History of Victorian England

 

 

Ricky Joslyn

Spencer Jacoby

 

Queen Victoria

 

Introduction

The Victorian Era is the period of English history between 1837 and 1901.  This time period is marked by the apex of the British Industrial Revolution and a time prosperity in the empire.  The monarch during this period of time was Queen Victoria.  This era was preceded by the English Regency and followed by the Edwardian Era.  A lot of important events that still affect England today happened in the Victorian Era.  

 

The English Regency preceded the Victorian Era.  It lasted from 1811-1820. During this time King George III was on the throne. The Regency was considered the transition period between the Georgian Era and the Victorian era. It was a time of general uncertainty in English history. Riots were common and there was a general concern among the people that the British would follow in the footsteps of the French, and have a revolution. Once Queen Victoria took the throne people started to settle down from the chaos of the French Revolution and focused on the arts and literature. You will be able to find all of the highlights of  Victorian Era England here.

 

 

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Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria on the morning of her coronation, gave her name to this historic era.

Queen Victoria was the daughter of Edward, the Duke of Kent and Strathearn; and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield.  She was born in 1819.  In reality, she was fifth in line for the Crown, but none of the other heirs were able to take the crown.  She ascended to the throne on June 28, 1938.  She married her first cousin, German-speaking Prince Albert, on February 10, 1840.

 

Three assasination attempts were made on Queen Victoria during her reign.  On May 29 while she was pregnant, a young man fired two shots at her while she was riding in her carriage with her husband.  He missed both times.  He was acquitted in his trial on grounds of insanity.  Another attempt was made at St. James' park while she was riding in her carriage, but was stopped when a police constable grabbed him.  The death sentence the assassin was supposed to recieve for high treason was commuted to transporation for life, which meant he was to be deported out of England for the rest of his life.  Further assassination attempts were made on Victoria's life in the future, though she was adored by most people.

 

Victoria always had a love for Ireland, and donated 2,000 pounds of sterling to Irish people when Ireland was hit by the potato famine of 1845.

 

She was widowed in 1861 when Prince Albert died of typhoid fever.  This devastated Victoria and she wore black for the rest of her life in mourning for him.

 

Queen Victoria eventaully died in from a cerebral hemmorhage in 1901.  Her legacy still lives on and influences Britain today.  While she was ruling, the population of London went from 1.1 Million in 1801, to 6.6 Million in 1901.

 

 

 

 

Important Events of the Victorian Era

 

1819 - Queen Victoria is born

Streets of London during the Victorian Era

 

1826 - First photograph taken by Joseph Nicophore Niepce

 

1834 - Slavery is banned in British colonies

1837 - Charles Dickens published Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist

Charles  Dickens' Oliver Twist

 

1844 - Irish Potato famine begins

 

1853-56 - Crimean War

 

1860 - Dickens Great Expectations

 

1875 - First intelligible telephone connection made by Alexander Graham Bell

1876 - Queen Victoria named Empress of India

Jack the Ripper was the most famous serial killer in the Victorian Era. In his lifetime, this unidentified killer brutally murdered dozens of prostitutes and any other person who got in his way.  To learn more about Jack the Ripper click here.

 

1878 - First electric street lighting in London

 

1879 - Thomas Edison invents the first light bulb

 

1885 - Karl Benz invents the first automobile

 

1888 - Unsolved murders of East End women by "Jack the Ripper "

 

1891 - Education made free for all children

 

1896 - Marconi patented the first wireless telegraphy

 

1901 - Queen Victoria dies

 

1901 - Population of London reaches 6.6 Million.

 

 

 

New Technology

Thomas Edison invented the first ever light bulb in 1880.  This is arguably the most important invention in the history of mankind.

Britain underwent an Industrial Revolution that helped Britain's economy greatly during the Victorian Era.  It started with textile industries, the development of iron making techniques, and the use of refined coal.  England's trade was also facilitated through the introduction of canals, improved roadways, and railways.  In the first two decades of the 19th, all-metal machine tools were used to promote the

Steam Engine was an invention in 19th century Victorian england that made worck more efficient.

 

A great engineering feat in the Victorian Era was the sewage system in London. In 1858, Joseph Bazelgette proposed to build 82 miles of sewerage linked with 1,000 miles of street sewers.  Complications arose with this system, so Bazelgette invented the Thames Embankment which housed sewage, water pipes, and the London Underground. 

 

Other important inventions and breakthroughs in the Victorian Era included the introduction of electric lights, the telephone, the telegraph and introduction to Morse Code, the sewing machine, and the light bulb. 

 

As a result of this Industrial Revolution, more workers were needed in factories.  To obtain workers for these less than glamorous jobs, the factory owners looked at what London had an abundance of: children.  Child labor was very common in Industrial age England.  Some usual places children would work would be the blacksmiths, textile mills, on the farm, maid services, chimney sweeps, and even in mines. Mines were very dangerous as cave-ins and collapses often occurred inside.  In 1843, The Coal Mines Act outlawed children from working in mines. Some children were forced to work on the other side of the law. Girls ages 14-18 often sold themselves to prostitution. Boys often, willingly or unwillingly, joined crime rings to become thieves. Over the course of the 20th century, more and more laws were passed to increase the age at which a child could work, regulate how many hours a minor could work, and forbid younger people from working hazardous jobs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Important People of the Victorian Era

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was the greatest novelist of the Victorian Era.  His novels are still popular today.  His best works include Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, and A Tale of Two Cities.  He wrote about ordinary people and how they lived, about terrible prisons, bad schools, and the workhouse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827) was one of the greatest composers in history.  This deaf man made some of the most famous pieces in music history.  His works ranged from orchestra, chamber music, piano, to vocals.  Even though he was German, he is an important figure in Victorian times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) invented the telephone. The basis for his invention is still used today and is the most efficient way to communicate from a distance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917) was the first woman doctor to be qualified in Britain.  She founded a hospital for women and children in London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)  is an English naturalist known for his theory of "natural selection" or "evolution."  When he was a young scientist, he set sail to the Galapagos Islands and the South American coast to observed fossils and living animals which made him question the Bible's theory of evolution.  He published his findings in his book The Origin of Species.  His theory altered the way people perceived themselves, religion, and the rest of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Institutions

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, Britain's social structure was set in stone.  It was divided strictly into three classes: the Church and Aristocracy, the middle class, and the working class.  The top class was made up of the Church and nobility, who had all the power.  The middle class, bourgeoise, consisted of factory owners, bankers, shopkeepers, merchants, lawyers, businessman, and other  professionals.  The lower class was divided into two sections: the working class, or laborers, and the poor.  The working class people worked laborious jobs, while the poor did not work at all and were receiving public charity.  This third class made up 85% of the population, while the upper class made up about 2% of the population.

 

 

After the Industrial Revolution, Britain's social classes changed dramatically.  There was much hostility between the rich and the poor, as the poor were often exploited.  The middle and working classes ballooned as a result of Industrialization.

 

 

In this new social system, the government was controlled by the constitutional monarchy, headed by Queen Victoria.  Only royalty had power, which bothered Englishmen at this time and was criticised as being favorable to the upper class and was questioned often by writers and philosophers.

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion the Victorian Era had a huge impact on England. Before the Victorian Era, a lot of England was impoverished and dirty. The Victorian Era set the stage for the higher classes of England. In my mind it is the Pax Romana of England. It was a time of peace and prosperity, a big difference from the earlier years. So many important people and inventions came out of the Victorian Era that still help us today. People fail to realize that things they use everyday were invented in the Victorian Era, such as the light bulb or the telephone. So not only was the Victorian Era important to England, but eveywhere else in the world as well.

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