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The Letters of Queen Victoria : A Selection from Her Majesty's Correspondence between the Years 1837 and 1861 Volume 1, 1837-1843
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706 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1861
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Queen Victoria
347 books29 followersThe expansion and industrial growth marked reign of Victoria, queen of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 and empress of India from 1877, and her strict moral code influenced 19th-century society.
Alexandrina Victoria from 20 June 1837 until her death. People know her 63 years and seven months as the Victorian era, a period of cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom. She was the last monarch of the house of Hanover.
Albert, her prince consort, died in 1861.
Victoria wrote an average of 2,500 words a day during her adult life. From July 1832, she kept a detailed journal, which eventually encompassed 122 volumes, until her death. After death of Victoria, survivors appointed Beatrice, her youngest daughter and a princess, as her literary executor. Beatrice transcribed and edited the diaries, covering accession of her mother onward, and she burned the originals in the process. Despite this destruction, much of the diaries still exist. In addition to edited copy of Beatrice, Lord Reginald Baliol Brett Esher transcribed the volumes from 1832 to 1861 before Beatrice destroyed them.
Alexandrina Victoria from 20 June 1837 until her death. People know her 63 years and seven months as the Victorian era, a period of cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom. She was the last monarch of the house of Hanover.
Albert, her prince consort, died in 1861.
Victoria wrote an average of 2,500 words a day during her adult life. From July 1832, she kept a detailed journal, which eventually encompassed 122 volumes, until her death. After death of Victoria, survivors appointed Beatrice, her youngest daughter and a princess, as her literary executor. Beatrice transcribed and edited the diaries, covering accession of her mother onward, and she burned the originals in the process. Despite this destruction, much of the diaries still exist. In addition to edited copy of Beatrice, Lord Reginald Baliol Brett Esher transcribed the volumes from 1832 to 1861 before Beatrice destroyed them.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 14, 2020
Whilst there are more letters here from Lord Melbourne and Lord Palmerston to Victoria than from The Queen herself, it is nevertheless a delightful compilation of letters and entries of journals of both intimate and political nature, reading between the lines of correspondence written to her paints a cheerful picture of the young Queen: sharp and curious, of a debating nature and nothing if not determined and proud in her station and spirit.
From a memorandum of Mr. Anson, Private Secretary to Prince Albert: “The Queen is very proud of the Prince’s utter indifference to the attractions of all ladies. I told Her Majesty that these were early days to boast, which made her rather indignant. I think she is a little jealous of his talking even to men.”
Her relationship with Leopold I, King of the Belgians is of most interest. A man who was almost King of England, but had to make way for Victoria, his letters portray a character who fancies himself a mastermind chess master. A tiresome lecturer of a meddlesome nature, it takes Victoria less than a year into her reign to mature enough to observe that dear uncle Leopold is an intruding busybody and the situation changes dramatically rather quickly, Victoria no longer depending on him for political clarifications as she relies more on her own people, even deferring some of her answers to Palmerston himself.
Being in position of Sovereign, it must have been difficult and awkward for Victoria to find a friend. For this one cannot fault her for not interrupting her correspondence with Lord Melbourne. In him she found both a friend and a confidante, someone she could easily discuss politics with, book and children, music and court gossip. A man who actively admired, supported and maybe even loved her more than his station permitted, it was Melbourne, not Albert, whose opinion she could ask for without fear of chastising or lecturing.
Lord Melbourne to Queen Victoria, 20th April 1842:
“As Lord Melbourne drove down the Park on Saturday evening last to dine with his sister, he could see clearly into your Majesty’s room, so as to be able to distinguish the pictures, tables, etc, the candles being lighted and the curtains not drawn. Your Majesty was just setting off to the Opera...”
... at which point, this Reader imagines Lord M sighing with melancholy. And so does the Reader, for if only we could read the unabridged, to fill in the gaps in history and lore.
From a memorandum of Mr. Anson, Private Secretary to Prince Albert: “The Queen is very proud of the Prince’s utter indifference to the attractions of all ladies. I told Her Majesty that these were early days to boast, which made her rather indignant. I think she is a little jealous of his talking even to men.”
Her relationship with Leopold I, King of the Belgians is of most interest. A man who was almost King of England, but had to make way for Victoria, his letters portray a character who fancies himself a mastermind chess master. A tiresome lecturer of a meddlesome nature, it takes Victoria less than a year into her reign to mature enough to observe that dear uncle Leopold is an intruding busybody and the situation changes dramatically rather quickly, Victoria no longer depending on him for political clarifications as she relies more on her own people, even deferring some of her answers to Palmerston himself.
Being in position of Sovereign, it must have been difficult and awkward for Victoria to find a friend. For this one cannot fault her for not interrupting her correspondence with Lord Melbourne. In him she found both a friend and a confidante, someone she could easily discuss politics with, book and children, music and court gossip. A man who actively admired, supported and maybe even loved her more than his station permitted, it was Melbourne, not Albert, whose opinion she could ask for without fear of chastising or lecturing.
Lord Melbourne to Queen Victoria, 20th April 1842:
“As Lord Melbourne drove down the Park on Saturday evening last to dine with his sister, he could see clearly into your Majesty’s room, so as to be able to distinguish the pictures, tables, etc, the candles being lighted and the curtains not drawn. Your Majesty was just setting off to the Opera...”
... at which point, this Reader imagines Lord M sighing with melancholy. And so does the Reader, for if only we could read the unabridged, to fill in the gaps in history and lore.
August 6, 2014
For anyone interested in history and the politics of this age, these are fascinating. An insight into Victoria's character and her relationships with the British politicians of the age and how her thinking was shaped by them, and by her Uncle Leopold, whose advice manages by turns to be wise, intrusive, and also self-serving.
The editorialising is of its age, basically somewhat fawning of Victoria and the age she represented. But you can always round out your interest in the people and politics from other sources, in fact I strongly recommend doing so, as it illuminates the personalities and politics into a much more fascinating tapestry.
If it's personal dirt and her romantic life you are after you will be disappointed, tabloid journalistic shocks are not what these these letters contain, yet at the same time her reticence over certain things (after her wedding night with Albert for example) manages to convey her ... satisfaction.
The editorialising is of its age, basically somewhat fawning of Victoria and the age she represented. But you can always round out your interest in the people and politics from other sources, in fact I strongly recommend doing so, as it illuminates the personalities and politics into a much more fascinating tapestry.
If it's personal dirt and her romantic life you are after you will be disappointed, tabloid journalistic shocks are not what these these letters contain, yet at the same time her reticence over certain things (after her wedding night with Albert for example) manages to convey her ... satisfaction.
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August 30, 2012Riveting so far... I'm reading this huge record in bits and pieces when the mood strikes. Can't manage this in one go.
December 12, 2024
This was absolutely fascinating as you watch Queen Victoria progress from a scared little girl to a queen, wife and mother. It was so fascinating to watch this incremental progress with each passing letter.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews