Unit 2: The Crown at a Crossroads (2nde_gr1)

 Grandmother of Europe

Link to the video.

The second document under study is a video from Britannica about Queen Victoria. This video describes her reign, the different traditions that she created and passed down onto generations. It also describes her personality and her family. We have learned that she had 9 children, 40 grandchildren and 88 great-grandchildren. Because of that, she was called the “Grandmother of Europe”. On top of that, she had this nickname because many of her descendants became European monarchs.

Queen Victoria ruled for 63 years from 1838 till 1901, when she died at 81 years old. It was the longest reign of a monarch in the UK.

At the time of her reign, she was one of the most powerful women, as a result the era was even named after her: Victorian Era. She was above criticism.

On top of that, she considered the people from the British colonies as her own children whatever her different skin color, creeds/beliefs and traditions. It is interesting to note that at the time, one third of the world’s population belonged to the British Empire. The British Empire was present on every continent. Nevertheless, there were some revolutionary movements in some colonies, indeed, some of them wanted to be free from the British rules.

She decided to settle in Buckingham Palace in the 19^th century, since then, all the royal families that have followed after her would continue to live there.

Homework: Learn the lesson.