The Victorian period was the most glorious period for the British Empire to expand its foreign territory. In order to expand its territory, Britain did not hesitate to use all means. In 1857, the struggle between Britain and France for the dominance of the Suez Canal reached a feverish level, but a clever plot made Britain gain the controlling stake in the Suez Canal, and France had to give in obediently. The following year, India was added to the territory of the British Empire colony, which is a jewel in the crown of the British Empire. Britain also made Russia's victory in the war with Turkey in 1877 ~ 1878 almost go up in smoke. At that time, the Russian army was only one step away from Istanbul, and Russia and Turkey signed an agreement to transfer part of the land in the Balkans to Russia. Victoria didn't want to see Russian forces penetrate into the Balkans. She used both military and diplomatic pressure to force Russia to make concessions.
During the reign of Queen Victoria, Britain's economy grew rapidly and became prosperous and powerful. When the Queen ascended the throne, there were only a few railways in Britain, but when she died, Britain already had a developed railway network connecting major cities. In order to show Britain's prosperity and strength, the first World Expo opened in London in 1851, which became a world event at that time. In terms of culture and science, the world-famous British writer Charles Dickens and the British naturalist charles robert darwin were both the most important figures in the Victorian era. Due to the continuous development of economy and industry, Victorian Britons gradually enjoyed the convenience of life brought by scientific and technological progress. The sewage drainage system in London and the incandescent lamps appearing on the streets of London were realized during the reign of Queen Victoria. In 1891, ten years before the Queen's death, Britain had implemented free education for all children.
In the Victorian era, although Britain was a constitutional monarchy, Queen Victoria still had great influence on ministers. During her reign, the British Empire expanded extremely and reached unprecedented prosperity. The Opium War, which deeply influenced the history of China, also happened shortly after she acceded to the throne. Up to today, many rivers, lakes, deserts, waterfalls, cities, ports, streets, parks, schools and buildings in the world are all named after Victoria, including Victoria in Australia, city of victoria in Canada, Victoria Memorial Hall in Singapore, Victoria Park in Hong Kong, Victoria, the capital of Seychelles, Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa, and many more. Queen Victoria's first love was Alexander II, the eldest son of Russian Tsar Nicholas I. In 1839, 21-year-old Alexander II arrived in England while traveling around Europe. On May 7, 1839, Alexander II met Queen Victoria for the first time, when the young Queen Victoria was on her 2th birthday. When we first met, the handsome appearance of Alexander II in military uniform deeply attracted Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria wrote in her diary: "At about 6: 4, I met the Crown Prince. He saluted at my window. We ate in St. George's Hall. The Crown Prince took me into the hall. I really fell in love with the Crown Prince. He was such a kind and friendly young man. We danced together, laughed together and shared happy times. I had never been so happy before. I went to bed at 2: 3, but I was so excited until 5: ."
When the two lovers met again the next day, Queen Victoria wrote in her diary: "The Crown Prince said that he would never forget this happy day, and I think I will never forget it. I really love this lovely and intimate young man, and his smile is very charming. "
During his stay in England for more than a month, Alexander II fell in love with Queen Victoria. They watched horse races together, danced together in Buckingham Palace, and had many private dates. Once, Alexander II entered Queen Victoria's private room alone in the theater and stayed for more than half an hour. Queen Victoria was very excited to tell the consultant's wife that she had fallen in love with this lovely and affectionate Russian crown prince.
However, Queen Victoria's love for Alexander II caused dissatisfaction in the British Parliament. Lord Melbourne made it very clear that she opposed any relationship between Britain and Russia, which was expanding wildly, and asked Queen Victoria to draw a clear line with Alexander II immediately. On the other hand, Tsar Nicholas I, who was far away from Russia, also heard about the love between the two lovers. He asked Alexander II to return to Russia. Under the double pressure of national interests and political considerations, the lovers had to give up their love painfully. On the day of parting, Queen Victoria wrote in her diary: "The Crown Prince held my hand tightly. His hand was so warm and he looked pale. He said that he would never forget this day. I kissed his face and he kissed me deeply. The separation from this affectionate and lovely young man makes me feel very sad. I really love him. "
The two lovers did not meet again for the next 35 years, until Alexander II visited Queen Victoria again in 1874.
The love between Queen Victoria and her old love Alexander II ended in failure under the consideration of national political interests. Soon after, she announced her marriage with Albert from Saxony-Coburg-Gotha, Germany, who was arranged by her mother and uncle.
Albert was born on August 26th, 1819 in Bavaria, Germany, the youngest son of the Duke of Onsaxony-Fort-Gotha, and his brother was Ernest. His parents divorced when he was 7 years old. His mother was sent to live in Switzerland for adultery and was forbidden to see her children. Albert was educated at Bonn University. In 184, he married his cousin Queen Victoria.
They were both born in 1819, only three months apart, and they are cousins of the closest relatives. Victoria's father, the Duke of Kent, the fourth son of King George III of England, died when she was eight months old. Her three uncles, George IV, Duke of York and William IV, had no legal heirs, so she succeeded to the throne after William IV died. Victoria's mother and Leopold planned Albert's marriage with Queen Victoria early. Albert never thought about his marriage. At first, the young queen resisted and didn't want to give up the right to be her own master in lifelong events. Their marriage eventually became an unparalleled love legend in the history of the British royal family, but this legend is not as perfect as the fairy tale of the prince and princess.
He met her at the beginning of 1836. They were both 17 years old, and they were as different as they were. Victoria was still a princess under the strict control of her mother. She came from house of hanover, which is famous for her uncultured and quarrelsome style, and inherited the characteristics of her family: stubbornness and intolerance. She is very independent. Albert is a model of virtue, intelligence and self-discipline, which is completely opposite to his father, Duke of Coburg, and his brother Ernest. He is very clever and has received excellent education in language, culture, philosophy, music and all other aspects that an ideal prince should learn. [2]
When it comes to marriage, Victoria is so disgusted and scared that she doesn't even want to listen. She said to Lord Melburn more than once: "At this time, my mood is very disgusted with marriage." When talking about Albert, she said in a letter to her uncle: "There is no engagement between us." Even if she likes Albert, she "can't make a final appointment this year, because at the earliest, this kind of thing will have to wait for two or three years." She also said that she "hates" changing her current life; And claimed that if she didn't like him, she was very eager to be understood, and she didn't feel guilty for breaking the promise, because there was never any agreement between them. This is clearly a delaying tactic, and she is already looking for a way out for herself. As for Lord Melburn, she spoke more clearly and made no secret of it. She told him that she "didn't want to see Albert very much because the whole incident was a nuisance".
No matter how Victoria escaped, Albert's visit came as scheduled. On the evening of October 1th this year, with the arrangement of Uncle Leopold, Albert came to Windsor accompanied by his brother Ernest, the heir of Archduke Sacks Coburg.
The next day is Thursday. In the morning, Albert and Ernest finally came to visit the Queen. The queen stood silently, and the two princes were still so beautiful, handsome and personable. This reminds her of the happy three weeks a few years ago, boating, riding, painting, playing the piano, that solid arm and broad chest. Yes, they really saw each other again, but their separation was too long. This long separation almost made her forget everything. Now, all the memories are recalled. She carefully looked at the two young people in front of her, especially Albert. She was very surprised. Albert not only retained the elegance of his boyhood, but also added a bit of maturity and steadiness to him. It was still the beautiful face of Zhang Jun, but there was a slim moustache on his mouth, and his white face was scattered with loose cheeks, and his stature was more tall and symmetrical. Albert was completely a mature man. The queen was a little excited. Her fortress made of sand in her girlhood was so fragile that it collapsed in a flash. All the disgust and fear in front of the handsome young man's blue eyes shine, and vanish in that charming smile. They rode horses together, danced together and talked about the sky together. Everything was so perfect. She seemed to have been introduced into a brand-new territory, and there was no shadow of Lord Melburn in this territory. She was able to reflect on her past life through comparison: those pleasures and attachments were originally built on a superficial pastime, and they were so melodramatic. Two or three days passed quickly. On Sunday morning, when she stood in front of Lord Melburn again, she seemed to be a different person. The expression of childishness, expectation and worship was completely gone, replaced by more firmness and maturity: "I have greatly changed my view on marriage, and I have decided to marry Albert." The next morning, she summoned the cousin alone. This time, the queen completely forgot the dignity and rules of the emperor. She said affectionately, "If you can satisfy my wish (marry me), I will be extremely happy."
Albert opened the powerful arms of a man emotionally and hugged the queen tightly. His hug was so powerful and kind and gentle, and Victoria was immersed in an unprecedented feeling of happiness. She closed her eyes and realized it to her heart's content. Her small lips murmured, "You are so beautiful that I don't deserve to marry you." "Don't be silly, dear. I'm so happy. I'm very happy to grow old with you!" Albert does have reason to let Victoria fall, or Victoria's choice is extremely correct. Although at this time, the queen's choice was more based on intuition, out of admiration for Albert's many superficial qualities: his handsome beauty and charming temperament. But later, Albert's inner qualities will be more and more clearly displayed in front of people, making the queen more and more willing to be his vassal. Of course, this is another story, but Albert's extraordinary talent was possessed before he joined the queen. Albert was born in August 1819, three months after his cousin Victoria. Francis Charles Auguste Albert Emanuel of Sacks Coburg Gotha is his full name. Albert inherited all the advantages of her mother, a lively and beautiful woman, in appearance: blond hair, blue eyes, polite and energetic.
Compared with his brother Ernest, Albert was a child with his own opinions and perseverance since childhood. In countless games and quarrels between brothers, the younger brother always has the upper hand. To outsiders, it is only natural that their identities should be reversed. Albert's moral character won the hearts of the people in Coburg. He was intelligent, witty and hard-working. His principality was war-torn, weak and powerless, while Dagong was not rich. He grew up in an unpretentious environment. Such unpretendence made him willing to accept the inspiration of the enthusiastic moral values of that era: honesty, tenacity, seeking goodness and seeking truth. When he was 11 years old, when his father tried to ask him about his future plans, his answer surprised the weather-beaten ruler of the principality: "I want to be a kind and useful person." He said that the simple and concise sentence contained a child's consciousness of his future life responsibilities and goals, and this consciousness was the highest demeanor of that era. We can't help but think that when Victoria first realized that she was going to be the Queen of England, her answer was almost the same: "I want to be a good person". Is this an occasional coincidence, or is it all that can be explained by just saying "yet I feel the harmonious heart-beat of the Sacred Unicorn"? From here, we have actually vaguely felt that it is no accident that after the combination of Albert and Victoria several years later, their lifestyle and attitude towards life became the model of the whole national life.
Like Victoria, Albert's performance at the confirmation ceremony was so excellent and unforgettable. The confirmation ceremony was held in the "Giant Hall" of the castle by citing ancient examples. Because Albert's temperament and demeanor from childhood have penetrated into everyone's heart in Coburg, the confirmation ceremony affected all the people in the ruling and opposition. A large number of enthusiastic officials, priests, representatives of villages and towns in the Principality, and all kinds of spontaneous audiences flocked together. The scene was very lively. The Grand Duke and Taitai, Alexander and Ernest of Wü rttemberg, Grand Duke Lainingen, Grand Duchess Hornroy Langenborg, and Grand Duchess Hornroy and Slim Foster all attended the ceremony. At the rear of the hall, a simple but well-decorated podium was set up, and Dr. jacoby, the priest in the inner chamber, sat in the center. The choir sang a hymn loudly. Dr jacoby began to ask questions, and the prince answered them. The doctor's questions are carefully designed and considered. These questions can't be answered by a simple "yes" or "no", and they must have their own opinions and explanations, so that the audience can understand the views of the young prince in more detail. Albert's answers are calm, decisive and accurate, especially in those subtle explanations with personality flashing everywhere, which contain a deep modality and confident inner strength, which has closely infected all the people present, from dignitaries to ordinary people. When asked whether the hereditary prince intends to be loyal to the evangelical church, the prince's answer is only "yes". But he added in a clear and firm voice: "I am determined to be loyal to the recognized truth forever." Always loyal to the accepted truth, this is the starting point and cornerstone of all Albert's virtues.
erudition is another excellent quality of Albert. He always seizes every opportunity to enrich and expand his knowledge field diligently, from horseback riding, shooting, fencing, hunting, even small pranks to music and literature, metaphysics, law, political economy, and even mathematics and biology. Legend has it that every time he hunts and travels far, he brings back a lot of animal and plant specimens to enrich his knowledge of nature; He once successfully imitated a professor in running.