22. The birth of Princess Alexandrina Victoria
Possibly the most consequential event of British history to occur during the Regency, Princess Alexandrina was born on May 24, 1819. The daughter of Prince Edward, brother of George Augustus, then Prince Regent, she ascended to the throne in 1837 as Queen Victoria. Victoria used her considerable popularity to influence the governing of her subjects, though she did so privately and with discretion. Publicly she became a symbol of a morality which had been absent from the monarchy for many years.
Victoria was just 18 years of age when she became Queen. In 1840 she survived an assassination attempt, which restored her then lagging popularity. She later survived, uninjured, additional attempts on her life. Her nine children’s descendants became many of the crowned heads of Europe, including the German Kaiser and the Russian Tsar. She reigned longer than any other British monarch until surpassed by Queen Elizabeth II, her great-great-granddaughter. Victoria used her monarchy and large family to exhibit moral virtues and self-control, avoiding the scandalous behavior of her uncle George Augustus during the Regency Era.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
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“The Rise and Fall of Beau Brummell”. Rachel Knowles, Regency History. November 14, 2012
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“The History of the Gas Light and Coke Company”. Sterling Everard. 1949
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“18 Indecent Behaviors of the Regency Era”. Trista, History Collection. December 26, 2018
“Regency style”. Article, the Editors. Britannica Online
“The Rookeries of London”. Thomas Beames. 1852. Online
“The Strange and Twisted Life of ‘Frankenstein'”. Jill Lepore, The New Yorker. February 5, 2018
“Queen Charlotte”. Article and video, Frontline. PBS Online
“The Peterloo massacre: what was it and what did it mean”. Helen Pidd, The Guardian. August 16, 2019
“Coronation of George IV”. Article, Westminster Abbey Online
“Queen Victoria”. Alan Rayburn, Carolyn Harris, The Canadian Encyclopedia. September 8, 2015. Online