SoonerStormchaser
6/20/2007, 08:47 AM
Sorry I neglected my duties these past few days...today'll be the only day I can do a GM post, as I've been either flying (Monday and tomorrow), SIMing (Friday) or taking a godaweful Radar Navigation test (yesterday). But I digress...
June 20, 1837: Queen Victoria ascends to the British throne.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Queenvictoria.jpg
170 years ago today, the last monarch of the British House of Hanover assumed the throne.
Her reign lasted sixty-three years and seven months, longer than that of any other British monarch. In general, the period centred on her reign is known as the Victorian era.
The Victorian era was at the height of the Industrial Revolution, a period of significant social, economic, and technological progress in the United Kingdom. Victoria's reign was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire; during this period it reached its zenith, becoming the foremost Global Power of the time.
Victoria was almost entirely of German descent. She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover. Her son King Edward VII belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Her father, Edward, the Duke of Kent and Strathearn, was the fourth son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. Her mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, was the sister of King Leopold I of Belgium. George III's eldest son, the Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), had only one child, Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales. When she died in 1817, the remaining unmarried sons of King George III scrambled to marry and father children to guarantee the line of succession. At the age of fifty the Duke of Kent and Strathearn married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the sister of Princess Charlotte's widower Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and widow of Karl, Prince of Leiningen. Victoria, the only child of the couple, was born in Kensington Palace, London on 24 May 1819.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Queen_Victoria_in_her_coronation_robes.jpg
On 24 May 1837 Victoria turned 18, meaning that a regency was no longer necessary. Four weeks later, Victoria was awakened by her mother to find that at twelve minutes past two on the morning of 20 June 1837, William IV had died from heart failure at the age of seventy-one. When Victoria ascended the throne, the government was controlled by the Whig Party, which had been in power, except for brief intervals, since 1830. The Whig Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, at once became a powerful influence in the life of the politically inexperienced Queen, who relied on him for advice. The Melbourne ministry would not stay in power for long; it was growing unpopular and, moreover, faced considerable difficulty in governing the British colonies. In Canada, the United Kingdom faced an insurrection (see Rebellions of 1837, with uprisings lasting until 1839), and in Jamaica, the colonial legislature had protested British policies by refusing to pass any laws. In 1839, Lord Melbourne resigned.
http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/images/hanover/victoria_albert.jpg
The Queen married her first cousin, Prince Albert, on 10 February 1840, in the Chapel Royal of St. James's Palace, London. Prince Albert did not formally obtain the title of Prince Consort until 1857. He was never granted a peerage. Albert was not only the Queen's companion, but also an important political advisor, replacing Lord Melbourne as the dominant figure in the first half of her life. The Prince Consort died of typhoid fever on December 14, 1861, devastating Victoria, who entered a state of mourning and wore black for the remainder of her life. She avoided public appearances and rarely set foot in London in the following years. Her seclusion earned her the name "Widow of Windsor." She blamed her son Edward, the Prince of Wales, for his father's death, since news of the Prince's poor conduct had come to his father in November, leading Prince Albert to travel to Cambridge to confront his son.
Victoria began to rely increasingly on a manservant from Scotland, John Brown. A romantic connection and even a secret marriage have been alleged, but both charges are generally discredited. However, when Victoria's remains were laid in the coffin, two sets of mementos were placed with her, at her request. By her side was placed one of Albert's dressing gowns while in her left hand was placed a piece of Brown's hair, along with a picture of him. Rumours of an affair and marriage earned Victoria the nickname "Mrs Brown". The story of their relationship was the subject of the 1997 movie Mrs. Brown.
http://www.btinternet.com/~sbishop100/4mon.jpg
The Queen with her son (future King Edward VII), her grandson (future King George V) and her great-grandson (future King Edward VIII, who would abdicate in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee).
Queen Victoria's reign marked the gradual establishment of modern constitutional monarchy. A series of legal reforms saw the House of Commons' power increase, at the expense of the Lords and the monarchy, with the monarch's role becoming more symbolic. Since Victoria's reign the monarch has had, in Walter Bagehot's words, "the right to be consulted, the right to advise, and the right to warn".
As Victoria's monarchy became more symbolic than political, it placed a strong emphasis on morality and family values, in contrast to the sexual, financial and personal scandals that had been associated with previous members of the House of Hanover and which had discredited the monarchy. Victoria's reign created for Britain the concept of the 'family monarchy' with which the burgeoning middle classes could identify.
Following a custom she maintained throughout her widowhood, Victoria spent Christmas at Osborne House (which Prince Albert had designed) on the Isle of Wight. She died there from a cerebral haemorrhage (a type of stroke) on 22 January 1901, at the age of 81. At her deathbed she was attended by her son, the future King, and her oldest grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany. As she had wished, her own sons lifted her into the coffin. She was dressed in a white dress and her wedding veil. Her funeral occurred on 2 February, and after two days of lying-in-state, she was interred beside Prince Albert in the Frogmore Mausoleum at Windsor Great Park. Since Victoria disliked black funerals, London was instead festooned in purple and white. In fact, when she was laid to rest at Frogmore Mausoleum it began to snow. Victoria had reigned for a total of 63 years, seven months and two days — the longest reign in British history. Victoria was succeeded by her eldest son, the Prince of Wales, as King Edward VII. Victoria's death brought an end to the rule of the House of Hanover in the United Kingdom. Edward VII belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/images/hanover/edward_VII.jpg
The Bill Clinton of the early 1900's...King Edward VII. He is thought to have fathered at least 30 illegitimate children with various mistresses.
June 20, 1837: Queen Victoria ascends to the British throne.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Queenvictoria.jpg
170 years ago today, the last monarch of the British House of Hanover assumed the throne.
Her reign lasted sixty-three years and seven months, longer than that of any other British monarch. In general, the period centred on her reign is known as the Victorian era.
The Victorian era was at the height of the Industrial Revolution, a period of significant social, economic, and technological progress in the United Kingdom. Victoria's reign was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire; during this period it reached its zenith, becoming the foremost Global Power of the time.
Victoria was almost entirely of German descent. She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover. Her son King Edward VII belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Her father, Edward, the Duke of Kent and Strathearn, was the fourth son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. Her mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, was the sister of King Leopold I of Belgium. George III's eldest son, the Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), had only one child, Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales. When she died in 1817, the remaining unmarried sons of King George III scrambled to marry and father children to guarantee the line of succession. At the age of fifty the Duke of Kent and Strathearn married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the sister of Princess Charlotte's widower Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and widow of Karl, Prince of Leiningen. Victoria, the only child of the couple, was born in Kensington Palace, London on 24 May 1819.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Queen_Victoria_in_her_coronation_robes.jpg
On 24 May 1837 Victoria turned 18, meaning that a regency was no longer necessary. Four weeks later, Victoria was awakened by her mother to find that at twelve minutes past two on the morning of 20 June 1837, William IV had died from heart failure at the age of seventy-one. When Victoria ascended the throne, the government was controlled by the Whig Party, which had been in power, except for brief intervals, since 1830. The Whig Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, at once became a powerful influence in the life of the politically inexperienced Queen, who relied on him for advice. The Melbourne ministry would not stay in power for long; it was growing unpopular and, moreover, faced considerable difficulty in governing the British colonies. In Canada, the United Kingdom faced an insurrection (see Rebellions of 1837, with uprisings lasting until 1839), and in Jamaica, the colonial legislature had protested British policies by refusing to pass any laws. In 1839, Lord Melbourne resigned.
http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/images/hanover/victoria_albert.jpg
The Queen married her first cousin, Prince Albert, on 10 February 1840, in the Chapel Royal of St. James's Palace, London. Prince Albert did not formally obtain the title of Prince Consort until 1857. He was never granted a peerage. Albert was not only the Queen's companion, but also an important political advisor, replacing Lord Melbourne as the dominant figure in the first half of her life. The Prince Consort died of typhoid fever on December 14, 1861, devastating Victoria, who entered a state of mourning and wore black for the remainder of her life. She avoided public appearances and rarely set foot in London in the following years. Her seclusion earned her the name "Widow of Windsor." She blamed her son Edward, the Prince of Wales, for his father's death, since news of the Prince's poor conduct had come to his father in November, leading Prince Albert to travel to Cambridge to confront his son.
Victoria began to rely increasingly on a manservant from Scotland, John Brown. A romantic connection and even a secret marriage have been alleged, but both charges are generally discredited. However, when Victoria's remains were laid in the coffin, two sets of mementos were placed with her, at her request. By her side was placed one of Albert's dressing gowns while in her left hand was placed a piece of Brown's hair, along with a picture of him. Rumours of an affair and marriage earned Victoria the nickname "Mrs Brown". The story of their relationship was the subject of the 1997 movie Mrs. Brown.
http://www.btinternet.com/~sbishop100/4mon.jpg
The Queen with her son (future King Edward VII), her grandson (future King George V) and her great-grandson (future King Edward VIII, who would abdicate in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee).
Queen Victoria's reign marked the gradual establishment of modern constitutional monarchy. A series of legal reforms saw the House of Commons' power increase, at the expense of the Lords and the monarchy, with the monarch's role becoming more symbolic. Since Victoria's reign the monarch has had, in Walter Bagehot's words, "the right to be consulted, the right to advise, and the right to warn".
As Victoria's monarchy became more symbolic than political, it placed a strong emphasis on morality and family values, in contrast to the sexual, financial and personal scandals that had been associated with previous members of the House of Hanover and which had discredited the monarchy. Victoria's reign created for Britain the concept of the 'family monarchy' with which the burgeoning middle classes could identify.
Following a custom she maintained throughout her widowhood, Victoria spent Christmas at Osborne House (which Prince Albert had designed) on the Isle of Wight. She died there from a cerebral haemorrhage (a type of stroke) on 22 January 1901, at the age of 81. At her deathbed she was attended by her son, the future King, and her oldest grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany. As she had wished, her own sons lifted her into the coffin. She was dressed in a white dress and her wedding veil. Her funeral occurred on 2 February, and after two days of lying-in-state, she was interred beside Prince Albert in the Frogmore Mausoleum at Windsor Great Park. Since Victoria disliked black funerals, London was instead festooned in purple and white. In fact, when she was laid to rest at Frogmore Mausoleum it began to snow. Victoria had reigned for a total of 63 years, seven months and two days — the longest reign in British history. Victoria was succeeded by her eldest son, the Prince of Wales, as King Edward VII. Victoria's death brought an end to the rule of the House of Hanover in the United Kingdom. Edward VII belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/images/hanover/edward_VII.jpg
The Bill Clinton of the early 1900's...King Edward VII. He is thought to have fathered at least 30 illegitimate children with various mistresses.