Summary and Analysis of Victoria: The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire

Based on the Book by Julia Baird

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• Publisher: Worth Books
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781504021906
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of Victoria: The Queen tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Julia Baird's book. Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and gives you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader. This short summary and analysis of Victoria: The Queen includes:

• Historical context
• Chapter-by-chapter overviews
• Profiles of the main characters
• Detailed timeline of key events
• Important quotes
• Fascinating trivia
• Glossary of terms
• Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work

About Victoria: The Queen by Julia Baird: Julia Baird explores and unpacks the legend of Victoria: long-reigning monarch, wife, mother, and symbol of the British Empire. Rather than contributing to the myths surrounding this fascinating and complex woman, Baird describes Victoria as she really was: passionate, strong-willed, hot-tempered, hard-working, and desperate to hold on to power and govern her nation while remaining the loyal wife to her beloved Prince Albert. Baird's biography takes readers through Queen Victoria's life and long reign, giving a clear and lucid analysis of often complex political events and relationships, as well as the personal dynamics of her household, and providing a thorough understanding of a transformative era in British history. The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.

Summary

Part 1

Princess Victoria: “Poor Little Victory”

Chapter 1

The Birth of “Pocket Hercules”

Politicians and courtiers milled anxiously about the house, waiting for news of the birth of a baby who would be fifth in line to the throne, the child of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. It was the morning of May 24, 1819, at 4:15, when Victoria finally arrived. Because history had proved succession in the royal family was a chancy matter, her father, Edward, the fourth son of King George, had raced his pregnant German wife home in a carriage to make sure that the baby was born on English soil—though in truth, the chances of the child taking the throne seemed remote. Still, all knew that delicate politics, as well as the dangers of childbirth and childhood illness, made it crucial that Victoria be given all the advantages possible.

It was a particularly disruptive time in English politics: King George III was widely assumed to be going mad. His presumptive line of heirs to the throne—from his eldest son, the Prince Regent George, through his granddaughter Charlotte, to her son—was abruptly cut off by Charlotte’s death and that of her child. When he took the throne, George IV had a “violent and toxic” relationship with his wife, whom he banned from his coronation, and may have even poisoned. That meant the heirs to the throne would be created by his brothers. However, besides Edward, all but one were unmarried, and all debauched, producing a total of fifty-six illegitimate sons and daughters. None of these could ever take the throne. A race began among the brothers to make legitimate marriages, and produce a lawful heir.

Victoria’s father, the fourth in line, had never given in to such debauchery. Scholarly and mild, he had a happy marriage with his wife Victoire, who had nevertheless chosen to marry the penniless suitor only when his prospects improved at Charlotte’s death. However, though their daughter was robust, the chance she would become queen remained unlikely. The public was mostly uninterested in yet another heir. But the same was not true of the tight-knit royal family itself, which knew how fickle the balance of power really was. It was a sign of their interconnections that three months later, the same midwife that had managed Victoria’s birth would preside over that of Victoria’s cousin, and future husband, Albert.

Need to Know: Victoria was only fifth in line for the throne, and the laws of primogeniture made the chance of a woman ascending remote. However, the complex and capricious nature of successful marriage and childbirth had a long history of upending royal inheritances, which made protecting her slim chance all the more important.

Chapter 2

The Death of a Father

When Victoria was born, England was about to enter the Pax Brittanica, the ninety-nine years without war that lasted until World War I. Napoleon had surrendered at Waterloo and was imprisoned on Elba, where he had taken up gardening. However, her own family roiled with turmoil: Her father was soon to die, and she was surrounded by the German relatives of Victoire, a veritable foreigner on her own soil. But when her father’s death was followed by that of George III, with his newly ascended son without wife or heir, Victoria moved from fifth to third in line.

Meanwhile, in London and Great Britain, it was a time of hardship. Half of the population was under 21, and child labor was rampant. (Child chimney sweeps died while performing the routine service.) Children were soothed with laudanum, and infant deaths were so common, people insured their children. In London slums, thirty people could live to a room.

Need to Know: When Victoria’s father died in 1820, shortly after her birth, followed by King George III, Victoria came under the watchful eyes of the royal family, many of whom had different agendas.

Chapter 3

The Lonely, Naughty Princess

Victoria grew up “short-tempered and defiant.” She hated being told what to do—characteristics which were both to her advantage and disadvantage later in life. She threw many tantrums, but she was also an honest child who tried hard to behave herself despite her disposition. She was conscious of her position from an early age—great bishops actually crawled on the floor to play with her. But life in Kensington Palace was not comfortable, being both cold and rather dirty. And she had few friends of her own age. By 1830, her principal comfort was her governess, Baroness Lehzen—and she would come to need this friend, for the king died in 1830, leaving the throne to his brother and propelling Victoria even closer to succession, a fact which made her very unhappy. She was strong-willed and Lehzen brought her up to know her own mind—unusual at the time, when women were expected to be subservient to men. Victoria was not a beauty, although visitors spoke of her as an attractive and lively child. But she was also lonely, devastated when visitors left, and kept a menagerie of pets. She became close to her Uncle Leopold, the widower of Princess Charlotte. She needed allies, as her mother’s advisor, John Conroy, who had been her father’s replacement, was increasingly taking control, and he was not kind to Victoria.

Need to Know: Victoria’s mother fell under the sway of her bullying friend and adviser (possibly her lover) John Conroy, but Victoria was supported in defying him by her governess, the faithful Baroness Lehzen. When her uncle, George IV, died, and her middle-aged uncle William became king, Victoria moved closer again to the throne.

Chapter 4

An Impossible, Strange Madness

With Victoria one step from the throne, Conroy and Victoire increased the pressure. While Victoria was suffering from what would become a five-week illness, they attempted to bully her into signing a document that would make Conroy private secretary once she was queen. The princess refused, even when he took her hand and tried to make her sign the document by force. Meanwhile, the liberal Whigs has swept into Parliament in 1830, and, on the third attempt, were finally able to pass voting reform that gave one million more men the right to vote, as well as abolishing slavery three decades before the United States. The power was beginning to shift to the House of Commons from the House of Lords. Meanwhile, Victoire’s relationship with King William deteriorated, a situation that would soon erupt into a public scandal and free the future queen from her mother’s grasp.

Need to Know: William IV became king, bringing Victoria herself closer in line to the throne. The teen, now a great catch, began collecting suitors, while Conroy kept attempting to seize power. Baird speculates that he may have mistakenly believed his wife was the illegitimate daughter of Victoria’s father, which would have made him her brother-in-law. Little else explains his sense of entitlement.

Chapter 5

“Awful Scenes in the House”

The king and Victoria’s mother were now effectively embroiled in a family war with one another. William hated Victoire’s grasping for power, and how she and Conroy isolated his niece, even going so...

Table of contents

• Title
• Disclaimer
• Contents
• Context
• Overview
• Summary
• Timeline
• Cast of Characters
• Direct Quotes and Analysis
• Trivia
• What’s That Word?
• Critical Response
• About Julia Baird
• For Your Information
• Bibliography
• Copyright