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Alexandrina
Victoria
So we all know that Victoria was a queen right? Of course, but now we are going to tell you
her story.
Once upon a time, a girl named Alexandrina Victoria was born on May 24th, 1819, Victoria
was the daughter of significant people of England whose names were, Princess Victoria
Sajonia Coburgo Saalfeld and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn.
Her father died in 1820 when Alejandrina Victoria was only eight months old, leaving the
Duchess of Kent in a difficult situation. Later the death of the young children of the Duke of
Clarence, who ascended the throne in 1830 under the name of William IV, Then gradually
marked her destiny as a queen. She was trained first on how to be a princess for a long time
but one day... She was in history classes and in an unexpected way she found out that one day
she was going to be a queen. She was only 10 years old, but she responded in a good way and
said: "I will be good". People were astonished considering she was not really happy in
Kensington Palace since it was all very strict, she cannot go outside, nor play with other
children of her age and she only can take classes alone.
While receiving essential preparation, the life of the princess ( Victoria ) developed
completely away from her paternal family: she resided with her mother, her half-sister
Feodora, and her governess Louise Lehzen, in Kensington Palace.
Her childhood was very sad and boring since her mother, the German princess Victoria the
Sajonia, and her mistress the butler sir John Conroy, took her under their care and kept her
apart and locked up in the palace. Her mother and Conroy wanted to make her weak and
dependent to handle her as they pleased. So, after her childhood,
her education was entrusted to the Duchess of Northumberland,
under whose direction she studied music, history, and natural
sciences. She kept a personal diary in which she meticulously
recorded the events of her daily life, she was very prudent in the
choices of her friends, had an excellent memory, and gave
unequivocal signs of her independence of character.
King Guillermo died so Victoria ascended to the throne a month
after turning 18, on June 20th, 1837 at a very early hour. At her
early age, it was very unpopular to reign and her closeness to
Minister Melbourne generated rumors in court, which was worst.
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Many people did not agree with or like Victoria intervening in politics since they thought she
would make bad decisions or even some of them thought she was immature. She was a
cheerful, plump, and rather short girl. As a foretaste with which she would face her duties as
sovereign from then on, after having chosen Buckingham Palace, Victoria installed her
mother in an apartment far from her rooms, that's putting a fence to maternal influence.
Among her descendants are Isabell II, King Philip VI, King Harald V, King Charles XVI, but
soon after everything changed when she married her cousin Prince Albert of Sajonia on
February 10th, 1840 with who she was engaged since they were children, he was not only a
counselor but he made her happier than ever throughout their marriage, between 1840 &
1853 they had 9 children; five women and four men and many of them married royalty
members from others countries of Europe, it was Victoria’s idea to have alliances with others
countries, however, Victoria did not like being pregnant, in several times she even suffered
from postpartum depression. Over time, Albert became a mentor and advisor to his wife to
whom he instilled principles of government and norms of conduct as a sovereign. So that’s
how her big family became a symbol of the new monarchy. Everything was going amazing
for years but her happiness ended the day her husband died. He left an eloquent testimony
about the early days of her life as queen.
"Vic a," he w o , "is te b ob n e, in pe n wa ag t he ow na , w i h is go ; s e
de h in t e ce ni , et e t , an fo l i of t e co , an ot f i l i (...) It is sa t a in
re y, s e do no en mu in t o ev g t a la so lo an t a fo he to s e mo t a t e
ac t t e ne da ..."
She was depressed about the loss of her husband so she began to stop attending public events
and started to dress in black until she died.
She also began to become close to the Scotsman John Brown and people believed that they
had a secret relationship and an affair, which affected her popularity in 1871, her son Edward
had a fever called typhoid and fell ill. She imagined the worst that a mother could ever
imagine but she recovered and went ahead. Victoria, grateful and happy that her son is in
good condition, went out into the streets after being locked up for so long, in one of those
outings a man shot her but John saved her by pushing her to the ground, years later she had to
face the death of several of her children and of her Scotsman, John brown who she cried a lot,
however, the British saw her as a mother and a grandmother of all Europe, thanks to her
children, in addition of the celebrations for her 60 years of the
throne at that time have been unforgettable that they even
adorned the streets of London for her commemoration and raised
the morale of her subjects. Her 63-year reign was the longest in
United Kingdom history until Queen Elizabeth II surpassed it in
2015; (now Elizabeth has 70 years of being a queen).
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At that time, which historians call the Victorian era, the British Empire reached its maximum
splendor and England went from being an agrarian and rural country to an industrialized
nation.
She finally died at the age of 81, on January 22th, 1901, and now she rests in peace with her
husband on the grounds of Windsor.
THE END
Extra images:
Photos of their wedding:
Queen Alexandrina Victoria
before & after
