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Victoria, daughter of Edward Duke of Kent, was born on 24 May 1819. Soon after her birth she was declared as the heir to the throne. After the death of her uncle, William IV, there was no legal heir to the throne except Victoria. Hence, she was crowned as the queen in 1837. She was only 18 at that point of time. Queen Victoria was associated with economic prosperity, industrial and territorial expansion of Britain. Her flawless role as the constitutional monarch of Britain was largely guided by her husband Prince Albert and Lord Melbourne, her first Prime minister.
Victoria was a versatile persona. She was educated at home by a governess. She was a gifted artist and maintained a diary throughout her life. In 1840, Victoria was married to Prince Albert. Queen Victoria had nine children with Prince Albert. But, Prince Albert had an early death at the age of 42. His death was a major setback in her life. For the next seven years, she seldom appeared before public. In spite of her seclusion, she did not express her reluctance in running the monarchy. After a long hiatus, British Queen Victoria resumed her public appearances in 1868.
However, during the course of her long absence from the public, unrest had evolved in the country, with the Republic movement gathering momentum. During Victoria's reign of 64 years, the political parties of Conservatives and Liberals gained strength in Britain. The concept of constitutional monarch took shape during this time. The Second Reform Act of 1867, secret ballot in 1872, Representation of the Peoples Act of 1884 brought transparency in the Electoral system in Britain.
Her economic policy of Royal Commission on housing helped widely in improving the lot of the poor people of Britain. Her charities also helped considerably in the development of hospitals, education and many other sectors in Britain.
Her foreign policies helped in bringing peace and reconciliation in Britain. It was under her reign that Britain decided not to engage in the Prussia-Austria-Denmark war in 1864. The second Franco-German war was also averted in 1875 by Queen Elizabeth's peace initiative with the German Emperor.
A series of activities had popularized Queen Victoria to a large scale. In 1877, a new feather was added to the crown of Victoria when she became the Empress of India. The decision of Victoria to take over the responsibility of the government of India from the East India Company after the Indian Mutiny of 1857 made her quite popular.
Queen Victoria of Britain was dedicated to her services to the country till her last days. She died on 22nd January 1901 on the Isle of Wight at Osborne House, aged 82. She was entombed beside the grave of Prince Albert in the Frogmore Royal Mausoleum at Windsor.
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