Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
phrase “We are not amused”—in private she was warm, easy to laugh, plainspoken,
thrifty, and modest, with a talent for sketching and journal writing.
In 1861, Victoria's happy domestic life ended. Her mother's death was soon
followed by the sudden loss of her beloved Albert to typhoid fever. A devastated
Victoria dressed in black for the funeral—and for her remaining 40 years never
again wore any other color. She hunkered down at Windsor with her family. Critics
complained she was an absentee monarch. Rumors swirled that her kilt-wearing
servant, John Brown, was not only her close friend but also her lover. For two dec-
ades, she rarely appeared in public.
Over time, Victoria emerged from mourning to assume her role as one of
history's first constitutional monarchs. She had inherited a crown with little real
power. But beyond her ribbon-cutting ceremonial duties, Victoria influenced events
behind the scenes. She studiously learned politics from powerful mentors (espe-
cially Prince Albert and two influential prime ministers) and kept well-informed on
what Parliament was doing. Thanks to Victoria's personal modesty and honesty, the
British public never came to disdain the monarchy, as happened in other countries.
Victoria gracefully oversaw the peaceful transfer of power from the nobles to
the people. The secret ballot was introduced during her reign, and ordinary work-
ers acquired voting rights (though this applied only to men—Victoria opposed wo-
men's suffrage). The traditional Whigs and Tories morphed into today's Liberal and
Conservative parties. Victoria personally promoted progressive charities, and even
paid for her own crown.
Most of all, Victoria became the symbol of the British Empire, which she saw
as a way to protect and civilize poorer peoples. Britain enjoyed peace at home,
while its colonial possessions doubled to include India, Australia, Canada, and
much of Africa. Because it was always daytime someplace under Victoria's rule, it
was often said that “the sun never sets on the British Empire.”
The Victorian era saw great changes. The Industrial Revolution was in full
swing. When Victoria was born, there were no trains. By 1842, when she took her
first train trip (with much fanfare), railroads crisscrossed Europe. The telegraph,
telephone, and newspapers further laced the world together. The popular arts flour-
ished—it was the era of Dickens novels, Tennyson poems, Sherlock Holmes stories,
Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, and Pre-Raphaelite paintings. Economically, Britain
saw the rise of the middle class. Middle-class morality dominated—family, hard
work, honor, duty, and sexual modesty.
By the end of her reign, Victoria was wildly popular, both for her personality
and as a focus for British patriotism. At her Golden Jubilee (1887), she paraded past
