La nascita di una regina: Victoria e la crisi di successione reale

When Queen Victoria was born

Victoria was born on the 24 May 1819 in the middle of the succession crisis. By this time George III’s six daughters and seven sons were moving into their fifties.

By 1817, they had only managed to produce one legitimate heir, Princess Charlotte, the daughter of Prince Reagent. When she became pregnant by her popular husband, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, the English people were delighted. But her baby boy was born dead and within hours, she had fallen into a fatal fever and she too died. The country mourned her, and the politicians began panicking over the lack of an heir.

The race of the royal dukes

In the hope that Parliament would pay off their huge debts, the royal dukes embarked on a race to marry and produce children.

The Duke of Kent began courting Prince Leopold’s sister Victoire, Dowager Princess of Leininghen.
Victoire was initially reluctant to marry Kent, who was an indebted duke twenty years older, but finally accepted and soon fell pregnant.

The Prince Regnant was infuriated by his brother’s success in producing a child and took his revenge by spoiling the christening. He allowed only a few guests to attend and refused to let the child bear the names associated with queens, such as Charlotte, Augusta or Elizabeth.

On the actual day, the Archbishop of Canterbury stood with the child over the font, waiting for the Prince Regent to inform him of her name. Finally, the Regent said, “Give her the mother’s name”. Her first name was Alexandrina, but she quickly became known by her middle name: Victoria.

Queen Victoria’s attempt murders

On the 10th June 1840, the Queen, who was pregnant with her first baby (Albert Edward) from her husband (Prince Albert), was having a carriage ride in London when an 18 years old boy, Edward Oxford, tried to shot her two times. Fortunately, he missed his target but he was accused of lese-majesty. He was saved only because he was called mentally unstable.
The motive of this act remains nowadays uncertain: someone believe that Oxford wanted just to show himself; others call into question the Chartism that demanded better social reforms; also Victoria’s uncle and heir, the king of Hannover, was contemplated to be one of the instigators.

On the 29th and 30th of May 1842, Queen Victoria risked to die two times because of John Francis, who maybe remembered how Oxford was freed. Firstly he pointed his gun to the Queen’s head but it did not work, then he tried to shot her but his aim was wrong. At the end, Francis was exiled forever in the colonies.

On the 3rd of July of the same year, John William Bean decided to shot Victoria with a gun full of paper and tobacco. He should have been punished with the capital punishment but prince Albert let the Parliament approve a measure in which it was said that whoever tried to attempt the life of the Queen should have received seven years in prison and the flogging.

Queen Victoria will die on the 22nd of January 1901 after 63 years of reign because of her old age. She was buried at Frogmore House.

On the 9th of August 1902, Edward VII was crowned king of England and the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha dynasty (during WWI the name was changed in Windsor) had begun.