VICTORIA 



GU79 



VICTORIA 



perity 



the Australian colonies (see AUSTRALIA, pages 

 491 and 494), and has kept pace with its sister 

 states in enacting advanced legislation along the 

 line of social and political democracy. O.B. 



Consult Smith's Cyclopaedia of Victoria; 

 Turner's History of the Colony of Victoria. 



Related Subject*. The following articles may 

 be consulted in connection with this discussion 

 of Victoria : 



Cullarat Melbourne 



Gold Murray River 



VICTORIA, vikto'ria (1819-1901), queen of 

 Great Britain and Ireland and empress of In- 

 dia, one of the greatest sovereigns of the Brit- 

 i.-h kingdom. Her reign of sixty-four years was 

 a period of unprecedented industrial develop- 

 ment and pros- 

 and sur- 

 in length 

 that of any of 

 her predecessors. 

 Only Louis XIV 

 of France of all 

 the crowned 

 heads of the 

 world ruled 

 longer. She was 

 the only child of 

 the duke of Kent, 

 fourth son of 

 George III. Her 

 father died before 

 >ria was a 



year old, and she throned In the People's love. 

 was brought up carefully and wisely by her 

 her at Kensington Palace, where she was 

 born. 



Upon the death of her uncle, William IV. th, 

 1 son of George III, on June 20, 1837, she 

 i ited the throne and was crowned at West- 

 minster, June 28, 1838. Her education in poli- 

 and government had been directed by ili- 

 sage and loyal Lord Melbourne, who became 

 first counsellor, and to him much credit is 

 for the queen's wonderful ability and her 

 great spirit of democracy. She real 

 responsibilities of her position and said. I 

 have immensely to do, but I like it very much 

 I delight in this work '' 



binary, 1840, the queen was married to 

 cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. 

 ;riage was not only one of happiness 

 also of great benefit to the kingdom, for 

 <-e Consort, a student, philanthropist 

 business man, devoted himself to the in- 

 ts of tiic people and was the queen's chief 



VICTORIA 



In the words of the Eng- 

 lish poet, Alfred Noyes, she 

 mightily reigned. 



adviser in many important affairs of govern- 

 ment. Victoria and Albert had four sons and 

 five daughters : 



Victoria, the Princess Royal, was born in 1840. 

 In 1858 she was married to Crown Prince Fred- 

 eric William of Prussia, afterward emperor of 

 Germany. She died in 1901. 



Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, was born in 

 1841. In 1863 he was married to Princess Alex- 

 andra, daughter of the king of Denmark. He suc- 

 ceeded his mother in 1901 as Edward VII. ami 

 upon his death was succeeded by his son. George 

 V. 



Alice, born in 1843, was married to Prince Fred- 

 eric William of Hesse in 1862 and died in 1878. 



Alfred, duke of Edinburgh, bom in 1844. was 

 married to the Grand Duchess Marie, daughter of 

 the Czar of Russia, in 1874, and died in the same 

 year as his mother. 



Helena, born in 1846, was married to Prince 

 Christian of Schleswig-Holstein in 1866. 



Louise, born in 1848, was married in 1S71 to the 

 Marquis of Lome, later Governor-General of Can- 

 ada. 



Arthur, duke of Connaught, born in 1850. wa* 

 married in 1879 to Princess Louise Marguerite of 

 Prussia. He was formerly Governor-General of 

 Canada. 



Leopold, duke of Albany, born in 1853, waa 

 married in 1882 to Princess Helena of Waldeck 

 and died in 1884. 



Beatrice, born in 1857, was married in 1885 to 

 Prince Henry of Battenbiirg. 



Importance of Her Reign. It is impossible to 

 overestimate the significance of this long reign 

 in the history of England. Of course by no 

 means the greater part of this significance was 

 due to the queen ; such ministers as Peel, Rus- 

 <d\, Palmerston, Disraeli, Gladstone and Salis- 

 bury were in the periods of their power tin 

 dominating force in the history of tho times. 

 But Victoria, by reason of her clear-sighted- 

 ness, her moderation, and, above :ill. her ster- 

 ling cliaract er, had 11 very real influence on 

 every political movement of importance. 



A list of even th<> outstanding events of this 

 reign would be a long one ; certain happenings, 

 however, deserve special emphasis. Canada 

 passed through more tl ;->is during the 



<>d. In 1837-1838 occurred the serious dis- 

 turbance which re.Miltrd in the reuniting of 

 Upper and Lower Canada, and in 1867 the con- 

 n of Canada was In India 



events of moment occurred. The 



Sepoy Mutiny broke out in 1857, and led in 

 the ; of India from 



Bast India Company to the Crown; in 1876 

 Victoria formally assume. 1 th,- title of Empress 

 of India. The Opium War in China (1840-1842) ; 

 tin i, ; - ,1 , i Hi,- corn laws (1846); the Cl 

 ist agitat o Crimean War (1854- 



