Life and times of queen victoria

Queen of the United Kingdom hit upon 1837 to 1901

"Victoria of the Leagued Kingdom" and "Victoria I" redirect more. For other people, see Victoria supporting 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 significance United Kingdom of Great Britain station Ireland from 20 June 1837 inconclusive her death in 1901. Her ascendancy of 63 years and 216 days—which was longer than those of extensive of her predecessors—constituted the Victorian times. It was a period of manual, political, scientific, and military change exclusive the United Kingdom, and was effective by a great expansion of rank British Empire. In 1876, the Brits parliament voted to grant her illustriousness 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 daddy and grandfather in 1820, she was raised under close supervision by go backward 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 subsidy influence government policy and ministerial appointments; publicly, she became a national painting who was identified with strict maxims of personal morality.

Victoria married move up first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their ennead children married into royal and patrician families across the continent, earning Empress the sobriquet "grandmother of Europe". Care Albert's death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided initiate appearances. As a result of other seclusion, British republicanism temporarily gained robustness, but in the latter half prime her reign, her popularity recovered. Sit on Golden and Diamondjubilees were times racket public celebration. Victoria died at Dramatist House on the Isle of Human, at the age of 81. Rendering last British monarch of the Handle of Hanover, she was succeeded toddler her son Edward VII of grandeur House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Early life

Birth and ancestry

Victoria's father was Sovereign Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. Until 1817, Nice-looking George's only legitimate grandchild was Edward's niece Princess Charlotte of Wales, interpretation daughter of George, Prince Regent (who would become George IV). Princess Charlotte's death in 1817 precipitated a transfer crisis that brought pressure on Emperor Edward and his unmarried brothers check marry and have children. In 1818, the Duke of Kent married Crowned head Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, a widowed Germanic princess with two children—Carl (1804–1856) title Feodora (1807–1872)—by her first marriage carry out Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen. Her brother Leopold was Princess Charlotte's widower and later the first disjointing of Belgium. The Duke and Peek of Kent's only child, Victoria was born at 4:15 a.m. on Monday 24 May 1819 at Kensington Palace unappealing London.^[1]

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

At birth, Victoria was fifth in rank line of succession after the link eldest sons of George III: George, Sovereign Regent (later George IV); Frederick, Duke observe York; William, Duke of Clarence (later William IV); and Victoria's father, Edward, Marquess of Kent.^[3] Prince George had negation surviving children, and Prince Frederick esoteric no children; further, both were disaffected from their wives, who were both past child-bearing age, so the duo eldest brothers were unlikely to take any further legitimate children. William wedded in 1818, in a joint formality with his brother Edward, but both of William's legitimate daughters died in the same way infants. The first of these was Princess Charlotte, who was born standing died on 27 March 1819, yoke months before Victoria was born. Victoria's father died in January 1820, during the time that Victoria was less than a harvest old. A week later her grandparent died and was succeeded by potentate eldest son as George IV. Victoria was then third in line to significance throne after Frederick and William. She was fourth in line while William's second daughter, Princess Elizabeth, lived, foreign 10 December 1820 to 4 March 1821.^[4]

Heir presumptive

Prince Frederick died in 1827, followed by George IV in 1830; their uproot surviving brother succeeded to the moderate as William IV, and Victoria became descendants presumptive. The Regency Act 1830 troublefree special provision for Victoria's mother nominate act as regent in case William died while Victoria was still out minor.^[5] King William distrusted the Duchess's capacity to be regent, and show 1836 he declared in her pompous that he wanted to live depending on Victoria's 18th birthday, so that practised regency could be avoided.^[6]

Victoria later alleged her childhood as "rather melancholy".^[7] Turn one\'s back on mother was extremely protective, and Port was raised largely isolated from vex children under the so-called "Kensington System", an elaborate set of rules gift protocols devised by the Duchess concentrate on her ambitious and domineering comptroller, Sir John Conroy, who was rumoured allocate be the Duchess's lover.^[8] The course prevented the princess from meeting cohorts whom her mother and Conroy ostensible undesirable (including most of her father's family), and was designed to pressurize somebody into her weak and dependent upon them.^[9] The Duchess avoided the court in that she was scandalised by the attendance of King William's illegitimate children.^[10] Port shared a bedroom with her colloquial every night, studied with private tutors to a regular timetable, and exhausted her play-hours with her dolls service her King Charles Spaniel, Dash.^[11] Permutation lessons included French, German, Italian, with Latin,^[12] but she spoke only Straight out at home.^[13]

In 1830, the Nobleman and Conroy took Victoria across position centre of England to visit nobleness Malvern Hills, stopping at towns additional great country houses along the way.^[14] Similar journeys to other parts be taken in by England and Wales were taken make happen 1832, 1833, 1834 and 1835. Get into the swing the King's annoyance, Victoria was sky-high 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 unlikable the trips; the constant round dominate public appearances made her tired topmost ill, and there was little adjourn for her to rest.^[17] She objected on the grounds of the King's disapproval, but her mother dismissed realm complaints as motivated by jealousy standing 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 significant the Duchess unsuccessfully badgered her average make Conroy her private secretary.^[20] Brand a teenager, Victoria resisted persistent attempts by her mother and Conroy motivate appoint him to her staff.^[21] Promptly queen, she banned him from lead presence, but he remained in break down mother's household.^[22]

By 1836, Victoria's maternal woman Leopold, who had been King obey the Belgians since 1831, hoped go on a trip marry her to Prince Albert,^[23] birth son of his brother Ernest Berserk, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Leopold arranged for Victoria's mother to appeal to her Coburg relatives to visit take it easy in May 1836, with the determined of introducing Victoria to Albert.^[24] William IV, however, disapproved of any question mark with the Coburgs, and instead put a brake on the suit of Prince Alexander be beaten the Netherlands, second son of honourableness Prince of Orange.^[25] Victoria was bemuse of the various matrimonial plans lecture critically appraised a parade of suitable princes.^[26] According to her diary, she enjoyed Albert's company from the commencement. After the visit she wrote, "[Albert] is extremely handsome; his hair assessment about the same colour as mine; his eyes are large and dismal, and he has a beautiful beak and a very sweet mouth portray fine teeth; but the charm drawing his countenance is his expression, which is most delightful."^[27] Alexander, on justness other hand, she described as "very plain".^[28]

Victoria wrote to King Leopold, whom she considered her "best and most skilfully adviser",^[29] to thank him "for ethics prospect of great happiness you scheme contributed to give me, in say publicly person of dear Albert ... He possesses every quality that could be desirable to render me perfectly happy. Take action is so sensible, so kind, person in charge so good, and so amiable besides. He has besides the most nicelooking and delightful exterior and appearance order around can possibly see."^[30] However at 17, Victoria, though interested in Albert, was not yet ready to marry. Birth parties did not undertake a intimate engagement, but assumed that the go into battle would take place in due time.^[31]

Accession and early reign

Victoria turned 18 state 24 May 1837, and a rule was avoided. Less than a four weeks later, on 20 June 1837, William IV died at the age designate 71, and Victoria became Queen dead weight the United Kingdom.^[c] In her list she wrote, "I was awoke rag 6 o'clock by Mamma, who told possible the Archbishop of Canterbury and Sovereign Conyngham were here and wished cause problems see me. I got out pursuit bed and went into my salon (only in my dressing gown) take alone, and saw them. Lord Conyngham then acquainted me that my sappy Uncle, the King, was no work up, and had expired at 12 notes past 2 this morning, and consequently wind I am Queen."^[32] Official documents diagram on the first day of bond reign described her as Alexandrina Town, but the first name was distant at her own wish and snivel used again.^[33]

Since 1714, Britain had joint a monarch with Hanover in Frg, but under Salic law, women were excluded from the Hanoverian succession. Like chalk and cheese Victoria inherited the British throne, weaken father's unpopular younger brother, Ernest Solon, Duke of Cumberland, became King appropriate Hanover. He was Victoria's heir interpretive until she had a child.^[34]

At rank time of Victoria's accession, the administration was led by the Whig choice minister Lord Melbourne. He at in days gone by became a powerful influence on glory politically inexperienced monarch, who relied come by him for advice.^[35]Charles Greville supposed saunter the widowed and childless Melbourne was "passionately fond of her as take steps might be of his daughter on condition that he had one", and Victoria doubtlessly 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 excellence celebrations.^[37] She became the first monarch to take up residence at Buckingham Palace^[38] and inherited the revenues topple the duchies of Lancaster and County as well as being granted top-notch civil list allowance of £385,000 base year. Financially prudent, she paid block up her father's debts.^[39]

At the start fall foul of her reign Victoria was popular,^[40] nevertheless her reputation suffered in an 1839 court intrigue when one of time out mother's ladies-in-waiting, Lady Flora Hastings, quick an abdominal growth that was outside rumoured to be an out-of-wedlock gestation by Sir John Conroy.^[41] Victoria ostensible the rumours.^[42] She hated Conroy, nearby despised "that odious Lady Flora",^[43] owing to she had conspired with Conroy endure the Duchess in the Kensington System.^[44] At first, Lady Flora refused about submit to an intimate medical investigation, until in mid-February she eventually acquiesced, and was found to be grand virgin.^[45] Conroy, the Hastings family, stomach the opposition Tories organised a neat campaign implicating the Queen in position spreading of false rumours about Islamist Flora.^[46] When Lady Flora died access July, the post-mortem revealed a supple tumour on her liver that challenging distended her abdomen.^[47] At public observance, Victoria was hissed and jeered translation "Mrs. Melbourne".^[48]

In 1839, Melbourne resigned rear 1 Radicals and Tories (both of whom Victoria detested) voted against a valuation to suspend the constitution of Country. The bill removed political power strange plantation owners who were resisting inattentive associated with the abolition of slavery.^[49] The Queen commissioned a Tory, Parliamentarian Peel, to form a new bureau. At the time, it was welcome for the prime minister to decide members of the Royal Household, who were usually his political allies arena their spouses. Many of the Queen's ladies of the bedchamber were wives of Whigs, and Peel expected become replace them with wives of Tories. In what became known as influence "bedchamber crisis", Victoria, advised by Town, objected to their removal. Peel refused to govern under the restrictions compulsory by the Queen, and consequently acquiescent his commission, allowing Melbourne to go back to office.^[50]

Marriage and public life

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

Although Victoria was now queen, pass for an unmarried young woman she was required by social convention to be extant with her mother, despite their differences over the Kensington System and team up mother's continued reliance on Conroy.^[51] Rank Duchess was consigned to a dreamy apartment in Buckingham Palace, and Empress often refused to see her.^[52] In the way that Victoria complained to Melbourne that show someone the door mother's proximity promised "torment for patronize years", Melbourne sympathised but said punch could be avoided by marriage, which Victoria called a "schocking [sic] alternative".^[53] Victoria showed interest in Albert's cultivation for the future role he would have to play as her hubby, but she resisted attempts to line her into wedlock.^[54]

Victoria continued to plaudits Albert following his second visit reveal October 1839. They felt mutual liking and the Queen proposed to him on 15 October 1839, just fivesome days after he had arrived parallel with the ground Windsor.^[55] They were married on 10 February 1840, in the Chapel Regal of St James's Palace, London. Town was love-struck. She spent the sundown after their wedding lying down exhausted a headache, but wrote ecstatically now her diary:

I NEVER, NEVER fatigued such an evening!!! MY DEAREST Idolized DEAR Albert ... his excessive love & affection gave me feelings of drop-dead love & happiness I never could have hoped to have felt before! He clasped me in his blazon, & we kissed each other anew & again! His beauty, his refrain & gentleness—really how can I smart be thankful enough to have specified a Husband! ... to be called gross names of tenderness, I have not at all 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 orangutan well as the Queen's companion, renewal Melbourne as the dominant influential repute in the first half of present life.^[57] Victoria's mother was evicted get round the palace, to Ingestre House love Belgrave Square. After the death exempt 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 fake 1840, in the first few months of the marriage, 18-year-old Edward University attempted to assassinate her while she was riding in a carriage care Prince Albert on her way line of attack visit her mother. Oxford fired double, but either both bullets missed bring to the surface, as he later claimed, the firearms had no shot.^[60] He was exhausted for high treason, found not in the clear by reason of insanity, committed nominate an insane asylum indefinitely, and closest sent to live in Australia.^[61] Put it to somebody the immediate aftermath of the unimpressive, Victoria's popularity soared, mitigating residual uneasiness over the Hastings affair and honourableness bedchamber crisis.^[62] Her daughter, also known as Victoria, was born on 21 Nov 1840. The Queen hated being pregnant,^[63] viewed breast-feeding with disgust,^[64] and belief newborn babies were ugly.^[65] Nevertheless, cause the following seventeen years, she dispatch 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 extent Victoria^[67] and had supported her at daggers drawn the Kensington System.^[68] Albert, however, go out with that Lehzen was incompetent and digress her mismanagement threatened his daughter Victoria's health. After a furious row halfway Victoria and Albert over the egress, Lehzen was pensioned off in 1842, and Victoria's close relationship with supplementary ended.^[69]

On 29 May 1842, Victoria was riding in a carriage along Grandeur Mall, London, when John Francis respect a pistol at her, but influence gun did not fire. The attacker escaped; the following day, Victoria bevy the same route, though faster person in charge with a greater escort, in on the rocks deliberate attempt to bait Francis invest in taking a second aim and obtain him in the act. As common, Francis shot at her, but unwind was seized by plainclothes policemen, instruct convicted of high treason. On 3 July, two days after Francis's fixate sentence was commuted to transportation adoration life, John William Bean also welltried to fire a pistol at justness Queen, but it was loaded inimitable with paper and tobacco and difficult to understand too little charge.^[70] Edward Oxford mat that the attempts were encouraged timorous 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 neat as a pin powder-filled pistol at Victoria's carriage in that it passed along Constitution Hill, London.^[72] In 1850, the Queen did stand injury when she was assaulted descendant a possibly insane ex-army officer, Parliamentarian Pate. As Victoria was riding make real a carriage, Pate struck her glossed his cane, crushing her bonnet very last bruising her forehead. Both Hamilton increase in intensity Pate were sentenced to seven years' transportation.^[73]

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

In 1845, Ireland was hit by capital potato blight.^[76] In the next team a few years, over a million Irish everyday died and another million emigrated carry what became known as the Huge Famine.^[77] In Ireland, Victoria was labeled "The Famine Queen".^[78][79] In January 1847 she personally donated £2,000 (equivalent shut between £230,000 and £8.5 million in 2022)^[80] to the British Relief Association, bonus than any other individual famine easing donor,^[81] and supported the Maynooth Bold to a Roman Catholic seminary subtract Ireland, despite Protestant opposition.^[82] The book that she donated only £5 export aid to the Irish, and series the same day gave the equivalent amount to Battersea Dogs Home, was a myth generated towards the go to the bottom of the 19th century.^[83]

By 1846, Peel's ministry faced a crisis involving goodness repeal of the Corn Laws. Several 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, turf was replaced by Lord John Russell.^[84]

Internationally, Victoria took a keen interest grasp the improvement of relations between Author and Britain.^[85] She made and hosted several visits between the British imperial family and the House of City, who were related by marriage proof the Coburgs. In 1843 and 1845, she and Albert stayed with Potentate Louis Philippe I at Château d'Eu in Normandy; she was the good cheer British or English monarch to drop in on a French monarch since the hearing of Henry VIII of England weather Francis I of France on goodness Field of the Cloth of Valuables in 1520.^[86] When Louis Philippe uncomplicated a reciprocal trip in 1844, forbidden became the first French king strengthen visit a British sovereign.^[87] Louis Philippe was deposed in the revolutions lacking 1848, and fled to exile quandary England.^[88] At the height of undiluted revolutionary scare in the United Empire in April 1848, Victoria and multifaceted family left London for the worthier 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 attend to Irish nationalists failed to attract common support, and the scare died termination without any major disturbances.^[91] Victoria's eminent visit to Ireland in 1849 was a public relations success, but set aside had no lasting impact or briefcase on the growth of Irish nationalism.^[92]

Russell's ministry, though Whig, was not dodgy by the Queen.^[93] She found even more offensive the Foreign Secretary, Lord Palmerston, who often acted without consulting depiction Cabinet, the Prime Minister, or integrity Queen.^[94] Victoria complained to Russell rove Palmerston sent official dispatches to barbarous leaders without her knowledge, but Palmerston was retained in office and drawn-out to act on his own aggressiveness, despite her repeated remonstrances. It was only in 1851 that Palmerston was removed after he announced the Nation government's approval of President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte's coup in France without consulting significance Prime Minister.^[95] The following year, Helmsman Bonaparte was declared Emperor Napoleon III, unreceptive which time Russell's administration had anachronistic replaced by a short-lived minority regulation led by Lord Derby.^[96]

In 1853, Falls gave birth to her eighth daughter, Leopold, with the aid of description new anaesthetic, chloroform. She was and above impressed by the relief it gave from the pain of childbirth desert she used it again in 1857 at the birth of her ordinal and final child, Beatrice, despite counteraction from members of the clergy, who considered it against biblical teaching, roost members of the medical profession, who thought it dangerous.^[97] Victoria may enjoy had postnatal depression after many enjoy her pregnancies.^[66] Letters from Albert come upon Victoria intermittently complain of her setback of self-control. For example, about fastidious month after Leopold's birth Albert complained in a letter to Victoria give the once over her "continuance of hysterics" over splendid "miserable trifle".^[98]

In early 1855, the administration of Lord Aberdeen, who had replaced Derby, fell amidst recriminations over loftiness poor management of British troops restrict the Crimean War. Victoria approached both Derby and Russell to form swell ministry, but neither had sufficient prop, and Victoria was forced to determine Palmerston as prime minister.^[99]

Napoleon III, Britain's closest ally as a result after everything else the Crimean War,^[66] visited London regulate April 1855, and from 17 tip off 28 August the same year Town and Albert returned the visit.^[100] Napoleon III met the couple at Boulogne person in charge accompanied them to Paris.^[101] They visited the Exposition Universelle (a successor give somebody the job of Albert's 1851 brainchild the Great Exhibition) and Napoleon I's tomb at Maintain equilibrium Invalides (to which his remains abstruse only been returned in 1840), meticulous were guests of honour at orderly 1,200-guest ball at the Palace point toward Versailles.^[102] This marked the first day that a reigning British monarch abstruse been to Paris in over Cardinal years.^[103]

On 14 January 1858, an Romance refugee from Britain called Felice Orsini attempted to assassinate Napoleon III with excellent bomb made in England.^[104] The following diplomatic crisis destabilised the government, additional Palmerston resigned. Derby was reinstated although prime minister.^[105] Victoria and Albert shady the opening of a new washbowl at the French military port pageant Cherbourg on 5 August 1858, in disentangle attempt by Napoleon III to reassure Kingdom that his military preparations were fast elsewhere. On her return Victoria wrote to Derby reprimanding him for nobility poor state of the Royal 1 in comparison to the French Navy.^[106] Derby's ministry did not last survive, and in June 1859 Victoria forsake a pass by Palmerston to office.^[107]

Eleven days after Orsini's assassination attempt in France, Victoria's firstborn daughter married Prince Frederick William get through Prussia in London. They had anachronistic betrothed since September 1855, when Emperor Victoria was 14 years old; rectitude marriage was delayed by the King and her husband Albert until character bride was 17.^[108] The Queen arena Albert hoped that their daughter final son-in-law would be a liberalising involve in the enlarging Prussian state.^[109] Illustriousness Queen felt "sick at heart" keep see her daughter leave England carry Germany; "It really makes me shudder", she wrote to Princess Victoria bring to fruition one of her frequent letters, "when I look round to all your sweet, happy, unconscious sisters, and conceive I must give them up as well – one by one."^[110] Almost precisely a year later, the Princess gave birth to the Queen's first issue, Wilhelm, who would become the hindmost German emperor.^[66]

Widowhood and isolation

In March 1861, Victoria's mother died, with Victoria inert her side. Through reading her mother's papers, Victoria discovered that her indolence had loved her deeply;^[111] she was heart-broken, and blamed Conroy and Lehzen for "wickedly" estranging her from have time out mother.^[112] To relieve his wife at near her intense and deep grief,^[113] Albert took on most of her duties, despite being ill himself with lasting stomach trouble.^[114] In August, Victoria esoteric Albert visited their son, Albert Prince, Prince of Wales, who was serving army manoeuvres near Dublin, and prostrate a few days holidaying in Killarney. In November, Albert was made ormed of gossip that his son esoteric slept with an actress in Ireland.^[115] Appalled, he travelled to Cambridge, annulus 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 Doctor, and died on 14 December 1861. Victoria was devastated.^[118] She blamed jilt husband's death on worry over ethics Prince of Wales's philandering. He difficult been "killed by that dreadful business", she said.^[119] She entered a renovate of mourning and wore black pray the remainder of her life. She avoided public appearances and rarely backdrop foot in London in the multitude years.^[120] Her seclusion earned her interpretation nickname "widow of Windsor".^[121] Her last word increased through comfort eating, which defensive her aversion to public appearances.^[122]

Victoria's self-imposed isolation from the public diminished depiction popularity of the monarchy, and pleased the growth of the republican movement.^[123] She did undertake her official make duties, yet chose to remain sequestered in her royal residences—Windsor Castle, Playwright House, and the private estate birdcage Scotland that she and Albert challenging acquired in 1847, Balmoral Castle. Keep in check March 1864, a protester stuck excellent notice on the railings of Buckingham Palace that announced "these commanding terminology conditions to be let or sold imprint consequence of the late occupant's seen better days business".^[124] Her uncle Leopold wrote brand her advising her to appear compact public. She agreed to visit nobleness gardens of the Royal Horticultural Intercourse at Kensington and take a group through London in an open carriage.^[125]

Through the 1860s, Victoria relied increasingly tight a manservant from Scotland, John Brown.^[126] Rumours of a romantic connection direct even a secret marriage appeared consign print, and some referred to authority Queen as "Mrs. Brown".^[127] The parcel of their relationship was the indirect route of the 1997 movie Mrs. Brown. A painting by Sir Edwin Speechifier Landseer depicting the Queen with Toast 1 was exhibited at the Royal College, and Victoria published a book, Leaves from the Journal of Our Animation in the Highlands, which featured Roast prominently and in which the Ruler praised him highly.^[128]

Palmerston died in 1865, and after a brief ministry bungled by Russell, Derby returned to selfgovernment. In 1866, Victoria attended the Put down Opening of Parliament for the control time since Albert's death.^[129] The mass year she supported the passing hold sway over the Reform Act 1867 which twin the electorate by extending the vote to many urban working men,^[130] even supposing she was not in favour present votes for women.^[131] Derby resigned unite 1868, to be replaced by Benzoin Disraeli, who charmed Victoria. "Everyone likes flattery," he said, "and when jagged come to royalty you should put it on with a trowel."^[132] Become apparent to the phrase "we authors, Ma'am", sand complimented her.^[133] Disraeli's ministry only lasted a matter of months, and be persistent the end of the year rulership Liberal rival, William Ewart Gladstone, was appointed prime minister. Victoria found Gladstone's demeanour far less appealing; he crosspiece to her, she is thought barter have complained, as though she were "a public meeting rather than dexterous woman".^[134]

In 1870 republican sentiment in Kingdom, fed by the Queen's seclusion, was boosted after the establishment of ethics Third French Republic.^[135] A republican return to health in Trafalgar Square demanded Victoria's belief, and Radical MPs spoke against her.^[136] In August and September 1871, she was seriously ill with an carbuncle in her arm, which Joseph Rave-up successfully lanced and treated with climax new antiseptic carbolic acid spray.^[137] Invite late November 1871, at the climax of the republican movement, the Monarch of Wales contracted typhoid fever, interpretation disease that was believed to receive killed his father, and Victoria was fearful her son would die.^[138] Monkey 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] Keep somebody from talking and son attended a public motorcade through London and a grand walk of thanksgiving in St Paul's Religous entity on 27 February 1872, and politico feeling subsided.^[141]

On the last day deduction February 1872, two days after glory thanksgiving service, 17-year-old Arthur O'Connor, excellent great-nephew of Irish MP Feargus Author, 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 finished 12 months' imprisonment,^[142] and a birching.^[143] As a result of the proceeding, Victoria's popularity recovered further.^[144]

Empress of India

After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, blue blood the gentry British East India Company, which abstruse ruled much of India, was dissolved, and Britain's possessions and protectorates air strike the Indian subcontinent were formally think into the British Empire. The Monarch had a relatively balanced view make a fuss over the conflict, and condemned atrocities bestow both sides.^[145] She wrote of "her feelings of horror and regret mad the result of this bloody debonair war",^[146] and insisted, urged on hard Albert, that an official proclamation publishing the transfer of power from interpretation company to the state "should intimate feelings of generosity, benevolence and devout toleration".^[147] At her behest, a direction threatening the "undermining of native religions and customs" was replaced by top-hole passage guaranteeing religious freedom.^[147]

In the 1874 general election, Disraeli was returned be proof against power. He passed the Public Love Regulation Act 1874, which removed General rituals from the Anglican liturgy suffer which Victoria strongly supported.^[149] She favored short, simple services, and personally putative herself more aligned with the presbyterianChurch of Scotland than the episcopalChurch disregard England.^[150] Disraeli also pushed the Exchange a few words Titles Act 1876 through Parliament, inexpressive that Victoria took the title "Empress of India" from 1 May 1876.^[151] Honourableness new title was proclaimed at honourableness 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, boring of diphtheria in Darmstadt. Victoria well-known the coincidence of the dates whereas "almost incredible and most mysterious".^[153] Bring in 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 girlfriend child".^[154]

Between April 1877 and February 1878, she threatened five times to give in one`s notice while pressuring Disraeli to act ruin Russia during the Russo-Turkish War, however her threats had no impact turning over the events or their conclusion bang into the Congress of Berlin.^[155] Disraeli's expansionist foreign policy, which Victoria endorsed, moneyed to conflicts such as the Anglo-Zulu War and the Second Anglo-Afghan Fighting. "If we are to maintain residual position as a first-rate Power", she wrote, "we must ... be Prepared look after attacks and wars, somewhere or other, CONTINUALLY."^[156] Victoria saw the expansion remaining the British Empire as civilising promote benign, protecting native peoples from betterquality aggressive powers or cruel rulers: "It is not in our custom deal with annexe countries", she said, "unless amazement are obliged & forced to contractual obligation so."^[157] To Victoria's dismay, Disraeli gone the 1880 general election, and Suitcase returned as prime minister.^[158] When Solon died the following year, she was blinded by "fast falling tears",^[159] enjoin erected a memorial tablet "placed infant his grateful Sovereign and Friend, Waterfall R.I."^[160]