Queen
Victoria and Victorian England - the young queen
A young Victoria
The
generally uneventful reign of George's brother, William
IV (1830-37), was followed by that of Queen
Victoria (1837-1901). Only 18 when she came to the throne, Victoria
oversaw England at the height of its overseas power. The British Empire
was established in her reign, and it reached its greatest expanse under
her. Things did not start off smoothly, however.
The Chartist
movement began in 1839 with demands for electoral reform and universal male
suffrage. The movement was taken over by radical reformers and was dealt with
very harshly by the authorities. The Anti
Corn Law League was another voice for social reform. They advocated total free
trade, but it was not until 1846 that the Corn Laws were completely repealed.
The
Great Exhibition. Victoria's consort, Prince
Albert, was the main backer of the 1851 Great Exhibition. This was the first
"world's fair", with exhibits from most of the world's nations. The
exhibition was held in Hyde Park, and the showpiece was the Crystal Palace, a
prefabricated steel and glass structure like a gigantic greenhouse, which housed
the exhibits. The Crystal Palace was disassembled after the Exhibition and moved
to Sydenham, in south London, where it burned down in 1936.
The Crimean War.
Overseas England became involved in the Crimean War (1854), which was notable
only in that it provided evidence of military incompetence and the material for
the poem "The Charge of the
Light Brigade", by Alfred Tennyson. One
positive that came out of the war was the establishment of more humane nursing
practices under the influence of Florence
Nightingale, the courageous "Lady with the Lamp".
The Indian Mutiny.
A few years later (1857) saw the Indian Mutiny. India had been administered by
the East India Company with government co-operation.
The spark for the Mutiny was provided when the army introduced new rifle
cartridges which were rumoured to have been greased with lard. Any Hindu who bit
off the end of the cartridge, which was essential practice when loading a gun,
was committing sacrilege. The army rebelled and massacred many British officers,
administrators, and families. After the Mutiny was put down the administration
of India was taken over by the government of Britain.
