Queen
Victoria of England
1819-1901
Ruler of the greatest
empire the world has ever seen. She ruled almost a quarter of the
world's land and a quarter of its population. Her reign spanned nearly
two-thirds of
the nineteenth century, 1837-1901, during which
British culture, finance, science, technology and literature came to
dominate the world.
Queen Victoria wasn't quite so Victorian as common knowledge would have
us believe. She had an intense carnal hunger for her
husband, Prince Albert, that produced nine children, and she never
stopped mourning him after his
death left her widowed at a young age.
Even though Victorian Britain has a reputation for stealing the world's
artistic treasures, she furiously rebuked her
soldiers after they looted the tomb of their long-time enemy, the
Mahdi, in Sudan.
If you have a few spare hours to see her
open-mindedness in
developing multicultural friendships, check out the Judi Densch
Victoria duology: Mrs.
Brown, where she befriends a Scotsman, and Victoria and Abdul,
where she befriends a Muslim.
