Women In Victorian Era

1. Important women in the Victorian era

1.1 Queen Victoria (1819-1901)

Alexandrina Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom from June 1837 until January 1901 and Empress of India from May 1876 until January 1901. Her reign of almost 64 years is both in the UK and overseas known as the Victorian era.

Victoria, born on May 24, 1819, was the only child of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Through her mother, she had a half-brother and a half-sister: Carl and Feodora. Victoria got her first name Alexandrina from Emperor Alexander I of Russia. Alexander I was actually the godfather of Victoria. Her childhood was quite restless and the relationship between Victoria and her mother (the Duchess of Kent) was not always happy.

William IV, King of the United Kingdom and Hanover, died on June 20, 1837, at the age of 72. Victoria became the new queen because he and his older brothers had no legal male and female offspring. In

In 1903, she established, with her daughter Christabel, the Women 's Social and Political Union (WSPU). The purpose of this organisation was to acquire political equality for women through suffrage. Two years later, Christabel got arrested for insulting a policeman. Christabel had interrupted an important liberal meeting by shouting that she wanted female suffrage. The Daily Mail then used the term "suffragettes" to describe the women who fought for the right to vote. The women considered this as a compliment and from now on even named themselves the suffragettes.

Though this section did not take place in the Victorian era, it is still very important.

Emmeline moved back to London in 1906, where she was able to influence parliament more easily.

With her organisation, she often interrupted political meetings and organised demonstrations. Emmeline had been arrested several times while organising these