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nShengave her name to an era—a period of great change in Britain and thenworld. It is not uncommon for an era to be named after a monarch—butnTHIS monarch ruled longer than any other British king or queen, andnlonger than any queen in the world.
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nBornnon this date in 1819, Queen Victoria ruled for more than 63 years!
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nAndnduring her reign, the British Empire expanded greatly, so that QueennVictoria not only had the title of Queen of the United Kingdom ofnGreat Britain and Ireland, but she was also Empress of India. n
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nThenempire spread all over the world, with dominions, colonies,nprotectorates, mandates, and other territories administered by thenUK. During its heyday, it was often said that “the sun never setsnon the British Empire.”
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Victorianruled so long, her empire celebrated her Golden Jubilee, the 50thnanniversary of her crowning…and ten years later, the empirencelebrated her Diamond Jubilee, her 60th anniversary. Thisnyear, Elizabeth II is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee—the onlynother monarch of the United Kingdom to rule as long. As a matter ofnfact, Elizabeth II has a chance of passing Victoria as thenlongest-ruling monarch, if she lives another four years. (She’s 86nright now. It definitely could happen!)
Victorianruled so long, her empire celebrated her Golden Jubilee, the 50thnanniversary of her crowning…and ten years later, the empirencelebrated her Diamond Jubilee, her 60th anniversary. Thisnyear, Elizabeth II is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee—the onlynother monarch of the United Kingdom to rule as long. As a matter ofnfact, Elizabeth II has a chance of passing Victoria as thenlongest-ruling monarch, if she lives another four years. (She’s 86nright now. It definitely could happen!)n
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It’sneasy to imagine Queen Victoria as a woman very different than mostnother women, but she was probably quite an ordinary woman who justnhappened to be born to power. She ditched her first name,nAlexandrina, at age 18 when she was crowned queen; she liked to read,ndance, go to the opera and theater, and laugh; she leaned on advisorsnto help her rule, but she also gave her strong opinions; she fell innlove with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and she eventuallynmarried him; she adored her nine children and her 34 grandchildren.
It’sneasy to imagine Queen Victoria as a woman very different than mostnother women, but she was probably quite an ordinary woman who justnhappened to be born to power. She ditched her first name,nAlexandrina, at age 18 when she was crowned queen; she liked to read,ndance, go to the opera and theater, and laugh; she leaned on advisorsnto help her rule, but she also gave her strong opinions; she fell innlove with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and she eventuallynmarried him; she adored her nine children and her 34 grandchildren.n
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nExplorensome more…
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n“Wart Games” has gathered some links and online resources about QueennVictoria.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nDay of Slavic Script, Education, and Culture
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nBotanist Ynes Mexia’s birthday
