(1819–1901). The reign of Queen Victoria over the United Kingdom was the longest in that country's history. The Victorian Age, as the era of her rule came to be known, lasted for nearly 64 years—from 1837 until 1901. During this time the United Kingdom remained stable even as the governments of other European countries rose and fell.

Early life

Victoria was born on May 24, 1819, at Kensington Palace in London, England. Her father, the duke of Kent, was the fourth son of King George III. Her mother, Mary Louisa Victoria, was a German princess. Victoria spent most of her early years at Kensington Palace. She became queen upon the death of her uncle William IV in 1837. At age 18 she was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London.

Marriage and family

In 1839 Victoria met her cousin Prince Albert. She proposed to him and they married in 1840. The two were happily married for more than 20 years. They had nine children in all. Victoria arranged for all of her children to be married to members of many of the royal families in Europe. By the end of the 19th century she had so many royal children and grandchildren that she was called the “grandmother of Europe.”

Reign

When Victoria took the throne, England had two political parties—the Whigs, or Liberals, and the Tories, or Conservatives. The early years of Victoria's reign were dominated by the influence of Lord Melbourne, the British prime minister. He was a Whig and a close friend and political adviser to the queen. As a result, Victoria openly supported the Whigs.

The situation changed after her marriage to Prince Albert. At first the queen insisted that her husband should have no say in the government. As time went on, however, she allowed Albert to participate increasingly in British politics. In turn, the prince convinced her that the queen should not be involved in party politics. He also supported the queen in her belief that the monarch had an important role to play in both the home and foreign affairs of the country.

After Albert's death in 1861, Victoria went into seclusion. She avoided carrying out her ceremonial duties and spent a lot of time away from London. The public initially respected and sympathized with the queen, but they later grew impatient at her continued absence.

At this point Benjamin Disraeli, a Tory, won Victoria's confidence. When Disraeli became prime minister, the queen became a supporter of the Tories. Disraeli worked to spread the overseas empire of the United Kingdom. Victoria approved of this portion of his foreign policy. She was delighted when the British government purchased almost half of the shares in the Suez Canal in 1875. She was even more thrilled when she took the title Empress of India a year later.

The Tories were defeated in 1880, and Victoria did not support the new Liberal prime minister, William Gladstone. She tried to prevent a third Gladstone ministry from forming in 1886 but failed. Her failure showed that political power was passing from the monarchy into the hands of the British Parliament.

The Boer War in South Africa dominated the last years of Victoria's reign. She followed a busy schedule of troop inspections, medal ceremonies, and visits to military hospitals. It had been decades since she had been in close contact with the public. Her actions gave her popularity a boost.

In 1887 Victoria celebrated the completion of 50 years as queen. Another celebration took place ten years later. On January 22, 1901, Victoria died on the Isle of Wight after a short illness. She was 81 years old. Queen Victoria's son, Edward VII, became king after her death.