain had shared a monarch with Hanover in Germany, but under Salic law, women were excluded from the Hanoverian succession. While Victoria inherited the British throne, her father's unpopular younger brother, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, became King of Hanover. He was Victoria's heir presumptive until she had a child.[7]
Marriage
Marriage of Victoria and Albert, painted by George Hayter
Though Victoria was now queen, as an unmarried young woman she was required by social convention to live with her mother, despite their differences over the Kensington System and her mother's continued reliance on Conroy.[8] Her mother was consigned to a remote apartment in Buckingham Palace, and Victoria often refused to see her.[9] When Victoria complained to Melbourne that her mother's proximity promised "torment for many years", Melbourne sympathised but said it could be avoided by marriage, which Victoria called a "schocking [sic] alternative".[10] Victoria showed interest in Albert's education for the future role he would have to play as her husband, but she resisted attempts to rush her into wedlock.[11]
Victoria continued to praise Albert following his second visit in October 1839. Albert and Victoria felt mutual affection and the Queen proposed to him on 15 October 1839, just five days after he had arrived at Windsor.[12] They were married on 10 February 1840, in the Chapel Royal of St James's Palace, London. Victoria was love-struck. She spent the evening after their wedding lying down with a headache, but wrote ecstatically in her diary:
I NEVER, NEVER spent such an evening!!! MY DEAREST DEAREST DEAR Albert ... his excessive love & affection gave me feelings of heavenly love & happiness I never could have hoped to have felt before! He clasped me in his arms, & we kissed each other again & again! His beauty, his sweetness & gentleness – really how can I ever be thankful enough to have such a Husband! ... to be called by names of tenderness, I have never yet heard used to me before – was bliss beyond belief! Oh! This was the happiest day of my life![13]
Family Life
Victoria's family in 1846 by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.
Left to right: Prince Alfred and the Prince of Wales; the Queen and Prince Albert; Princesses Alice, Helena and Victoria.
- Victoria, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom (1840-1901) - Married 1858, Friedrich III., Deutscher Kaiser (1831-1888), later German Emperor and King of Prussia; 4 sons (including Wilhelm II, German Emperor), 4 daughters (including Queen Sophia of Greece)
- Edward VII of the United Kingdom (1841-1910) - successor as King of the United Kingdom. Married 1863, Alexandra of Denmark (1844-1925);3 sons (including King George V of the United Kingdom), 3 daughters (including Queen Maud of Norway)
- Alice of the United Kingdom (1843-1878) - Married 1862, Ludwig IV. von Hessen und bei Rhein (1837-1892); 2 sons, 5 daughters (including Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia)
- Alfred von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (1844-1900) - Married 1874, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (1853–1920); 2 sons (1 stillborn), 4 daughters (including Queen Marie of Romania)
- Helena Augusta Victoria of the United Kingdom (1846-1923) - Married 1866, Christian von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (1831-1917);4 sons (1 stillborn), 2 daughters
- Louise Caroline Alberta of the United Kingdom (1848-1939) - Married 1871, John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll (1845-1914), Marquess of Lorne ; no issue
- Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1850-1942) - Married 1879, Princess Luise Margarete von Preußen (1860-1917); 1 son, 2 daughters (including Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden)
- Leopold, Duke of Albany (1853-1884) - Married 1882, Princess Helena von Waldeck-Pyrmont (1861-1922); 1 son, 1 daughter
- Beatrice of the United Kingdom (1857-1944) - Married 1885, Prince Heinrich Moritz von Battenberg (1858-1896), 3 sons, 1 daughter (Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain)
Children
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Victoria of the United Kingdom (1819-1901) | 24 May 1819 Kensington Palace, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom | 22 January 1901 Osborne House, Isle of Wight, England, United Kingdom | Albert von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (1819-1861) |
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Edward Schenker Scheener (1789–1853) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Adelaide Victoria Augusta Dubus (1789-1790) | |||
See Also
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom since the accession of Queen Victoria, (1837), featuring the arms of England in the first and fourth quarters, Scotland in the second, and Ireland in the third. In Scotland a separate version is used, (shown right), whereby the Arms of Scotland take precedence.[14]
- Victoria Hanover
- Hanover Family
- Hanover in England
Bibliography
- Charles, Barrie (2012), Kill the Queen! The Eight Assassination Attempts on Queen Victoria, Stroud: Amberley Publishing, ISBN 978-1-4456-0457-2
- Hibbert, Christopher (2000), Queen Victoria: A Personal History, London: HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-638843-4
- Longford, Elizabeth (1964), Victoria R.I., London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ISBN 0-297-17001-5
- Marshall, Dorothy (1972), The Life and Times of Queen Victoria (1992 reprint ed.), London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ISBN 0-297-83166-6
- Packard, Jerrold M. (1998), Victoria's Daughters, New York: St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-24496-7
- Potts, D. M.; Potts, W. T. W. (1995), Queen Victoria's Gene: Haemophilia and the Royal Family, Stroud: Alan Sutton, ISBN 0-7509-1199-9
- St. Aubyn, Giles (1991), Queen Victoria: A Portrait, London: Sinclair-Stevenson, ISBN 1-85619-086-2
- Strachey, Lytton (1921), Queen Victoria, London: Chatto and Windus, https://archive.org/details/queenvictoria01265gut
- Waller, Maureen (2006), Sovereign Ladies: The Six Reigning Queens of England, London: John Murray, ISBN 0-7195-6628-2
- Weintraub, Stanley (1997), Albert: Uncrowned King, London: John Murray, ISBN 0-7195-5756-9
- Woodham-Smith, Cecil (1972), Queen Victoria: Her Life and Times 1819–1861, London: Hamish Hamilton, ISBN 0-241-02200-2
- Worsley, Lucy (2018), Queen Victoria – Daughter, Wife, Mother, Widow, London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, ISBN 978-1-4736-5138-8
External Links
- wikipedia:en:Queen Victoria
- Queen Victoria at thePeerage
- Queen Victoria, Geni.com, https://www.geni.com/people/Queen-Victoria-of-the-United-Kingdom-and-Empress-of-India/6000000008852088113, retrieved 01 May 2023
- Queen Victoria at Find A Grave
- Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland 1837-1901 at Genealogics
- 4.13.1.1.1.1.4.1. on Descendants of King James I & VI
- Royal List
- Queen Victoria at the official website of the British monarchy
- Queen Victoria at the official website of the Royal Collection Trust
- Queen Victoria at BBC Teach
- Portraits of Victoria of the United Kingdom at the National Portrait Gallery, London
- Queen Victoria's Journals, online from the Royal Archive and Bodleian Library
- Works by Victoria of the United Kingdom at Project Gutenberg
- Works by Victoria of the United Kingdom at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
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Ancestry Trees
- Charlemagne Family Ancestry
- Rurik Family Ancestry
- Rollo Family Ancestry
- Alfred the Great Family Ancestry
- House of Hanover
- Plantagenet Family Line
- Capetian dynasty
Royal Succession Charts
Victoria of the United Kingdom (1819-1901) Cadet branch of the House of Welf Born: 24 May 1819 Died: 22 January 1901
| ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William IV |
Queen of the United Kingdom 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901 |
Succeeded by Edward VII |
| Vacant Title last held by Bahadur Shah IIas Mughal emperor |
Empress of India 1 May 1876 – 22 January 1901 | |
Footnotes
- ^ Hibbert, pp. 3–12; Strachey, pp. 1–17; Woodham-Smith, pp. 15–29
- ^ Hibbert, pp. 12–13; Longford, p. 23; Woodham-Smith, pp. 34–35
- ^ Longford, p. 24
- ^ Worsley, p. 41.
- ^ St Aubyn, pp. 55–57; Woodham-Smith, p. 138
- ^ Woodham-Smith, p. 140
- ^ Packard, pp. 14–15
- ^ Longford, p. 84; Marshall, p. 52
- ^ Longford, p. 72; Waller, p. 353
- ^ Woodham-Smith, p. 175
- ^ Hibbert, pp. 103–104; Marshall, pp. 60–66; Weintraub, p. 62
- ^ Hibbert, pp. 107–110; St Aubyn, pp. 129–132; Weintraub, pp. 77–81; Woodham-Smith, pp. 182–184, 187
- ^ Hibbert, p. 123; Longford, p. 143; Woodham-Smith, p. 205
- ^ "Symbols of the Monarchy. Coats of Arms. - The official website of The British Monarchy". http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Symbols/Coatsofarms.aspx. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
Footnotes (including sources)
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