Victoria became Queen at age eighteen, but her first years as Regent were under the guidance of the Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. By 1850 she had exerted her own control and vision, which came to define the next fifty years in Great Britain as the "Victorian Era". She was given the title of Empress of India in 1876. Her reign was the longest of any British monarch and coincided with the Industrial Revolution during which the British Empire reached its zenith in prosperity, and world influence. She was grandmother of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.

 

 

On Feb 10th, 1840, only three years after taking the throne, Victoria took her first vow and married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Their relationship was one of great love and admiration. Together they bore nine children - four sons and five daughters: Victoria, Bertie, Alice, Alfred, Helena, Louise, Arthur, Leopold, and Beatrice.



Prince Albert replaced Melbourne as the dominant male influence in Victoria's life. She was thoroughly devoted to him, and completely submitted to his will. Victoria did nothing without her husband's approval. Albert assisted in her royal duties. He introduced a strict decorum in court and made a point of strait-laced behaviour. Albert also gave a more conservative tinge to Victoria’s politics. If Victoria was to insistently interject her opinions and make her views felt in the cabinet, it was only because of Albert’s teachings of hard work.



The general public, however, was not enamoured with the German prince; he was excluded from holding any official political position, was never granted a title of peerage and was named Prince Consort only after seventeen years of marriage.



On Dec. 14th 1861 Albert died from typhoid fever at Windsor Castle, Victoria remained in self-imposed seclusion for ten years. This genuine, but obsessive mourning kept her occupied for the rest of her life and played an important role in the evolution of what would become the Victorian mentality.



Her popularity was at its lowest by 1870, but it steadily increased thereafter until her death. In 1887 Victoria’s Golden Jubilee was a grand national celebration of her 50th year as Queen. The Golden Jubilee brought her out of her shell, and she once again embraced public life.

 

Queen Victoria died on the 22nd of January 1901.