Homework Help: Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria was Queen of England nearly 200 years ago, from 1837 to 1901. She retained the throne for longer than any other British king or queen and was known for being a strong woman who spoke her mind. Times were very different when Victoria was queen, and she lived to see a lot of changes, such as railways being built across the country and children having to attend school as a matter of law.

The Victorian Era

The years when Victoria was queen were known as ‘the Victorian Era’. It was a time of great change. While Queen Victoria was on the throne, many of the first British railways were built. Steam-powered trains began huffing and puffing their way between towns and cities, and people could visit the beach or the countryside much more easily. Steam engine approaching the station on a preserved Victorian railway Before steam trains, most people lived their whole life without leaving their town or village, so it was very exciting to be able to travel to the beach or elsewhere beyond home!

While Victoria was queen, a law was passed to make sure that every child went to school. For the first time, children from poor families could learn to read and write. You’d probably find a Victorian lesson a little bit boring, as pupils spent a lot of time copying from the blackboard or repeating after the teacher. Classes were much larger than they are today and pupils sat on wooden chairs in classrooms that were often very cold and bare.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Two years after she was made queen, Victoria decided she wanted to marry a man called Prince Albert. Victoria asked Prince Albert for his hand in marriage on the 15th of October 1839. In those days, it was very unusual for women to ask men to marry them. Prince Albert agreed to be her husband and the next year, in May 1840, the two were married. Victoria and Albert were very happy together and had nine children.

The Sad Queen

In 1860 The Albert Memorial, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, London , Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, died of typhoid fever. This is a sickness which can be caused by contaminated food or water. He was only 40 years old, and the Queen was very sad to lose her dear husband and friend. After his death she wore only black clothes and stopped going out in public. People called her ‘the Widow of Windsor’ and she spent the rest of her life dressed in dark clothes and feeling sad about the death of her husband.

Golden and Diamond Jubilees The Queen Victoria Memorial in London near Buckingham Palace

To celebrate the fact that Queen Victoria retained the throne for so long, two special ‘jubilees’ (or parties) were held. The first party was called a ‘Golden Jubilee’, and was held in June 1887 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s first 50 years as Queen. Ten years later in 1897, the Queen had her ‘Diamond Jubilee’ to celebrate 60 years on the throne. Both jubilees were intended as days for the Queen and the British people to celebrate, and parties were held in Buckingham Palace and across the country.