Did you know that Queen Victoria was 5' 1 1/4" tall? It just goes to show you that, in the end, height means nothing.
She ruled England for over 63 years. Victoria, in her time, had many roles: queen, wife, mother (if you could call her that), and the (wait for it) 'Empress of India'--her "Jewel in the Crown."
Telling Victoria's story is kinda hard for historians, because her youngest daughter Beatrice, after her mom's death, was named curator of Vicki's personal records. She sure 'curated' the f*&k out of those intimate records, that might have given historians true insight (if there is such a thing) into Victoria's mind. Do you know what Beatrice did with any journals or letters she thought were too, well, intimate? Revealing?
I hope Beatrice is having a good time in historian H E double hockey sticks right now.
So, what's her story? Is even possible to know Victoria's (and Albert's) story? Well now, I don't rightly know. From the endless movies and TV series about her reign, I'd have to say that she has been heavily mythologized. So, as we will use quotes from her journals in this entry, you've got to take them with a grain of salt, Dear Reader.
What I can tell you, is that anyone who reigns for more than 60 years, has too many stories, so I'll only be able to give you a palimpsest of her tenure.
Well, let's see what we can find, shall we?
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She was born in May, 1819, with an impressive name: Alexandrina Victoria. Her parents were Edward the Duke of Kent, and Victoire Maria Louisa, who was from the German principality, Saxe-Coburg. Unfortunately, the Duke died while Victoria was still a baby, so she ended up being raised by her mother and her advisor, John Conroy. At first, Victoria was fifth in line for the throne, but a King William's brothers had no surviving heirs, and they were all well into their golden years. By 1830, Victoria was heir presumptive to the British throne. Because she was so young, William IV signed into law the Regency Act of 1830, in the event he died while Victoria was still a minor. Many in the upper echelons of power feared this--Victoria's mother wasn't exactly known for her emotional stability. The king was in terror of dying prior to Victoria's reaching maturity, as well he should have. If he had died before her 18th birthday, it would've put Alexandrina's servant John Conroy in a powerful position.
her mom
and
John Conroy. Oh, wait, that's not the right image. The right one is below:
That's better.
Victoria was raised within the confines of Kensington Palace. Emphasis on the word "confines." There, she was subjected to an 'educational process' (devised by Conroy) known as "The System." Measured against modern standards, this 'system' might be interpreted, in modern terminology, as a form of abuse. So, what was it?
Here is a rudimentary list of rules:
- Victoria had to sleep in mommie's room
- She couldn't walk downstairs without holding someone's hand
- She couldn't meet strangers without her governess
- She had to write in a "Behaviour Book" each day to show how well she behaved--this led to a life-long habit of keeping a diary.
- The public were only allowed to see her on planned tours
- She couldn't play with other children (save for Conroy's kids). As you might imagine, this led to a rather stunted social sensitivity.
- She could only meet people approved of by her mother and Sir Conroy, which further wrapped her in an unreal cocoon.
- She had to follow a draconian daily routine, including morning lessons from 9:30–11:30 AM and afternoon lessons from 3–5 PM.
- She was largely restricted to the palace grounds (save for the 'tours' her mom and Conroy took her on).
Sounds like a super-fun childhood, right? Well, historian Lucy Worsley offers up another take on the Kensington System: it was actually an excellent way to teach a future monarch, and more importantly, it was a good way to remove her from the corrupt influences of the English Court. For my part, I wholeheartedly agree with Lucy's view.
Still, it was a healthy way for a child to grow up, right?
If her guardians were in fact keeping Vicki away from court, I think it's also obvious that ole Victoire and Conroy wanted to keep her totally dependent on them and ignorant of the world beyond Kensington's gardens. Even as a young teenager, Victoria seemed naive: she was known to have dozens of dolls which were used in countless imaginary games. She had an elaborate dollhouse. It also appears that her only real friend growing up, was her King Charles spaniel, Dash (Dash #1? Dash #2, Dash #3?).
Part of Conroy's master plan, was to take Victoria and her mother on a series of 'progresses' between 1832-1835. While these trips were popular with the English people, the King was privy to widespread discontent among the establishment, who suspected that Conroy was using these trips as a kind of publicity stunt to usurp favorable public opinion. Victoria reportedly loathed these tours, because she was often 'ill' with some minor complaint (save for one occasion where she contracted a fever and almost died).
It was in May,1836, that Victoria met her future husband, Albert of Saxe-Coburg. Although her mother favored the match, it was not popular with the King, who wanted anyone else. But, Victoria liked Albert (remember that her passionate regard for him was still in the future). Upon their first meeting, Victoria described her future prince as “extremely handsome”, with “fine teeth” and a “delightful” countenance. One thing I have to make clear to you, Dear Reader, is that our tiny future empress was, in actuality, a passionate creature, who at first didn't cotton to Albert, but at a later visit (after Albert had been purposefully slimmed down and instructed as to the possibility of life in England), she wrote "I went to the top of the staircase and received my two dear cousins Ernst and Albert, whom I found changed and embellished. It was with some emotion that I beheld Albert, who is beautiful." Later, during that same visit, she wrote "I love and admire him more and more; those eyes of his are bewitching, and so is the whole face."
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20023/20023-h/20023-h.htm
Albert was a little less enchanted with Victoria: as he later wrote to his grandma, he felt that he was making a sacrificial lamb of himself "for the benefit of my new country."
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20023/20023-h/20023-h.htm It seems as though movies and TV have made their union into some huge romance, and while this seems true for little Vicky, it was not the same for Albert. This seems only natural now, for when we take an objective look at their recorded characteristics (via their own journals and letters), it would be hard to find two more disparate personalities. He was calm, cold, logical, and pedantic; she was mercurial and passionate. Oooooooooh: now THAT'S gonna be a harmonious union boys! But, both would become incredibly hard-working monarchs. But, I suppose, one's question might be: why did Albert want to marry England's Queen?
Whoa, Red Rider! That's why he'd agree to marry her--after all, England was slightly more powerful than tiny Saxe-Coburg, right? Right. I certainly don't think it was because Vicky was his intellectual equal (he certainly had a ton of formal education, whereas Victoria did not), although she was moderately intelligent. But, Victoria was also self-absorbed, needy, insecure, and jealous.
But she (as well as Albert) was also one of the hardest-working monarchs in the history of Great Britain.
Their wedding was lavish, and certainly popular with the thousands of people who were present. Victoria, going against tradition for royal nuptials, wore a white satin dress (made and designed in England)--more than likely establishing a future practice for brides in the West. They were both but twenty years old.
It was this wedding ceremony that established the precedent we're all familiar with today:
of brides wearing white, just as Albert is credited for importing the German custom of lighted Christmas trees. I mention these two practices, in part, to demonstrate the future influence of the two rulers in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Indeed, Victoria's reign was culturally powerful--s**t, she lent her name to an entire era, during one of the most transitional points in history (read industrialization on a global scale).
They had a nice wedding night--Albert remained rather silent on the subject, but Queen Victoria gushed: "My dearest dearest dear Albert sat on a footstool by my side and his excessive love and affection gave me feelings of heavenly love and happiness I never could have hoped to have felt before! He clasped me in his arms and we kissed each other again and again! His beauty… his sweetness and gentleness – really how can I ever be thankful enough to have such a husband! to be called names of tenderness, I have never yet heard used to me before – was bliss beyond belief! Oh! This was the happiest day of my life! May God help me to do my duty as I ought and be worthy of such blessings."
From diary excerpts of Queen Victoria
OK Vicki...due to the amount of exclamation points, I'm gathering Albert was a talented lay.
Albert's role in English government was relatively non-existent in the early days of his marriage. He faced strong competition for the ear of the Queen, in the persons of Lord Melbourne and Victoria's former governess Baroness Louise Lehzen--who was given charge of the royal household and later the nursery. They turned out to be disastrous appointments. If you think about it, it was a huge responsibility for Lehzen, who ultimately was not up to the task. It was not long before Albert was able to highlight Louise's incompetence, leading to the Baroness' quiet retirement. Don't feel bad for her though, Dear Reader, she returned to Germany with a generous pension. As for Lord Melbourne, Albert simply waited it out: ultimately Lord M was voted out of office, and gradually faded from Victoria's life.
And thus, the field was clear for Albert. Ultimately, he would become a kind of tacit king, while his wife was busy with being nearly constantly pregnant (they would go on to have NINE children. OMG). So, what happened next? Tune in next week to find out....
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