Victoria

Victoria (1819–1901), queen of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 and empress of India from 1876. As a young queen she depended heavily on the counsel of Lord Melbourne. Her life was transformed by marriage in 1840 to Prince Albert, who became the greatest influence of her life. She mourned for the rest of her life after his death in 1861. She had strong opinions and believed in playing an active role in government, and her relations with a succession of ministers colored the political life of her reign. Her dislike of Palmerston and Gladstone and fondness for Disraeli, for example, were notorious. In old age she became immensely popular and a symbol of Britain's imperial greatness.

See also: United Kingdom.