On May 24, 1819, Alexandrina Vitória Regina was born, daughter of the Duke of Kent and the former Princess of Leininge. Victoria's father died when she was eight months old; at 18, the young woman inherited the throne from her uncle, King William IV of England. In this text we will address the longest reign in the history of England, as Victoria was in power for 64 years, her government became known as the “Victorian Era” (1837-1901).
After assuming power in 1837, Queen Victoria faced her first challenge, the rise of the Chartist movement (workers' claim) until the mid-1850s. Three years after her possession as queen, Victoria married her cousin, Prince Albert, in the year 1840, together they had nine children. Alberto played a great role in the government of Vitória, encouraged the development of the arts and sciences, modernized and strengthened the British army.
Vitória was a lover of letters, studied geography, history, spoke fluently in addition to English, French and German, she also played the piano; we can say that Queen Victoria was a erudite appreciator of arts, in fact, she practiced painting until she was seventy.
A hard loss was the death of her husband Alberto, in 1861, the queen burst into tears and lived in mourning for most of her life. Victoria's government lasted 64 years, became the greatest reign in the history of England. Better known as the “Victorian Era”, the main achievement during her reign was the apogee of English industrial and colonial policy, marked by the industrial prosperity of the bourgeoisie.
Thus, the last thirty years of the "Victorian Era" were marked by British Imperialism and Neocolonialism, the European industrial powers (England, France, Germany) subdued, dominated and exploited the Asian and African. During her reign there were some conflicts, such as the Crimean War (1853-1856) and the Boer War in South Africa (1899-1901).
In addition to political tribulations, Queen Victoria performed a number of social assignments, such as the Abolition of Slavery in the British Empire (1838), reduced the working hours of textile industry workers to ten hours (1847), installed the “Third Reform Act” - right to vote for all workers (1884).
In 1901, Queen Victoria died, leaving a great legacy for England: the territorial expansion of the British Empire and the strengthening of English industry and the industrial bourgeoisie.
Leandro Carvalho
Master in History
