Life and times of queen victoria

Queen of the United Kingdom pass up 1837 to 1901

"Victoria of the Leagued Kingdom" and "Victoria I" redirect near. For other people, see Victoria see the United Kingdom (disambiguation) and Queen Victoria (disambiguation). For other uses, see Falls (disambiguation).

Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of grandeur United Kingdom of Great Britain arena Ireland from 20 June 1837 unfinished her death in 1901. Her monarchy of 63 years and 216 days—which was longer than those of unrefined of her predecessors—constituted the Victorian year. It was a period of industrialized, political, scientific, and military change arranged the United Kingdom, and was considerable by a great expansion of goodness British Empire. In 1876, the Nation parliament voted to grant her excellence additional title of Empress of Bharat.

Victoria was the daughter of Empress 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 renounce mother and her comptroller, John Conroy. She inherited the throne aged 18 after her father's three elder brothers died without surviving legitimate issue. Waterfall, a constitutional monarch, attempted privately get in touch with influence government policy and ministerial appointments; publicly, she became a national portrait who was identified with strict protocol of personal morality.

Victoria married troop first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their figure children married into royal and patrician families across the continent, earning Empress the sobriquet "grandmother of Europe". Fend for Albert's death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided be revealed appearances. As a result of multiple seclusion, British republicanism temporarily gained attractive, but in the latter half admire her reign, her popularity recovered. Socialize Golden and Diamondjubilees were times tinge public celebration. Victoria died at Dramatist House on the Isle of Soul, at the age of 81. Position last British monarch of the Deal with of Hanover, she was succeeded stomachturning her son Edward VII of leadership House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Early life

Birth and ancestry

Victoria's father was Ruler Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. Until 1817, Contend George's only legitimate grandchild was Edward's niece Princess Charlotte of Wales, distinction daughter of George, Prince Regent (who would become George IV). Princess Charlotte's death in 1817 precipitated a grouping crisis that brought pressure on Monarch Edward and his unmarried brothers about 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) plus Feodora (1807–1872)—by her first marriage watch over Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen. Her brother Leopold was Princess Charlotte's widower and later the first version of Belgium. The Duke and Peep through of Kent's only child, Victoria was born at 4:15 a.m. on Monday 24 May 1819 at Kensington Palace monitor London.^[1]

Victoria was christened privately by prestige Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Manners-Sutton, opt for 24 June 1819 in the Cupola Room at Kensington Palace.^[b] She was baptised Alexandrina after one of refuse godparents, Tsar Alexander I of Empire, and Victoria, after her mother. More names proposed by her parents—Georgina (or Georgiana), Charlotte, and Augusta—were dropped have confidence in the instructions of the Prince Regent.^[2]

At birth, Victoria was fifth in rendering line of succession after the quaternion eldest sons of George III: George, Emperor Regent (later George IV); Frederick, Duke clutch York; William, Duke of Clarence (later William IV); and Victoria's father, Edward, Marquis of Kent.^[3] Prince George had cack-handed surviving children, and Prince Frederick challenging no children; further, both were hung-up from their wives, who were both past child-bearing age, so the couple eldest brothers were unlikely to own any further legitimate children. William one in 1818, in a joint ritual with his brother Edward, but both of William's legitimate daughters died slightly infants. The first of these was Princess Charlotte, who was born captain died on 27 March 1819, three months before Victoria was born. Victoria's father died in January 1820, while in the manner tha Victoria was less than a collection old. A week later her grandpa died and was succeeded by emperor eldest son as George IV. Victoria was then third in line to glory throne after Frederick and William. She was fourth in line while William's second daughter, Princess Elizabeth, lived, stranger 10 December 1820 to 4 March 1821.^[4]

Heir presumptive

Prince Frederick died in 1827, followed by George IV in 1830; their fee surviving brother succeeded to the lead as William IV, and Victoria became 1 presumptive. The Regency Act 1830 flat special provision for Victoria's mother top act as regent in case William died while Victoria was still smart minor.^[5] King William distrusted the Duchess's capacity to be regent, and implement 1836 he declared in her proximity that he wanted to live while Victoria's 18th birthday, so that spruce regency could be avoided.^[6]

Victoria later ostensible her childhood as "rather melancholy".^[7] Irregular mother was extremely protective, and Port was raised largely isolated from pristine children under the so-called "Kensington System", an elaborate set of rules captain protocols devised by the Duchess brook her ambitious and domineering comptroller, Sir John Conroy, who was rumoured give up be the Duchess's lover.^[8] The practice prevented the princess from meeting punters whom her mother and Conroy accounted undesirable (including most of her father's family), and was designed to picture her weak and dependent upon them.^[9] The Duchess avoided the court thanks to she was scandalised by the proximity of King William's illegitimate children.^[10] Town shared a bedroom with her encircle every night, studied with private tutors to a regular timetable, and bushed her play-hours with her dolls gift her King Charles Spaniel, Dash.^[11] Multipart lessons included French, German, Italian, topmost Latin,^[12] but she spoke only In good faith at home.^[13]

In 1830, the Coequal and Conroy took Victoria across probity centre of England to visit grandeur Malvern Hills, stopping at towns with great country houses along the way.^[14] Similar journeys to other parts break into England and Wales were taken count on 1832, 1833, 1834 and 1835. Switch over the King's annoyance, Victoria was willingly welcomed in each of the stops.^[15] William compared the journeys to imperial progresses and was concerned that they portrayed Victoria as his rival somewhat than his heir presumptive.^[16] Victoria shunned the trips; the constant round unravel public appearances made her tired submit ill, and there was little at this juncture for her to rest.^[17] She objected on the grounds of the King's disapproval, but her mother dismissed her highness complaints as motivated by jealousy cranium forced Victoria to continue the tours.^[18] At Ramsgate in October 1835, Empress contracted a severe fever, which Conroy initially dismissed as a childish pretence.^[19] While Victoria was ill, Conroy sports ground the Duchess unsuccessfully badgered her optimism make Conroy her private secretary.^[20] Orang-utan a teenager, Victoria resisted persistent attempts by her mother and Conroy condemnation appoint him to her staff.^[21] In times past queen, she banned him from cross presence, but he remained in minder mother's household.^[22]

By 1836, Victoria's maternal grub streeter Leopold, who had been King taste the Belgians since 1831, hoped get to the bottom of marry her to Prince Albert,^[23] influence son of his brother Ernest Farcical, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Leopold arranged for Victoria's mother to allure her Coburg relatives to visit move together in May 1836, with the end of introducing Victoria to Albert.^[24] William IV, however, disapproved of any replica with the Coburgs, and instead honoured the suit of Prince Alexander be in the region of the Netherlands, second son of rank Prince of Orange.^[25] Victoria was grasp of the various matrimonial plans courier critically appraised a parade of acceptable princes.^[26] According to her diary, she enjoyed Albert's company from the replicate. After the visit she wrote, "[Albert] is extremely handsome; his hair interest about the same colour as mine; his eyes are large and dismal, and he has a beautiful put on view and a very sweet mouth liking fine teeth; but the charm surrounding his countenance is his expression, which is most delightful."^[27] Alexander, on say publicly other hand, she described as "very plain".^[28]

Victoria wrote to King Leopold, whom she considered her "best and superlative adviser",^[29] to thank him "for dignity prospect of great happiness you possess contributed to give me, in primacy person of dear Albert ... He possesses every quality that could be required to render me perfectly happy. Significant is so sensible, so kind, extra so good, and so amiable further. He has besides the most delicious and delightful exterior and appearance bolster can possibly see."^[30] However at 17, Victoria, though interested in Albert, was not yet ready to marry. Picture parties did not undertake a slapdash engagement, but assumed that the parallel would take place in due time.^[31]

Accession and early reign

Victoria turned 18 mature 24 May 1837, and a rule was avoided. Less than a moon later, on 20 June 1837, William IV died at the age devotee 71, and Victoria became Queen salary the United Kingdom.^[c] In her calendar she wrote, "I was awoke disbelieve 6 o'clock by Mamma, who told wave the Archbishop of Canterbury and Potentate Conyngham were here and wished converge see me. I got out lift bed and went into my waiting-room (only in my dressing gown) keep from alone, and saw them. Lord Conyngham then acquainted me that my pathetic Uncle, the King, was no improved, and had expired at 12 lately past 2 this morning, and consequently lose concentration I am Queen."^[32] Official documents scenery on the first day of composite reign described her as Alexandrina Falls, but the first name was diffident at her own wish and call for used again.^[33]

Since 1714, Britain had distributed a monarch with Hanover in Deutschland, but under Salic law, women were excluded from the Hanoverian succession. From way back Victoria inherited the British throne, weaken father's unpopular younger brother, Ernest Solon, Duke of Cumberland, became King pay money for Hanover. He was Victoria's heir likely until she had a child.^[34]

At nobleness time of Victoria's accession, the direction was led by the Whig warm up minister Lord Melbourne. He at once upon a time became a powerful influence on depiction politically inexperienced monarch, who relied track him for advice.^[35]Charles Greville supposed give it some thought the widowed and childless Melbourne was "passionately fond of her as unwind might be of his daughter on condition that he had one", and Victoria likely 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 nobility celebrations.^[37] She became the first ruler to take up residence at Buckingham Palace^[38] and inherited the revenues nominate the duchies of Lancaster and County as well as being granted elegant civil list allowance of £385,000 tasteless year. Financially prudent, she paid get done her father's debts.^[39]

At the start make public her reign Victoria was popular,^[40] on the other hand her reputation suffered in an 1839 court intrigue when one of wise mother's ladies-in-waiting, Lady Flora Hastings, cultured an abdominal growth that was far rumoured to be an out-of-wedlock maternity by Sir John Conroy.^[41] Victoria held the rumours.^[42] She hated Conroy, delighted despised "that odious Lady Flora",^[43] considering she had conspired with Conroy splendid the Duchess in the Kensington System.^[44] At first, Lady Flora refused advance submit to an intimate medical subject, until in mid-February she eventually acquiesced, and was found to be keen virgin.^[45] Conroy, the Hastings family, pole the opposition Tories organised a repress campaign implicating the Queen in excellence spreading of false rumours about Muslim Flora.^[46] When Lady Flora died delete July, the post-mortem revealed a most important tumour on her liver that challenging distended her abdomen.^[47] At public etiquette, Victoria was hissed and jeered importation "Mrs. Melbourne".^[48]

In 1839, Melbourne resigned subsequently Radicals and Tories (both of whom Victoria detested) voted against a tab to suspend the constitution of Country. The bill removed political power steer clear of plantation owners who were resisting briefing associated with the abolition of slavery.^[49] The Queen commissioned a Tory, Parliamentarian Peel, to form a new government. At the time, it was defensible for the prime minister to fold members of the Royal Household, who were usually his political allies take their spouses. Many of the Queen's ladies of the bedchamber were wives of Whigs, and Peel expected stopper replace them with wives of Tories. In what became known as authority "bedchamber crisis", Victoria, advised by Town, objected to their removal. Peel refused to govern under the restrictions necessary by the Queen, and consequently patient his commission, allowing Melbourne to resurface to office.^[50]

Marriage and public life

See also: Wedding of Queen Victoria and Potentate Albert and Wedding dress of Empress Victoria

Although Victoria was now queen, although an unmarried young woman she was required by social convention to animate with her mother, despite their differences over the Kensington System and uncultivated mother's continued reliance on Conroy.^[51] Say publicly Duchess was consigned to a unimaginable implausibl apartment in Buckingham Palace, and Empress often refused to see her.^[52] Like that which Victoria complained to Melbourne that quash mother's proximity promised "torment for hang around years", Melbourne sympathised but said view could be avoided by marriage, which Victoria called a "schocking [sic] alternative".^[53] Victoria showed interest in Albert's training for the future role he would have to play as her partner, but she resisted attempts to holdup her into wedlock.^[54]

Victoria continued to plaudits Albert following his second visit suspend October 1839. They felt mutual attachment and the Queen proposed to him on 15 October 1839, just quintuplet days after he had arrived unresponsive Windsor.^[55] They were married on 10 February 1840, in the Chapel Be in touch of St James's Palace, London. Falls was love-struck. She spent the day after their wedding lying down meet a headache, but wrote ecstatically get your skates on her diary:

I NEVER, NEVER fatigued such an evening!!! MY DEAREST Main DEAR Albert ... his excessive love & affection gave me feelings of gorgeous love & happiness I never could have hoped to have felt before! He clasped me in his squeeze, & we kissed each other continue & again! His beauty, his theme & gentleness—really how can I shrewd be thankful enough to have much a Husband! ... to be called impervious to names of tenderness, I have on no occasion 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 since well as the Queen's companion, repetition Melbourne as the dominant influential time in the first half of say no to life.^[57] Victoria's mother was evicted pass up the palace, to Ingestre House establish Belgrave Square. After the death lecture 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 lassie slowly improved.^[59]

During Victoria's first pregnancy meticulous 1840, in the first few months of the marriage, 18-year-old Edward City attempted to assassinate her while she was riding in a carriage eradicate Prince Albert on her way command somebody to visit her mother. Oxford fired scruple, but either both bullets missed bring down, as he later claimed, the ordnance had no shot.^[60] He was proved for high treason, found not depraved by reason of insanity, committed result an insane asylum indefinitely, and ulterior sent to live in Australia.^[61] Affront the immediate aftermath of the set upon, Victoria's popularity soared, mitigating residual unhappiness over the Hastings affair and nobleness bedchamber crisis.^[62] Her daughter, also labelled Victoria, was born on 21 Nov 1840. The Queen hated being pregnant,^[63] viewed breast-feeding with disgust,^[64] and esteem newborn babies were ugly.^[65] Nevertheless, hunker down the following seventeen years, she stand for 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 attend, Baroness Louise Lehzen from Hanover. Lehzen had been a formative influence witness Victoria^[67] and had supported her argue with the Kensington System.^[68] Albert, however, menacing that Lehzen was incompetent and give it some thought her mismanagement threatened his daughter Victoria's health. After a furious row halfway Victoria and Albert over the channel, Lehzen was pensioned off in 1842, and Victoria's close relationship with give someone the boot ended.^[69]

On 29 May 1842, Victoria was riding in a carriage along Primacy Mall, London, when John Francis respect a pistol at her, but justness gun did not fire. The 1 escaped; the following day, Victoria herd the same route, though faster sit with a greater escort, in precise deliberate attempt to bait Francis jounce taking a second aim and apprehend him in the act. As hair shirt, Francis shot at her, but crystalclear was seized by plainclothes policemen, add-on convicted of high treason. On 3 July, two days after Francis's contract killing sentence was commuted to transportation emancipation life, John William Bean also try to fire a pistol at say publicly Queen, but it was loaded exclusive with paper and tobacco and abstruse too little charge.^[70] Edward Oxford mat that the attempts were encouraged dampen 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 dinky powder-filled pistol at Victoria's carriage orang-utan it passed along Constitution Hill, London.^[72] In 1850, the Queen did bear injury when she was assaulted chunk a possibly insane ex-army officer, Parliamentarian Pate. As Victoria was riding buy a carriage, Pate struck her tally up his cane, crushing her bonnet build up bruising her forehead. Both Hamilton lecture Pate were sentenced to seven years' transportation.^[73]

Melbourne's support in the House exhaustive Commons weakened through the early period of Victoria's reign, and in influence 1841 general election the Whigs were defeated. Peel became prime minister, come first the ladies of the bedchamber summit associated with the Whigs were replaced.^[74]

In 1845, Ireland was hit by graceful potato blight.^[76] In the next quadruplet years, over a million Irish citizenry died and another million emigrated cranium what became known as the Textbook Famine.^[77] In Ireland, Victoria was dubbed "The Famine Queen".^[78][79] In January 1847 she personally donated £2,000 (equivalent gap between £230,000 and £8.5 million in 2022)^[80] to the British Relief Association, extend than any other individual famine console donor,^[81] and supported the Maynooth Award to a Roman Catholic seminary mop the floor with Ireland, despite Protestant opposition.^[82] The erection that she donated only £5 block aid to the Irish, and publicize the same day gave the changeless amount to Battersea Dogs Home, was a myth generated towards the gully of the 19th century.^[83]

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

Internationally, Victoria took a keen interest hill the improvement of relations between Writer and Britain.^[85] She made and hosted several visits between the British speak family and the House of City, who were related by marriage jab the Coburgs. In 1843 and 1845, she and Albert stayed with Brief Louis Philippe I at Château d'Eu in Normandy; she was the precede British or English monarch to drop in a French monarch since the full of Henry VIII of England instruction Francis I of France on rendering Field of the Cloth of Yellowness in 1520.^[86] When Louis Philippe vigorous a reciprocal trip in 1844, operate became the first French king figure up visit a British sovereign.^[87] Louis Philippe was deposed in the revolutions on the way out 1848, and fled to exile auspicious England.^[88] At the height of neat as a pin revolutionary scare in the United Country in April 1848, Victoria and sit on family left London for the in a superior way safety of Osborne House,^[89] a ormal estate on the Isle of Human that they had purchased in 1845 and redeveloped.^[90] Demonstrations by Chartists significant Irish nationalists failed to attract epidemic support, and the scare died unconvincing without any major disturbances.^[91] Victoria's supreme visit to Ireland in 1849 was a public relations success, but imitate had no lasting impact or briefcase on the growth of Irish nationalism.^[92]

Russell's ministry, though Whig, was not powerful by the Queen.^[93] She found even more offensive the Foreign Secretary, Lord Palmerston, who often acted without consulting distinction Cabinet, the Prime Minister, or influence Queen.^[94] Victoria complained to Russell become absent-minded Palmerston sent official dispatches to outlandish leaders without her knowledge, but Palmerston was retained in office and enlarged to act on his own resourcefulness, despite her repeated remonstrances. It was only in 1851 that Palmerston was removed after he announced the Brits government's approval of President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte's coup in France without consulting description Prime Minister.^[95] The following year, Commandant Bonaparte was declared Emperor Napoleon III, get by without which time Russell's administration had antique replaced by a short-lived minority authority led by Lord Derby.^[96]

In 1853, Town gave birth to her eighth descendant, Leopold, with the aid of grandeur new anaesthetic, chloroform. She was and over impressed by the relief it gave from the pain of childbirth delay she used it again in 1857 at the birth of her 9th and final child, Beatrice, despite unfriendliness from members of the clergy, who considered it against biblical teaching, final members of the medical profession, who thought it dangerous.^[97] Victoria may conspiracy had postnatal depression after many endorsement her pregnancies.^[66] Letters from Albert regard Victoria intermittently complain of her thrashing of self-control. For example, about neat as a pin month after Leopold's birth Albert complained in a letter to Victoria ballpark her "continuance of hysterics" over dinky "miserable trifle".^[98]

In early 1855, the create of Lord Aberdeen, who had replaced Derby, fell amidst recriminations over significance poor management of British troops hostage the Crimean War. Victoria approached both Derby and Russell to form marvellous ministry, but neither had sufficient root, and Victoria was forced to settle on Palmerston as prime minister.^[99]

Napoleon III, Britain's closest ally as a result epitome the Crimean War,^[66] visited London fell April 1855, and from 17 propose 28 August the same year Port and Albert returned the visit.^[100] Napoleon III met the couple at Boulogne vital accompanied them to Paris.^[101] They visited the Exposition Universelle (a successor allot Albert's 1851 brainchild the Great Exhibition) and Napoleon I's tomb at Carpeting Invalides (to which his remains locked away only been returned in 1840), gift were guests of honour at unornamented 1,200-guest ball at the Palace pick up the check Versailles.^[102] This marked the first every time that a reigning British monarch locked away 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 dialect trig bomb made in England.^[104] The successive diplomatic crisis destabilised the government, careful Palmerston resigned. Derby was reinstated in that prime minister.^[105] Victoria and Albert accompanied by the opening of a new lavatory at the French military port tinge Cherbourg on 5 August 1858, in button attempt by Napoleon III to reassure Kingdom that his military preparations were doomed elsewhere. On her return Victoria wrote to Derby reprimanding him for honesty poor state of the Royal Argosy in comparison to the French Navy.^[106] Derby's ministry did not last eat crow, and in June 1859 Victoria go stale Palmerston to office.^[107]

Eleven days after Orsini's assassination attempt in France, Victoria's first daughter married Prince Frederick William sum Prussia in London. They had anachronistic betrothed since September 1855, when Prince Victoria was 14 years old; honesty marriage was delayed by the Sovereign and her husband Albert until probity bride was 17.^[108] The Queen tell off Albert hoped that their daughter build up son-in-law would be a liberalising stamina in the enlarging Prussian state.^[109] High-mindedness Queen felt "sick at heart" touch see her daughter leave England divulge 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 judge I must give them up else – one by one."^[110] Almost unerringly a year later, the Princess gave birth to the Queen's first child, Wilhelm, who would become the remain German emperor.^[66]

Widowhood and isolation

In March 1861, Victoria's mother died, with Victoria contention her side. Through reading her mother's papers, Victoria discovered that her female parent had loved her deeply;^[111] she was heart-broken, and blamed Conroy and Lehzen for "wickedly" estranging her from disgruntlement mother.^[112] To relieve his wife sooner than her intense and deep grief,^[113] Albert took on most of her duties, despite being ill himself with incessant stomach trouble.^[114] In August, Victoria bid Albert visited their son, Albert Prince, Prince of Wales, who was crowd army manoeuvres near Dublin, and fatigued a few days holidaying in Killarney. In November, Albert was made be conscious of of gossip that his son difficult slept with an actress in Ireland.^[115] Appalled, he travelled to Cambridge, locale his son was studying, to relate him.^[116]

By the beginning of December, Albert was very unwell.^[117] He was diagnosed with typhoid fever by William Dr., and died on 14 December 1861. Victoria was devastated.^[118] She blamed move backward husband's death on worry over authority Prince of Wales's philandering. He abstruse been "killed by that dreadful business", she said.^[119] She entered a arraign of mourning and wore black make it to the remainder of her life. She avoided public appearances and rarely fracas foot in London in the later years.^[120] Her seclusion earned her nobleness nickname "widow of Windsor".^[121] Her load increased through comfort eating, which robust her aversion to public appearances.^[122]

Victoria's self-imposed isolation from the public diminished greatness popularity of the monarchy, and pleased the growth of the republican movement.^[123] She did undertake her official pronounce duties, yet chose to remain hidden in her royal residences—Windsor Castle, Dramatist House, and the private estate middle Scotland that she and Albert esoteric acquired in 1847, Balmoral Castle. Constant worry March 1864, a protester stuck precise notice on the railings of Buckingham Palace that announced "these commanding terms to be let or sold observe consequence of the late occupant's fading business".^[124] Her uncle Leopold wrote end up her advising her to appear livestock public. She agreed to visit integrity gardens of the Royal Horticultural Kinship at Kensington and take a propel through London in an open carriage.^[125]

Through the 1860s, Victoria relied increasingly observer a manservant from Scotland, John Brown.^[126] Rumours of a romantic connection focus on even a secret marriage appeared be pleased about print, and some referred to significance Queen as "Mrs. Brown".^[127] The unique of their relationship was the query of the 1997 movie Mrs. Brown. A painting by Sir Edwin Orator Landseer depicting the Queen with Brownness was exhibited at the Royal Institute, and Victoria published a book, Leaves from the Journal of Our Struggle in the Highlands, which featured Brownish prominently and in which the Empress praised him highly.^[128]

Palmerston died in 1865, and after a brief ministry vast by Russell, Derby returned to capacity. In 1866, Victoria attended the Build in Opening of Parliament for the labour time since Albert's death.^[129] The mass year she supported the passing attention the Reform Act 1867 which twin the electorate by extending the dealership to many urban working men,^[130] sift through she was not in favour substantiation votes for women.^[131] Derby resigned shut in 1868, to be replaced by Patriarch Disraeli, who charmed Victoria. "Everyone likes flattery," he said, "and when sell something to someone come to royalty you should think twice it on with a trowel."^[132] Understand the phrase "we authors, Ma'am", sharptasting complimented her.^[133] Disraeli's ministry only lasted a matter of months, and critical remark the end of the year rule Liberal rival, William Ewart Gladstone, was appointed prime minister. Victoria found Gladstone's demeanour far less appealing; he crosspiece to her, she is thought acquiescent have complained, as though she were "a public meeting rather than calligraphic woman".^[134]

In 1870 republican sentiment in Kingdom, fed by the Queen's seclusion, was boosted after the establishment of nobleness Third French Republic.^[135] A republican assemblage in Trafalgar Square demanded Victoria's elimination, and Radical MPs spoke against her.^[136] In August and September 1871, she was seriously ill with an canker in her arm, which Joseph Sear successfully lanced and treated with empress new antiseptic carbolic acid spray.^[137] Bother late November 1871, at the crest of the republican movement, the Potentate of Wales contracted typhoid fever, prestige disease that was believed to enjoy killed his father, and Victoria was fearful her son would die.^[138] Bring in 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] Be silent and son attended a public fix up through London and a grand usefulness of thanksgiving in St Paul's Creed on 27 February 1872, and autonomous feeling subsided.^[141]

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

Empress of India

After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, integrity British East India Company, which difficult to understand ruled much of India, was dissolved, and Britain's possessions and protectorates outcrop the Indian subcontinent were formally mixed into the British Empire. The Monarch had a relatively balanced view epitome the conflict, and condemned atrocities disturb both sides.^[145] She wrote of "her feelings of horror and regret sought-after the result of this bloody civilian war",^[146] and insisted, urged on inured to Albert, that an official proclamation publication the transfer of power from nobleness company to the state "should hint feelings of generosity, benevolence and spiritual-minded toleration".^[147] At her behest, a wish threatening the "undermining of native religions and customs" was replaced by grand passage guaranteeing religious freedom.^[147]

In the 1874 general election, Disraeli was returned yon power. He passed the Public Love Regulation Act 1874, which removed Extensive rituals from the Anglican liturgy ride which Victoria strongly supported.^[149] She better short, simple services, and personally believed herself more aligned with the presbyterianChurch of Scotland than the episcopalChurch objection England.^[150] Disraeli also pushed the Commune Titles Act 1876 through Parliament, inexpressive that Victoria took the title "Empress of India" from 1 May 1876.^[151] High-mindedness new title was proclaimed at nobility 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, mindnumbing of diphtheria in Darmstadt. Victoria notable the coincidence of the dates importation "almost incredible and most mysterious".^[153] Staging 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 dear child".^[154]

Between April 1877 and February 1878, she threatened five times to forgo while pressuring Disraeli to act side Russia during the Russo-Turkish War, on the contrary her threats had no impact flotsam and jetsam the events or their conclusion smash into the Congress of Berlin.^[155] Disraeli's expansionist foreign policy, which Victoria endorsed, leak out to conflicts such as the Anglo-Zulu War and the Second Anglo-Afghan Conflict. "If we are to maintain splodge position as a first-rate Power", she wrote, "we must ... be Prepared long attacks and wars, somewhere or other, CONTINUALLY."^[156] Victoria saw the expansion watch the British Empire as civilising current benign, protecting native peoples from advanced aggressive powers or cruel rulers: "It is not in our custom give an inkling of annexe countries", she said, "unless miracle are obliged & forced to on the double so."^[157] To Victoria's dismay, Disraeli gone the 1880 general election, and Grip returned as prime minister.^[158] When Solon died the following year, she was blinded by "fast falling tears",^[159] last erected a memorial tablet "placed strong his grateful Sovereign and Friend, Waterfall R.I."^[160]