Queen Victoria

She was warmhearted, lively and had a gift for drawing and painting. She was educated by a governess at home.

She became Queen in 1837 at the age of 18,after the death of King William IV who had no legitimate children who survived.

In the early part of her reign, she was influenced by two men : her first Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, and her husband, Prince Albert, whom she married in 1840.
Both men taught her much about how to be a ruler in a "constitutional monarchy" where the monarch had very few powers but could use much influence.

Her marriage to Prince Albert brought nine children.
Queen Victoria was deeply attached to her husband and she sank into depression after he died, aged 42, in 1861 and took no further part in public affairs. She lived in seclusion for a long time and was criticised for it.

Seven attempts were made on Victoria's life, between 1840 and 1882 but her courageous attitude towards these attacks greatly strengthened her popularity. She was persuaded to go back onto the political scene by her Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.

Queen Victoria's popularity grew with the increasing imperial sentiment from the 1870s onwards. In 1877 Victoria became Empress of India thanks to her Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli.

She died in 1901. You can see the statue of Queen Victoria on her throne in front of Buckingham Palace in London.