Queen Victoria - Lecture notes 3 PDF

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Queen Victoria...

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Queen Victoria: Women, Power and Politics Childhood and accession: - Contrary to popular image she was incredibly passionate, opinionated women who sought to combine pubic role of a monarch and private life of Victorian women - Just a figure head, symbolism of Britishness. Doesn’t have any power of influence. Decline in monarchy ad political institution. Monarchy emerges as a social and cultural power. - Victorians were very unsure of the concept of a female monarch. Last sole female monarch was Elizabeth I; Queen Victoria comes to the throne as a single woman. Unsure of how it is possible to be both women and monarch. Legally prevented from executing political power- Queen Victoria was an exception, she’s a contradiction to the state. - Throughout her reign there is tension between Queen Victoria as women and Queen Victoria as monarch. That tension is intellectually interesting but intellectually difficult to understand. - Born in 1819, father duke of Kent, mother is duchess of Kent., 4th son of George III. Sons of George III fathered many children out of wedlock, preventing the monarchy of a legitimate heir, Queen Victoria birth is considered a momentous moment as few options left. Father dies soon after her birth, duchess of Kent who is a Russian princess tasked with bringing up the heir to the throne. - Duchess of Kent separates Queen Victoria from the court- semi isolation. Positions Queen Victoria as the beginning of a new type of monarchy. The Georgian monarchs are not well likes- bastard children, extremely lavish and spend lots of money, not interested in governing. Not focusing on the crown as a serious institution of state. - Duchess of Kent brings up Queen Victoria at Kensington Palace to be a different monarch. Royal tours to get a sense of the country and for her subjects to see her. - How to educate a female queen? Top of political agenda. No real model either of how to educate a queen. Duchess of Kent borrows little bit of enlightenment philosophy, Queen Victoria read Hannah More, educated with the idea that she should be the ideal feminine role model but also taught things considered unusual for a female- History, geography etc, much wider education. - June 1837, Queen Victoria becomes Queen, William III dies. On her succession people in both of political society and ordinary people were unsure of a young, single, female monarch and half German. Count against her. Although some crowds of loyalty, lots of people are sceptical this will work out. Crucial to remember that the threat to revolution was real, still people who remember the outbreak of the French revolution, riot and rebellion activity in Britain- Peterloo. - Official portraits of Queen Victoria stress the fact she is this young inexperienced queen- David Wilkie, deliberately puts her in white, made to look weak and womanly nature is stress, contestations with virginity, makes politicians look old. Stresses the experience and knowledge of the politicians and the young Queen. - Lots of the politicians in the picture belong to the Whig party, not conservative, political anxiety about close relationship between Queen Victoria and Whig politicians. William IV was close to the Tories. - Lord Melbourne was first Prime Minister, (lady Palmerston’s brother), they have a very close working relationship, biographers say he was like a father figure to her

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In first few years she is known as the Queen of the Whigs, not a good idea for the monarch to be seen as. Or a partisan. 16 minutes in Lady Flora Hastings Crisis, lady in waiting at the court of Queen Victoria. Over the course of 1838/39, stomach protrudes. Queen Victoria jumps to conclusionspregnant, subjected to medical examination (highly controversial in 1830s), male doctor forcibly examines flora. Not pregnant but has stomach cancer, Flora Hastings are prominent Tories- her family cry outcry to say Queen Victoria is barbaric and motivated by political ideology. Same time as Bedchamber Crisis- Lord Melbourne resigns as loses majority vote, the queen sits down and cries. Queen Victoria responds in emotional way. Leader of the opposition is Robert Peel, invites him to form a government but said she’s not changing her ladies of the bedchamber. These ladies in waiting reflect the colours of government. Queen Victoria refuses to change her council, peel takes this as a sign she doesn’t want him to be Prime Minister, ultimately Melbourne comes back and forms minority government for a couple of years. Queen Victoria has stopped tory minister which people tale as her being indictive to the Whigs- major constitutional moment in the history of the monarchy. Queen pushes the boundaries of what is possible. Makes society believe they can’t have a single women on the throne as not working out for the Tories. She needed to marry. Hard to arrange a marriage to fit criteria

Royal Marriage - Prince Albert of Saxonburg, not immediate popular choice, Is younger than Victoria and is German. British aren’t pleased about German Princes taking British bride. Cheap press start xenophobic attack about German heritage. Queen Victoria start the fashion of a white wedding dress. - Soon after marriage, she finds herself pregnant. Daughter called Victoria. She ends up marrying German family. Over next 10/15 years, goes onto have 8 more children. Means that for most of the 1840s and 1850s either pregnant, giving birth or recovering from childbirth. A family at the heart of the British crown. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert present themselves as typical middle class Victorian family. Position themselves as moral leaders of dominancy in Victorian Britain. - At home it is Albert who focuses on the children- how to educate them etc. lively historiography argument in what happened to her political influence and that its as soon as she gets married it’s all Prince Albert. Another line that she is still very much in control, she’s letting Albert help her. - Battles with Lord Palmerston- confident, antagonistic FS/PM. His desire is to see liberalism around the world. Supporting revolutions around the world - 1861, Prince Albert dies as well as Duchess of Kent. Takes grieving and mourning seriously, she is distraught when Albert dies- physically and mentally. Once that initial period passes, she stays in mourning for the rest of her life, always dressed in black and lace. Spends lots of 60s thinking about Albert- model of his ear. Memorialises Albert in house and Victorian Britain. Also withdraws from formal political life, stops opening parliament. People start to get annoyed. Palace decide to issue postcards of the Queen, but pictures were of her grieving for Albert. Victorians obsessed with death.

Republicanism: - Causes republicanism to become its strongest, real threat to the monarch. Criticises her on several grounds, mainly on the money. If we aren’t seeing her, what are we getting for our money? Real fear in 1870/71 that the monarchy might not survive. - Monarchy has always been here and always be here- intrinsic to British life - Gladstone and Disraeli. Disraeli is a Tory. Gladstone is a liberal, they are charged with trying to work out how to solve the monarchy. Gladstone attitudes to shout at the queen to do something. Their relationship is very tense, she’s sceptical about his liberal ideology and sceptical as he becomes more and more radical. - Disraeli decides flattery is the way forward. Disraeli and Queen Victoria have a very close friendship, he makes Queen Victoria Empress of India- meaningless title of constitutional settlement but highly symbolic. - 38 minutes in - He also firmly associates monarchy with - In the 1870s,80s,90s, she is seen as a mother of empires, symbol of British imperial rule. - Monarchy begins to take on symbolism beyond London, 2 jubilee celebrations in 1887- domestic event, ordinary people in Britain celebrating their monarch. Consumerism and monarchy become very closely related. Kicks starts British consumerism, spending disponible income on disposable items on the monarchy. - In 1897- Jubilee becomes a celebration of empire. Britain projecting its image of strength abroad. British superiority as Christians/ protestants etc. forefront of memorabilia associated with the monarchy. - 1897 last real time Queen Victoria is seen in public in a promininant way - 1901 death, worldwide event. Media event. She is ill for quite a while, newspapers printing 2/3 issues a day of the updates of Queen Victoria. Death is reported around the world. People in Britain entered into mourning. British response is quite something. Princess Diana/ Queen Victoria same grieving process. People also mourn the end of an era. Conclusion: - Connection people Queen Victoria position as a monarch and Queen Victoria position as a women. Position in public and private life. - How power shifts over the course of the 19th century- peaks and troughs etc - Did Queen Victoria exercise political power?...