The Woman in Black

On the morning of June 20, 1837, British Princess Alexandrina Victoria was awakened and informed that her uncle, King William IV, had died. The eighteen-year-old became Queen Victoria and would reign for an unprecedented 63 years (her record was eventually overtaken by Queen Elizabeth II). Victoria’s path to the throne was fortuitous bordering on bizarre. She was fifth in line for the throne when she was born. Her father, Edward, The Duke of Kent, died shortly after her first birthday. Next in line were Edward’s three brothers but none of those men had heirs that survived childhood. Thus, when King William IV passed away, the teenage princess ascended the throne. Victoria’s mother raised the child under a rigid set of rules that became known as the “Kensington System”. Victoria was required to follow a strict diet, exercise vigorously, and was required to sleep in her mother’s room. Victoria had almost no contact with commoners or other children. However, once she was thrust into the spotlight she was embraced by the British public. One reason is that she was the first Queen to rule in over a century.  The 4’11” monarch was always making news. In 1839, she proposed to her first cousin, Prince Albert of Germany (a man proposing to a Queen was forbidden). Victoria resisted tradition by wearing a white wedding dress (most brides wore colored gowns) and she requested that no guests wear white.  The loving couple produced nine children. When Prince Albert died of typhoid fever at the age of 42, the grief-stricken Queen donned black clothing and would wear black for the rest of her life. The Victorian Era The Victorian Age is usually associated with strict moral codes, but it was so much more. Victoria’s reign was characterized by great works of art and literature. Britian’s Industrial Revolution continued unabated, marked by breath-taking scientific advancements, the dramatic growth of factories, and the rise of the middle class. British military power became dominant, and the United Kingdom extended its empire to all corners of the world.  The Grandmother of Europe A decade after the Queen’s 1901 death, World War I commenced. Some of Victoria’s grandchildren were major players including Kaiser Wilhelm II, King William V, Alexandra, Empress of Russia. In addition, Victoria was grandmother to the queen of Spain, and the queen of Norway. The current monarchs of England, Spain, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark are ancestors of Victoria. Although Victoria was not a hemophiliac, she was the first in her family to carry Hemophilia B. The bleeding disorder became known as “the royal disease”.  Hemophilia  was passed among European royal families, and most famously claimed Aleksei, the son of Alexandra, the last empress of Russia.  One Tough Mother Victoria survived at least six assassination attempts between 1840 and 1882. Once, when she was threatened by a gunman, a group of students from Eton fended off the assailant with their umbrellas. After each assassination attempt Victoria immediately resumed her duties. She also demonstrated compassion for her assailants and in some cases called for a reduced criminal sentence. Victoria’s brave response to these attacks made a lasting impression of the populace. Victoria became a symbol of.British fortitude. One More Thing Victoria and Albert brought a yuletide tradition from Germany to England – the Christmas tree. In 1848 Albert distributed decorated trees to schools and army barracks throughout Britain. When an image of the royal family decorating their Christmas tree was published, families across Britain adopted the new tradition. Now, that’s a bit of trivia you can discuss with your family when you are sipping eggnog this December.   Have a great weekend. For those in the Boston area I am having another book signing at The Blue Bunny Book Store in historic Dedham Square on Saturday, June 20th from 2-4. Come on over if you need a last-last minute Fathers’ Day gift. If you can’t attend, you can order a signed copy online at https://bluebunnybooks.com/event/2026-06-20/ted-curtin.                                                      .

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