Six Things You Don"t Know About Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria was Britain's monarch for 63 years, from 1837 until her death in 1901. As her reign spanned so much of the 19th century, and her nation dominated world affairs during that period, her name came to be associated with the period.
The woman for whom the Victorian Era was named was not necessarily the stern and remote figure we assume we know from having seen her in vintage photographs.
Here are six things to know about the woman who ruled Britain, and much of the world, for six decades.
Victoria's grandfather, King George III, had 15 children, but his three eldest sons produced no heir to the throne. His fourth son, the Duke of Kent, Edward Augustus, married a German noblewoman expressly to produce an heir to the British throne.
A baby girl, Alexandrina Victoria, was born May 24, 1819. When she was only eight months old her father died, and she was raised by her mother. The household staff included a German governess and a variety of tutors, and Victoria's first language as a child was German.
When George III died in 1820, his son became George IV. He was known for a scandalous lifestyle, and his heavy drinking contributed to him becoming obese. When he died in 1830, his younger brother became William IV. He had served as an officer in the Royal Navy, and his seven-year reign was more respectable than his brother's had been.
Victoria had just turned 18 when her uncle died in 1837, and she became queen. Though she was treated with respect, and had formidable advisers, including the Duke of Wellington, the hero of Waterloo, there were many who did not expect much of the young queen.
Instead of being a weak leader, Victoria (she chose not to use her first name, Alexandrina as queen) was surprisingly strong-willed.
When Victoria ascended to the throne as a teenager in the late 1830s, most observers probably did not expect much from her reign. And no one could have anticipated that she would rule Britain throughout the rest of the 19th century.
To put her 63-year reign in perspective, when she became queen the American president was Martin Van Buren. When she died, on January 22, 1901, the president of the United States was William McKinley, the 17th president to serve during Victoria's reign. And McKinley had not been born until Victoria had been queen for five years.
During her decades on the throne, the British Empire abolished slavery, fought in wars in the Crimea, Afghanistan, and Africa, and acquired the Suez Canal.
Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, was a German prince with a great interest in science and technology. Thanks in part to Albert's fascination with everything new, Victoria became very interested in technological advances.
In the early 1840s, when train travel was in its infancy, Victoria expressed interest in taking a trip by rail. The palace contacted the Great Western Railway, and on June 13, 1842, she became the first British monarch to travel by train. Victoria and Albert were accompanied by the great British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and took a train ride of 25 minutes.
Prince Albert helped organized the Great Exhibition of 1851, a massive show of new inventions and other technology held in London. Queen Victoria opened the exhibition on May 1, 1851, and returned a number of times with her children to view the exhibits.
In the late 1850s Victoria sent a message to President James Buchanan during the brief time when the first transatlantic cable was working. And even after the death of Prince Albert in 1861 she retained her interest in technology.
Victoria began drawing as a child, and throughout her life she continued to sketch and paint. Besides writing in a diary, she also produced drawings and watercolors to record things she had seen. Victoria's sketchbooks contains illustrations of family members, servants, and place she had visited.
She also enjoyed writing, and wrote daily entries in a diary. Her daily journals eventually spanned more than 120 volumes.
Victoria also wrote two books about travels in the Scottish Highlands. Benjamin Disraeli, who had been a novelist before becoming prime minister, would at times flatter the queen by making references to them both being authors.
The image we often have of Queen Victoria is a humorless woman dressed in black. Much of that is because she was widowed at a fairly young age: her husband, Prince Albert, died in 1861, when he and Victoria were both 42 years old.
For the rest of her life, nearly 50 years, Victoria dressed in black. And she was determined not to show any emotion in public appearances.
Yet in her earlier life Victoria was known as a vivacious girl, and as a young queen she was extremely sociable. She also loved being entertained. For instance, when General Tom Thumb and Phineas T. Barnum visited London, they paid a visit to entertain Queen Victoria, who was reported to have laughed enthusiastically.
In her later life, Victoria, despite her stern public demeanor, was said to enjoy rustic entertainments such as Scottish music and dancing during her periodic visits to the Highlands. And there were rumors that she was very affectionate to her Scottish servant, John Brown.
The famous desk in the Oval Office, which is currently used by President Barack Obama, is known as the Resolute Desk. It was made from timbers of HMS Resolute, a ship of the Royal Navy which had been abandoned when it became locked in ice during an Arctic expedition.
The Resolute broke free from the ice and was spotted by a U.S. Navy ship and towed to the United States before being returned to Britain. In appreciation of having the Resolute returned, Victoria had an ornate desk fashioned from its timbers and shipped to the White House.
The Resolute Desk has been used by a number of presidents. At times it was in the private quarters of the White House, and in recent years it has been used in the Oval Office. President Obama has often been photographed at the desk, which, many Americans would be surprised to learn, was a gift from Queen Victoria.
The woman for whom the Victorian Era was named was not necessarily the stern and remote figure we assume we know from having seen her in vintage photographs.
Here are six things to know about the woman who ruled Britain, and much of the world, for six decades.
1. Victoria's Reign Was Unlikely
Victoria's grandfather, King George III, had 15 children, but his three eldest sons produced no heir to the throne. His fourth son, the Duke of Kent, Edward Augustus, married a German noblewoman expressly to produce an heir to the British throne.
A baby girl, Alexandrina Victoria, was born May 24, 1819. When she was only eight months old her father died, and she was raised by her mother. The household staff included a German governess and a variety of tutors, and Victoria's first language as a child was German.
When George III died in 1820, his son became George IV. He was known for a scandalous lifestyle, and his heavy drinking contributed to him becoming obese. When he died in 1830, his younger brother became William IV. He had served as an officer in the Royal Navy, and his seven-year reign was more respectable than his brother's had been.
Victoria had just turned 18 when her uncle died in 1837, and she became queen. Though she was treated with respect, and had formidable advisers, including the Duke of Wellington, the hero of Waterloo, there were many who did not expect much of the young queen.
Instead of being a weak leader, Victoria (she chose not to use her first name, Alexandrina as queen) was surprisingly strong-willed.
2. She Was the Longest Reigning British Monarch
When Victoria ascended to the throne as a teenager in the late 1830s, most observers probably did not expect much from her reign. And no one could have anticipated that she would rule Britain throughout the rest of the 19th century.
To put her 63-year reign in perspective, when she became queen the American president was Martin Van Buren. When she died, on January 22, 1901, the president of the United States was William McKinley, the 17th president to serve during Victoria's reign. And McKinley had not been born until Victoria had been queen for five years.
During her decades on the throne, the British Empire abolished slavery, fought in wars in the Crimea, Afghanistan, and Africa, and acquired the Suez Canal.
3. She Was Very Interested in Technology
Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, was a German prince with a great interest in science and technology. Thanks in part to Albert's fascination with everything new, Victoria became very interested in technological advances.
In the early 1840s, when train travel was in its infancy, Victoria expressed interest in taking a trip by rail. The palace contacted the Great Western Railway, and on June 13, 1842, she became the first British monarch to travel by train. Victoria and Albert were accompanied by the great British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and took a train ride of 25 minutes.
Prince Albert helped organized the Great Exhibition of 1851, a massive show of new inventions and other technology held in London. Queen Victoria opened the exhibition on May 1, 1851, and returned a number of times with her children to view the exhibits.
In the late 1850s Victoria sent a message to President James Buchanan during the brief time when the first transatlantic cable was working. And even after the death of Prince Albert in 1861 she retained her interest in technology.
4. She Was an Artist and Writer
Victoria began drawing as a child, and throughout her life she continued to sketch and paint. Besides writing in a diary, she also produced drawings and watercolors to record things she had seen. Victoria's sketchbooks contains illustrations of family members, servants, and place she had visited.
She also enjoyed writing, and wrote daily entries in a diary. Her daily journals eventually spanned more than 120 volumes.
Victoria also wrote two books about travels in the Scottish Highlands. Benjamin Disraeli, who had been a novelist before becoming prime minister, would at times flatter the queen by making references to them both being authors.
5. She Was Not Always Stern and Sullen
The image we often have of Queen Victoria is a humorless woman dressed in black. Much of that is because she was widowed at a fairly young age: her husband, Prince Albert, died in 1861, when he and Victoria were both 42 years old.
For the rest of her life, nearly 50 years, Victoria dressed in black. And she was determined not to show any emotion in public appearances.
Yet in her earlier life Victoria was known as a vivacious girl, and as a young queen she was extremely sociable. She also loved being entertained. For instance, when General Tom Thumb and Phineas T. Barnum visited London, they paid a visit to entertain Queen Victoria, who was reported to have laughed enthusiastically.
In her later life, Victoria, despite her stern public demeanor, was said to enjoy rustic entertainments such as Scottish music and dancing during her periodic visits to the Highlands. And there were rumors that she was very affectionate to her Scottish servant, John Brown.
6. She Gave the United States the Desk Used by Presidents
The famous desk in the Oval Office, which is currently used by President Barack Obama, is known as the Resolute Desk. It was made from timbers of HMS Resolute, a ship of the Royal Navy which had been abandoned when it became locked in ice during an Arctic expedition.
The Resolute broke free from the ice and was spotted by a U.S. Navy ship and towed to the United States before being returned to Britain. In appreciation of having the Resolute returned, Victoria had an ornate desk fashioned from its timbers and shipped to the White House.
The Resolute Desk has been used by a number of presidents. At times it was in the private quarters of the White House, and in recent years it has been used in the Oval Office. President Obama has often been photographed at the desk, which, many Americans would be surprised to learn, was a gift from Queen Victoria.