Early Period of Victoria's Reign
The Regency Act of 1832 vested the British legislative powers to the House of Lords and the executive powers to the House of Commons, while the monarch was reduced to a mere symbolic head of the state. Popularity of the royals was also at a lowest when Victoria ascended to the throne. But the young queen won over the hearts of the people and showed great interest in the way the government was run. Lord Melbourne of the Whig Party was the Prime Minister of Britain then and he immediately took politically inexperienced young Victoria under his wings. But he didn't last long as and had to resign in 1839 due to failure of his government in governing overseas colonies and amid growing discontent at home. She then appointed Sir Robert Peel, a Tory to direct a new government. But soon after a new problem arose that is know in history as Bedchamber Crisis (regarding appointment in the Royal Households). Mr. Peel subsequently resigned citing royal restrictions and paved the way for Melbourne's return to head the government.
However, the Tories came back to power again in 1842 when the Whigs lost the election and this time there was the Bedchamber Crisis. By this time Prince Albert also became Queen Victoria's most reliable advisor. There were four assassination attempts on Queen Victoria between 1840 and 1842. But none were sentenced to death, as was the punishment at the time for any such crime, due to Prince Albert's lenient attitude. Two more attempts on her life were made in 1849 and 1850 but she survived all.
On the political front Peels government faced huge crisis regarding the repeal of the Corn Laws. Peel resigned in 1846 and he was replaced by Lord John Russell. This change of government brought great distress to the queen as Russell's government proved to be very insensitive towards the monarchy, specially Lord Palmerston the then Foreign Secretary who often acted arrogantly and didn't feel to consult the Queen or even the Prime Minister regarding matters concerning his ministry.
Another important aspect during this period was the Irish Potato Famine that started in 1845 and lasted four years claiming one million people and displacing many more. Ireland produced more than enough food but almost all of it was imported to Britain by landowners who were mostly British. Although the Queen had great sympathy for the Irish people, John Russell's government did nothing to stop the catastrophe and as a result the popularity of the queen greatly diminished amongst the Irish populace. She visited the country in 1849 to try to draw attention to the seriousness of the Irish problem and succeeded in redeeming her lost glory to some extent.
In 1851, Prince Albert organized the World Fair, popularly known as the Great Exhibition of 1851 which was one of the most highlighting points during queen Victoria's early reign. The exhibition showcased amazing inventions and products from all over the world and was a huge success with its profits being used to make the South Kensington Museum, which was later renamed as Victoria and Albert Museum.
The year 1852 saw emergence of a new political idea in the form of coalition government for the first time in history. After the collapse of John Russell's ministry, there was no other alternative force to form a strong and stable government. So Prince Albert and Queen Victoria encouraged parties to form a coalition ministry and Lord Aberdeen became the first Prime Minister of a coalition government. The subsequent years saw political upheavals with many Prime Ministers coming and going and also the British getting involved in conflicts such as the Crimean War against Russia in 1854, the Second Opium War in China in 1857. But the most notable event was the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 where Indian sepoys revolted against the British East India Company rule. The mutiny was eventually crushed and India was brought under the direct rule of the British government. It was during this volatile period that the famous Victorian Cross was instituted as an award for valour.
Original Authors: Bishal Chakma
Edit Update Authors: M.A.Harris
Updated On: 24/07/2008
