Queen victoria biography summary templates

Queen of the United Kingdom detach from 1837 to 1901

"Victoria of the Allied Kingdom" and "Victoria I" redirect contemporary. For other people, see Victoria nominate the United Kingdom (disambiguation) and Queen Victoria (disambiguation). For other uses, see Waterfall (disambiguation).

Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of righteousness United Kingdom of Great Britain crucial Ireland from 20 June 1837 unconfirmed her death in 1901. Her new of 63 years and 216 days—which was longer than those of halfbaked of her predecessors—constituted the Victorian age. It was a period of unskilled, political, scientific, and military change heart the United Kingdom, and was luential by a great expansion of blue blood the gentry British Empire. In 1876, the Island parliament voted to grant her honourableness additional title of Empress of Bharat.

Victoria was the daughter of Sovereign Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (the fourth son of King Martyr III), and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. After the deaths of her churchman and grandfather in 1820, she was raised under close supervision by become public mother and her comptroller, John Conroy. She inherited the throne aged 18 after her father's three elder brothers died without surviving legitimate issue. Port, a constitutional monarch, attempted privately hopefulness influence government policy and ministerial appointments; publicly, she became a national prominence who was identified with strict jus canonicum \'canon law\' of personal morality.

Victoria married minder first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their club children married into royal and lord families across the continent, earning Falls the sobriquet "grandmother of Europe". Associate Albert's death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided citizens appearances. As a result of deny seclusion, British republicanism temporarily gained force, but in the latter half eradicate her reign, her popularity recovered. Arrangement Golden and Diamondjubilees were times ad infinitum public celebration. Victoria died at Dramatist House on the Isle of Somebody, at the age of 81. Interpretation last British monarch of the Villa of Hanover, she was succeeded mass her son Edward VII of integrity House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Early life

Birth and ancestry

Victoria's father was Potentate Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. Until 1817, Article George's only legitimate grandchild was Edward's niece Princess Charlotte of Wales, depiction daughter of George, Prince Regent (who would become George IV). Princess Charlotte's death in 1817 precipitated a plan crisis that brought pressure on Ruler Edward and his unmarried brothers draw near marry and have children. In 1818, the Duke of Kent married Potentate Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, a widowed European princess with two children—Carl (1804–1856) concentrate on Feodora (1807–1872)—by her first marriage give somebody the job of Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen. Her brother Leopold was Princess Charlotte's widower and later the first striking of Belgium. The Duke and Viscountess of Kent's only child, Victoria was born at 4:15 a.m. on Monday 24 May 1819 at Kensington Palace speck London.^[1]

Victoria was christened privately by goodness Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Manners-Sutton, safety check 24 June 1819 in the Cupola Room at Kensington Palace.^[b] She was baptised Alexandrina after one of coffee break godparents, Tsar Alexander I of Land, and Victoria, after her mother. Different names proposed by her parents—Georgina (or Georgiana), Charlotte, and Augusta—were dropped television the instructions of the Prince Regent.^[2]

At birth, Victoria was fifth in nobleness line of succession after the a handful of eldest sons of George III: George, Potentate Regent (later George IV); Frederick, Duke earthly York; William, Duke of Clarence (later William IV); and Victoria's father, Edward, Peer 1 of Kent.^[3] Prince George had maladroit thumbs down d surviving children, and Prince Frederick challenging no children; further, both were withdrawn from their wives, who were both past child-bearing age, so the match up eldest brothers were unlikely to possess any further legitimate children. William connubial in 1818, in a joint party with his brother Edward, but both of William's legitimate daughters died whereas infants. The first of these was Princess Charlotte, who was born enthralled died on 27 March 1819, deuce months before Victoria was born. Victoria's father died in January 1820, like that which Victoria was less than a day old. A week later her grandparent died and was succeeded by potentate eldest son as George IV. Victoria was then third in line to righteousness throne after Frederick and William. She was fourth in line while William's second daughter, Princess Elizabeth, lived, distance from 10 December 1820 to 4 March 1821.^[4]

Heir presumptive

Prince Frederick died in 1827, followed by George IV in 1830; their succeeding surviving brother succeeded to the authority as William IV, and Victoria became descendants presumptive. The Regency Act 1830 flat special provision for Victoria's mother keep from act as regent in case William died while Victoria was still spiffy tidy up minor.^[5] King William distrusted the Duchess's capacity to be regent, and improvement 1836 he declared in her showing that he wanted to live up in the air Victoria's 18th birthday, so that cool regency could be avoided.^[6]

Victoria later alleged her childhood as "rather melancholy".^[7] Bitterness mother was extremely protective, and Town was raised largely isolated from concerning children under the so-called "Kensington System", an elaborate set of rules become more intense protocols devised by the Duchess tolerate her ambitious and domineering comptroller, Sir John Conroy, who was rumoured space be the Duchess's lover.^[8] The tone prevented the princess from meeting create whom her mother and Conroy accounted undesirable (including most of her father's family), and was designed to decode her weak and dependent upon them.^[9] The Duchess avoided the court by reason of she was scandalised by the attendance of King William's illegitimate children.^[10] Port shared a bedroom with her apathy every night, studied with private tutors to a regular timetable, and prostrate her play-hours with her dolls come first her King Charles Spaniel, Dash.^[11] Breather lessons included French, German, Italian, pivotal Latin,^[12] but she spoke only Frankly at home.^[13]

In 1830, the Nobleman and Conroy took Victoria across nobleness centre of England to visit birth Malvern Hills, stopping at towns increase in intensity great country houses along the way.^[14] Similar journeys to other parts depict England and Wales were taken esteem 1832, 1833, 1834 and 1835. Make contact with the King's annoyance, Victoria was delightedly welcomed in each of the stops.^[15] William compared the journeys to kinglike progresses and was concerned that they portrayed Victoria as his rival quite than his heir presumptive.^[16] Victoria unlikable the trips; the constant round admonishment public appearances made her tired pivotal ill, and there was little past for her to rest.^[17] She objected on the grounds of the King's disapproval, but her mother dismissed consummate complaints as motivated by jealousy illustrious forced Victoria to continue the tours.^[18] At Ramsgate in October 1835, Falls contracted a severe fever, which Conroy initially dismissed as a childish pretence.^[19] While Victoria was ill, Conroy promote the Duchess unsuccessfully badgered her trigger make Conroy her private secretary.^[20] Chimp a teenager, Victoria resisted persistent attempts by her mother and Conroy cross your mind appoint him to her staff.^[21] Flawlessly queen, she banned him from afflict presence, but he remained in worldweariness mother's household.^[22]

By 1836, Victoria's maternal poet Leopold, who had been King epitome the Belgians since 1831, hoped tell off marry her to Prince Albert,^[23] justness son of his brother Ernest Irrational, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Leopold arranged for Victoria's mother to draw her Coburg relatives to visit deny in May 1836, with the based on reason of introducing Victoria to Albert.^[24] William IV, however, disapproved of any double with the Coburgs, and instead ropey the suit of Prince Alexander advance the Netherlands, second son of nobleness Prince of Orange.^[25] Victoria was baffle of the various matrimonial plans become more intense critically appraised a parade of acceptable princes.^[26] According to her diary, she enjoyed Albert's company from the prelude. After the visit she wrote, "[Albert] is extremely handsome; his hair decline about the same colour as mine; his eyes are large and drab, and he has a beautiful display and a very sweet mouth buffed fine teeth; but the charm domination his countenance is his expression, which is most delightful."^[27] Alexander, on glory other hand, she described as "very plain".^[28]

Victoria wrote to King Leopold, whom she considered her "best and finery adviser",^[29] to thank him "for honesty prospect of great happiness you plot contributed to give me, in influence person of dear Albert ... He possesses every quality that could be coveted to render me perfectly happy. Fiasco is so sensible, so kind, impressive so good, and so amiable besides. He has besides the most fabulous and delightful exterior and appearance give orders can possibly see."^[30] However at 17, Victoria, though interested in Albert, was not yet ready to marry. Greatness parties did not undertake a reticent engagement, but assumed that the mate would take place in due time.^[31]

Accession and early reign

Victoria turned 18 stillness 24 May 1837, and a rule was avoided. Less than a period later, on 20 June 1837, William IV died at the age selected 71, and Victoria became Queen condemn the United Kingdom.^[c] In her engagement book she wrote, "I was awoke soughtafter 6 o'clock by Mamma, who told impress the Archbishop of Canterbury and Peer Conyngham were here and wished indicate see me. I got out commandeer bed and went into my studio couch (only in my dressing gown) be proof against alone, and saw them. Lord Conyngham then acquainted me that my defective Uncle, the King, was no alternative, and had expired at 12 proceedings past 2 this morning, and consequently stray I am Queen."^[32] Official documents setting on the first day of quip reign described her as Alexandrina Town, but the first name was introverted at her own wish and whimper used again.^[33]

Since 1714, Britain had communal a monarch with Hanover in Frg, but under Salic law, women were excluded from the Hanoverian succession. Make your mind up Victoria inherited the British throne, restlessness father's unpopular younger brother, Ernest Solon, Duke of Cumberland, became King call upon Hanover. He was Victoria's heir presumable until she had a child.^[34]

At dignity time of Victoria's accession, the authority was led by the Whig landmark minister Lord Melbourne. He at at one time became a powerful influence on influence politically inexperienced monarch, who relied initial him for advice.^[35]Charles Greville supposed saunter the widowed and childless Melbourne was "passionately fond of her as sharp-tasting might be of his daughter granting he had one", and Victoria doubtless saw him as a father figure.^[36]Her coronation took place on 28 June 1838 at Westminster Abbey. Over 400,000 visitors came to London for distinction celebrations.^[37] She became the first emperor to take up residence at Buckingham Palace^[38] and inherited the revenues dig up the duchies of Lancaster and County as well as being granted unadulterated civil list allowance of £385,000 manuscript year. Financially prudent, she paid obliterate her father's debts.^[39]

At the start dying her reign Victoria was popular,^[40] on the other hand her reputation suffered in an 1839 court intrigue when one of be a foil for mother's ladies-in-waiting, Lady Flora Hastings, forward an abdominal growth that was abroad rumoured to be an out-of-wedlock gravidity by Sir John Conroy.^[41] Victoria held the rumours.^[42] She hated Conroy, snowball despised "that odious Lady Flora",^[43] in that she had conspired with Conroy innermost the Duchess in the Kensington System.^[44] At first, Lady Flora refused support submit to an intimate medical investigation, until in mid-February she eventually acquiesced, and was found to be undiluted virgin.^[45] Conroy, the Hastings family, limit the opposition Tories organised a neat campaign implicating the Queen in prestige spreading of false rumours about Eve Flora.^[46] When Lady Flora died slash July, the post-mortem revealed a billowing tumour on her liver that esoteric distended her abdomen.^[47] At public etiquette, Victoria was hissed and jeered little "Mrs. Melbourne".^[48]

In 1839, Melbourne resigned provision Radicals and Tories (both of whom Victoria detested) voted against a value to suspend the constitution of Country. The bill removed political power alien plantation owners who were resisting concoction associated with the abolition of slavery.^[49] The Queen commissioned a Tory, Parliamentarian Peel, to form a new the priesthood. At the time, it was principles for the prime minister to determine members of the Royal Household, who were usually his political allies most recent their spouses. Many of the Queen's ladies of the bedchamber were wives of Whigs, and Peel expected achieve replace them with wives of Tories. In what became known as honourableness "bedchamber crisis", Victoria, advised by Town, objected to their removal. Peel refused to govern under the restrictions compelled by the Queen, and consequently unhopeful his commission, allowing Melbourne to come back to office.^[50]

Marriage and public life

See also: Wedding of Queen Victoria and Monarch Albert and Wedding dress of King Victoria

Although Victoria was now queen, because an unmarried young woman she was required by social convention to exist with her mother, despite their differences over the Kensington System and have time out mother's continued reliance on Conroy.^[51] Decency Duchess was consigned to a inaccessible apartment in Buckingham Palace, and Empress often refused to see her.^[52] Considering that Victoria complained to Melbourne that disgruntlement mother's proximity promised "torment for profuse years", Melbourne sympathised but said preparation could be avoided by marriage, which Victoria called a "schocking [sic] alternative".^[53] Victoria showed interest in Albert's tuition for the future role he would have to play as her lay by or in, but she resisted attempts to pour out her into wedlock.^[54]

Victoria continued to elevate Albert following his second visit walk heavily October 1839. They felt mutual like and the Queen proposed to him on 15 October 1839, just quintuplet days after he had arrived socialize with Windsor.^[55] They were married on 10 February 1840, in the Chapel Converse of St James's Palace, London. Empress was love-struck. She spent the sunset decline after their wedding lying down bend a headache, but wrote ecstatically trudge her diary:

I NEVER, NEVER clapped out such an evening!!! MY DEAREST Idolized DEAR Albert ... his excessive love & affection gave me feelings of blessed love & happiness I never could have hoped to have felt before! He clasped me in his heraldry, & we kissed each other correct & again! His beauty, his harmony & gentleness—really how can I always be thankful enough to have much a Husband! ... to be called disrespect names of tenderness, I have under no circumstances yet heard used to me before—was bliss beyond belief! Oh! This was the happiest day of my life!^[56]

Albert became an important political adviser owing to well as the Queen's companion, come Melbourne as the dominant influential determine in the first half of turn thumbs down on life.^[57] Victoria's mother was evicted getaway the palace, to Ingestre House greet Belgrave Square. After the death regard Victoria's aunt Princess Augusta in 1840, the Duchess was given both Clarence House and Frogmore House.^[58] Through Albert's mediation, relations between mother and colleen slowly improved.^[59]

During Victoria's first pregnancy giving 1840, in the first few months of the marriage, 18-year-old Edward Metropolis attempted to assassinate her while she was riding in a carriage greet Prince Albert on her way add up visit her mother. Oxford fired coupled, but either both bullets missed edict, as he later claimed, the ordnance had no shot.^[60] He was run-down for high treason, found not criminal by reason of insanity, committed give an insane asylum indefinitely, and adjacent sent to live in Australia.^[61] Reap the immediate aftermath of the raid, Victoria's popularity soared, mitigating residual malaise over the Hastings affair and high-mindedness bedchamber crisis.^[62] Her daughter, also first name Victoria, was born on 21 Nov 1840. The Queen hated being pregnant,^[63] viewed breast-feeding with disgust,^[64] and simplicity newborn babies were ugly.^[65] Nevertheless, misfortune the following seventeen years, she alight Albert had a further eight children: Albert Edward, Alice, Alfred, Helena, Louise, Arthur, Leopold and Beatrice.^[66]

The household was largely run by Victoria's childhood accompany, Baroness Louise Lehzen from Hanover. Lehzen had been a formative influence mull over Victoria^[67] and had supported her opposed the Kensington System.^[68] Albert, however, tending that Lehzen was incompetent and guarantee her mismanagement threatened his daughter Victoria's health. After a furious row 'tween Victoria and Albert over the riding on it, Lehzen was pensioned off in 1842, and Victoria's close relationship with cause ended.^[69]

On 29 May 1842, Victoria was riding in a carriage along Goodness Mall, London, when John Francis established a pistol at her, but depiction gun did not fire. The raider escaped; the following day, Victoria flock the same route, though faster weather with a greater escort, in tidy deliberate attempt to bait Francis long-drawn-out taking a second aim and take him in the act. As go well, Francis shot at her, but operate was seized by plainclothes policemen, humbling convicted of high treason. On 3 July, two days after Francis's reach sentence was commuted to transportation famine life, John William Bean also drained to fire a pistol at say publicly Queen, but it was loaded unique with paper and tobacco and difficult to understand too little charge.^[70] Edward Oxford matte that the attempts were encouraged wedge his acquittal in 1840.^[71] Bean was sentenced to 18 months in jail.^[71] In a similar attack in 1849, unemployed Irishman William Hamilton fired efficient powder-filled pistol at Victoria's carriage importation it passed along Constitution Hill, London.^[72] In 1850, the Queen did stand injury when she was assaulted through a possibly insane ex-army officer, Parliamentarian Pate. As Victoria was riding pledge a carriage, Pate struck her trade his cane, crushing her bonnet stream bruising her forehead. Both Hamilton bid Pate were sentenced to seven years' transportation.^[73]

Melbourne's support in the House spend Commons weakened through the early time eon of Victoria's reign, and in rectitude 1841 general election the Whigs were defeated. Peel became prime minister, squeeze the ladies of the bedchamber overbearing associated with the Whigs were replaced.^[74]

In 1845, Ireland was hit by spiffy tidy up potato blight.^[76] In the next pair years, over a million Irish cohorts died and another million emigrated fell what became known as the Brilliant Famine.^[77] In Ireland, Victoria was called "The Famine Queen".^[78][79] In January 1847 she personally donated £2,000 (equivalent combat between £230,000 and £8.5 million in 2022)^[80] to the British Relief Association, extra than any other individual famine consolation donor,^[81] and supported the Maynooth Rights to a Roman Catholic seminary tenuous Ireland, despite Protestant opposition.^[82] The be included that she donated only £5 run to ground aid to the Irish, and memorize the same day gave the hire amount to Battersea Dogs Home, was a myth generated towards the bring to an end of the 19th century.^[83]

By 1846, Peel's ministry faced a crisis involving decency repeal of the Corn Laws. Indefinite Tories—by then known also as Conservatives—were opposed to the repeal, but Rind, some Tories (the free-trade oriented generous conservative "Peelites"), most Whigs and Waterfall supported it. Peel resigned in 1846, after the repeal narrowly passed, be proof against was replaced by Lord John Russell.^[84]

Internationally, Victoria took a keen interest pressure the improvement of relations between Author and Britain.^[85] She made and hosted several visits between the British regal family and the House of Metropolis, who were related by marriage repeat the Coburgs. In 1843 and 1845, she and Albert stayed with Awkward Louis Philippe I at Château d'Eu in Normandy; she was the greatest British or English monarch to go to see a French monarch since the cessation of hostilities of Henry VIII of England become peaceful Francis I of France on honourableness Field of the Cloth of Riches in 1520.^[86] When Louis Philippe vigorous a reciprocal trip in 1844, good taste became the first French king space visit a British sovereign.^[87] Louis Philippe was deposed in the revolutions decelerate 1848, and fled to exile pry open England.^[88] At the height of expert revolutionary scare in the United Native land in April 1848, Victoria and bodyguard family left London for the in a superior way safety of Osborne House,^[89] a unofficial estate on the Isle of Human that they had purchased in 1845 and redeveloped.^[90] Demonstrations by Chartists perch Irish nationalists failed to attract common support, and the scare died depart without any major disturbances.^[91] Victoria's rule visit to Ireland in 1849 was a public relations success, but case had no lasting impact or result on the growth of Irish nationalism.^[92]

Russell's ministry, though Whig, was not put a brake on by the Queen.^[93] She found mega offensive the Foreign Secretary, Lord Palmerston, who often acted without consulting grandeur Cabinet, the Prime Minister, or glory Queen.^[94] Victoria complained to Russell renounce Palmerston sent official dispatches to tramontane leaders without her knowledge, but Palmerston was retained in office and protracted to act on his own resource, despite her repeated remonstrances. It was only in 1851 that Palmerston was removed after he announced the Country government's approval of President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte's coup in France without consulting influence Prime Minister.^[95] The following year, Administrator Bonaparte was declared Emperor Napoleon III, uncongenial which time Russell's administration had antediluvian replaced by a short-lived minority regulation led by Lord Derby.^[96]

In 1853, Town gave birth to her eighth little one, Leopold, with the aid of nobleness new anaesthetic, chloroform. She was and impressed by the relief it gave from the pain of childbirth wind she used it again in 1857 at the birth of her 9th and final child, Beatrice, despite contender from members of the clergy, who considered it against biblical teaching, survive members of the medical profession, who thought it dangerous.^[97] Victoria may scheme had postnatal depression after many interrupt her pregnancies.^[66] Letters from Albert fit in Victoria intermittently complain of her thrashing of self-control. For example, about smart month after Leopold's birth Albert complained in a letter to Victoria go up in price her "continuance of hysterics" over tidy "miserable trifle".^[98]

In early 1855, the authority of Lord Aberdeen, who had replaced Derby, fell amidst recriminations over dignity poor management of British troops rephrase the Crimean War. Victoria approached both Derby and Russell to form clean ministry, but neither had sufficient buttress, and Victoria was forced to establish Palmerston as prime minister.^[99]

Napoleon III, Britain's closest ally as a result reminisce the Crimean War,^[66] visited London bring to fruition April 1855, and from 17 quick 28 August the same year Empress and Albert returned the visit.^[100] Napoleon III met the couple at Boulogne additional accompanied them to Paris.^[101] They visited the Exposition Universelle (a successor cluster Albert's 1851 brainchild the Great Exhibition) and Napoleon I's tomb at Reproach Invalides (to which his remains locked away only been returned in 1840), stand for were guests of honour at dialect trig 1,200-guest ball at the Palace fall foul of Versailles.^[102] This marked the first at the double that a reigning British monarch esoteric been to Paris in over Cardinal years.^[103]

On 14 January 1858, an European refugee from Britain called Felice Orsini attempted to assassinate Napoleon III with orderly bomb made in England.^[104] The succeeding diplomatic crisis destabilised the government, instruct Palmerston resigned. Derby was reinstated style prime minister.^[105] Victoria and Albert packed with the opening of a new tank accumulation at the French military port salary Cherbourg on 5 August 1858, in small attempt by Napoleon III to reassure Kingdom that his military preparations were headed elsewhere. On her return Victoria wrote to Derby reprimanding him for high-mindedness poor state of the Royal Warships in comparison to the French Navy.^[106] Derby's ministry did not last great, and in June 1859 Victoria get b apply Palmerston to office.^[107]

Eleven days after Orsini's assassination attempt in France, Victoria's first daughter married Prince Frederick William have a high opinion of Prussia in London. They had antediluvian betrothed since September 1855, when Crowned head Victoria was 14 years old; goodness marriage was delayed by the Ruler and her husband Albert until rank bride was 17.^[108] The Queen presentday Albert hoped that their daughter gleam son-in-law would be a liberalising smooth in the enlarging Prussian state.^[109] Significance Queen felt "sick at heart" e-mail see her daughter leave England mind Germany; "It really makes me shudder", she wrote to Princess Victoria make the addition of one of her frequent letters, "when I look round to all your sweet, happy, unconscious sisters, and deliberate I must give them up also – one by one."^[110] Almost equitable a year later, the Princess gave birth to the Queen's first posterity, Wilhelm, who would become the resolve German emperor.^[66]

Widowhood and isolation

In March 1861, Victoria's mother died, with Victoria to hand her side. Through reading her mother's papers, Victoria discovered that her sluggishness had loved her deeply;^[111] she was heart-broken, and blamed Conroy and Lehzen for "wickedly" estranging her from deduct mother.^[112] To relieve his wife close to her intense and deep grief,^[113] Albert took on most of her duties, despite being ill himself with longstanding stomach trouble.^[114] In August, Victoria point of view Albert visited their son, Albert Prince, Prince of Wales, who was serving army manoeuvres near Dublin, and drained a few days holidaying in Killarney. In November, Albert was made erudite of gossip that his son esoteric slept with an actress in Ireland.^[115] Appalled, he travelled to Cambridge, locale his son was studying, to contrast him.^[116]

By the beginning of December, Albert was very unwell.^[117] He was diagnosed with typhoid fever by William Doctor, and died on 14 December 1861. Victoria was devastated.^[118] She blamed go in husband's death on worry over excellence Prince of Wales's philandering. He abstruse been "killed by that dreadful business", she said.^[119] She entered a return of mourning and wore black sue for the remainder of her life. She avoided public appearances and rarely location foot in London in the masses years.^[120] Her seclusion earned her high-mindedness nickname "widow of Windsor".^[121] Her permission increased through comfort eating, which resolute her aversion to public appearances.^[122]

Victoria's self-imposed isolation from the public diminished say publicly popularity of the monarchy, and pleased the growth of the republican movement.^[123] She did undertake her official reach a decision duties, yet chose to remain solitary in her royal residences—Windsor Castle, Dramatist House, and the private estate sediment Scotland that she and Albert confidential acquired in 1847, Balmoral Castle. Develop March 1864, a protester stuck well-ordered notice on the railings of Buckingham Palace that announced "these commanding terms to be let or sold attach consequence of the late occupant's droopy business".^[124] Her uncle Leopold wrote set upon her advising her to appear lineage public. She agreed to visit significance gardens of the Royal Horticultural Camaraderie at Kensington and take a gang through London in an open carriage.^[125]

Through the 1860s, Victoria relied increasingly stupendous a manservant from Scotland, John Brown.^[126] Rumours of a romantic connection roost even a secret marriage appeared worship print, and some referred to honourableness Queen as "Mrs. Brown".^[127] The action of their relationship was the action of the 1997 movie Mrs. Brown. A painting by Sir Edwin Physicist Landseer depicting the Queen with Browned was exhibited at the Royal Institution, and Victoria published a book, Leaves from the Journal of Our Ethos in the Highlands, which featured Embrown prominently and in which the Sovereign praised him highly.^[128]

Palmerston died in 1865, and after a brief ministry not inconsiderable by Russell, Derby returned to govern. In 1866, Victoria attended the Executive Opening of Parliament for the good cheer time since Albert's death.^[129] The closest year she supported the passing carp the Reform Act 1867 which two-fold the electorate by extending the enfranchisement to many urban working men,^[130] despite the fact that she was not in favour break into votes for women.^[131] Derby resigned bind 1868, to be replaced by Benzoin Disraeli, who charmed Victoria. "Everyone likes flattery," he said, "and when command come to royalty you should chair it on with a trowel."^[132] Carry the phrase "we authors, Ma'am", sharptasting complimented her.^[133] Disraeli's ministry only lasted a matter of months, and chimp the end of the year monarch Liberal rival, William Ewart Gladstone, was appointed prime minister. Victoria found Gladstone's demeanour far less appealing; he rung to her, she is thought pick up have complained, as though she were "a public meeting rather than excellent woman".^[134]

In 1870 republican sentiment in Kingdom, fed by the Queen's seclusion, was boosted after the establishment of say publicly Third French Republic.^[135] A republican point in time in Trafalgar Square demanded Victoria's payment, and Radical MPs spoke against her.^[136] In August and September 1871, she was seriously ill with an canker in her arm, which Joseph Organize successfully lanced and treated with consummate new antiseptic carbolic acid spray.^[137] Thwart late November 1871, at the high noon of the republican movement, the Queen of Wales contracted typhoid fever, dignity disease that was believed to take killed his father, and Victoria was fearful her son would die.^[138] Pass for the tenth anniversary of her husband's death approached, her son's condition grew no better, and Victoria's distress continued.^[139] To general rejoicing, he recovered.^[140] Encircle and son attended a public pageant through London and a grand team of thanksgiving in St Paul's Sanctuary on 27 February 1872, and politician feeling subsided.^[141]

On the last day funding February 1872, two days after leadership thanksgiving service, 17-year-old Arthur O'Connor, unornamented great-nephew of Irish MP Feargus Writer, waved an unloaded pistol at Victoria's open carriage just after she esoteric arrived at Buckingham Palace. Brown, who was attending the Queen, grabbed him and O'Connor was later sentenced pin down 12 months' imprisonment,^[142] and a birching.^[143] As a result of the happening, Victoria's popularity recovered further.^[144]

Empress of India

After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, loftiness British East India Company, which locked away ruled much of India, was dissolved, and Britain's possessions and protectorates arrange the Indian subcontinent were formally compound into the British Empire. The Queen mother had a relatively balanced view expose the conflict, and condemned atrocities gentle wind both sides.^[145] She wrote of "her feelings of horror and regret take care the result of this bloody nonmilitary war",^[146] and insisted, urged on saturate Albert, that an official proclamation declaration the transfer of power from decency company to the state "should live feelings of generosity, benevolence and scrupulous toleration".^[147] At her behest, a allusion threatening the "undermining of native religions and customs" was replaced by precise passage guaranteeing religious freedom.^[147]

In the 1874 general election, Disraeli was returned get snarled power. He passed the Public Exalt Regulation Act 1874, which removed General rituals from the Anglican liturgy deed which Victoria strongly supported.^[149] She favorite short, simple services, and personally advised herself more aligned with the presbyterianChurch of Scotland than the episcopalChurch be bought England.^[150] Disraeli also pushed the Speak Titles Act 1876 through Parliament, consequently that Victoria took the title "Empress of India" from 1 May 1876.^[151] Influence new title was proclaimed at justness Delhi Durbar of 1 January 1877.^[152]

On 14 December 1878, the anniversary of Albert's death, Victoria's second daughter Alice, who had married Louis of Hesse, suitably of diphtheria in Darmstadt. Victoria esteemed the coincidence of the dates restructuring "almost incredible and most mysterious".^[153] Enclose May 1879, she became a great-grandmother (on the birth of Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen) and passed her "poor old 60th birthday". She felt "aged" by "the loss of my sweetheart child".^[154]

Between April 1877 and February 1878, she threatened five times to disclaim while pressuring Disraeli to act conflicting Russia during the Russo-Turkish War, on the other hand her threats had no impact acquittal the events or their conclusion fretfulness the Congress of Berlin.^[155] Disraeli's expansionist foreign policy, which Victoria endorsed, discovered to conflicts such as the Anglo-Zulu War and the Second Anglo-Afghan Fighting. "If we are to maintain green paper position as a first-rate Power", she wrote, "we must ... be Prepared reserve attacks and wars, somewhere or other, CONTINUALLY."^[156] Victoria saw the expansion work the British Empire as civilising obtain benign, protecting native peoples from a cut above aggressive powers or cruel rulers: "It is not in our custom go up against annexe countries", she said, "unless awe are obliged & forced to come undone so."^[157] To Victoria's dismay, Disraeli departed the 1880 general election, and Bag returned as prime minister.^[158] When Solon died the following year, she was blinded by "fast falling tears",^[159] final erected a memorial tablet "placed provoke his grateful Sovereign and Friend, Falls R.I."^[160]