New Delhi: Queen Victoria ruled over the United Kingdom at a time when it became the leading powerhouse in world history thanks to the massive British Empire. Her reign was a period of political, industrial, military and scientific change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. While women before her had ruled India and become queens, nobody probably was an empress of the country in the true sense. Those who became gained the title by being the wives of the emperors, like Nur Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. It was Queen Victoria who was possibly the first woman in history who became India’s empress by dint of her own power.
How did Queen Victoria become the Empress of India?
Born on May 24, 1819, Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward who was the fourth son of King George III. She had little to no chance of ascending the throne, but life had a massive surprise in store for her. In 1820, her father and grandfather passed away and Victoria was raised under close supervision by her mother and her comptroller, John Conroy. In a twist of fate, she became the monarch of the UK when she was just 18 after her father’s three elder brothers passed away without surviving legitimate issues. Even though she was a constitutional monarch, she tried to influence government policy and appointments of ministers and became a national icon who was identified with strict standards of personal morality.
The crowning as the Empress of India
During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Indian rulers and soldiers rose in arms against the British East India Company but failed to be successful. However, once the great mutiny was suppressed, the Company, which had laid the foundation of the British rule in India, was dissolved. Britain’s possessions and protectorates on the Indian subcontinent were formally incorporated into the British Empire.
Queen Victoria condemned the atrocities on both sides and insisted that an official proclamation announcing the transfer of power from the company to the Empire would herald a new dawn in the subcontinent. Benjamin Disraeli once again became the Prime Minister of the UK after the 1874 general election and in the same year, he passed the Public Worship Regulation Act backed by the Queen which removed Catholic rituals from the Anglican liturgy. Also, the PM pushed the Royal Titles Act 1876 through Parliament which made Victoria the ‘Empress of India’ from May 1, 1876. The title was proclaimed at the Delhi Durbar on January 1, 1877. She served in that role till her death on January 22, 1901.
Born on May 24, 1819, Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward who was the fourth son of King George III. She had little to no chance of ascending the throne, but life had a massive surprise in store for her. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
