Queen Victoria

The long reign of Queen Victoria was a time of almost uninterrupted peace and great progress. The rapid growth of industry made Britain the world’s leading industrial nation – “the workshop of the world”, as it was called – and the British Empire reached the height of its power when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1876. During her long life, which lasted 82 years, the Queen herself became a symbol of Britain’s greatness. In 1840, Victoria married Prince Albert and lived happily with him until he died in 1861. After his death she led a lonely life, withdrew from public affairs, and could only rarely be persuaded to visit London. When she died in 1901 after a reign of 63 years, the world stood on the threshold of the 20th century, and many British people felt that a great age had gone forever.