Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

Victoria was born in 1786 in Coburg, a small German principality. She was the fourth daughter and seventh child of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and his wife Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf. She had two brothers who became important figures in European history: Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and Leopold, future king of the Belgians. In 1803, at the age of 17, Victoria married Charles, Prince of Leiningen, who was 23 years older than her and a widower with two children. They had two more children together: Carl, born in 1804, and Feodora, born in 1807. Victoria became a devoted mother and a capable regent for her husband's principality. She also developed a close friendship with her stepdaughter Anna, who later married her brother Ernest. ¹ In 1814, Victoria was widowed when Charles died of cancer. She continued to act as regent for her son Carl until he came of age in 1818. That same year, she married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III of the United Kingdom. The marriage was arranged by her brother Leopold, who had married Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only legitimate child and heiress presumptive of George IV. However, Charlotte died in childbirth in 1817, leaving the British succession uncertain. Victoria and Edward were among several royal couples who were encouraged by Parliament to produce an heir. ¹ Victoria and Edward had one child: a daughter named Victoria, born in 1819 at Kensington Palace. Edward died in 1820, shortly after his father George III and before his brother George IV ascended the throne. Victoria was left a widow again at the age of 33, with a young daughter who was now third in line to the British throne after her uncles George IV and William IV. Victoria decided to stay in Britain and raise her daughter under the protection of her brother Leopold, who had become King of the Belgians in 1831. She also hoped that her daughter would one day become queen. ¹ Victoria was a strict and protective mother who controlled every aspect of her daughter's life. She devised a system of education and isolation for her daughter that became known as the "Kensington System". The young Victoria was not allowed to have any friends or playmates of her own age, nor to meet any other members of the royal family without her mother's permission. She was constantly supervised by her mother and her mother's comptroller Sir John Conroy, who had a great influence over Victoria. The aim of the system was to make Victoria dependent on her mother and Conroy, and to prevent her from forming any attachments that could threaten their power over her. ¹ However, the system backfired as Victoria grew up to resent her mother and Conroy, and to seek independence from their control. She was supported by her uncle Leopold, who sent her letters and advice, and by her governess Baroness Lehzen, who became her confidante and ally. Victoria also developed a strong bond with her paternal uncle William IV, who treated her with affection and respect. William was childless and wished to see Victoria succeed him as queen. He tried to arrange a marriage between Victoria and his nephew Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who was also Victoria's first cousin and Leopold's nephew. Victoria met Albert for the first time in 1836 and was impressed by his intelligence and charm. ¹ In 1837, William IV died and Victoria became queen at the age of 18. She immediately asserted her authority by dismissing Conroy from her household and distancing herself from her mother, who was relegated to a separate apartment in Buckingham Palace. Victoria also refused to grant her mother any political influence or access to state papers. She relied instead on the guidance of her prime minister Lord Melbourne, who became her mentor and friend. She also accepted Leopold's advice to marry Albert, whom she married in 1840. The marriage was a happy and successful one, and Victoria and Albert had nine children together. Albert became Victoria's closest companion and adviser, and helped her to balance her duties as a monarch and a mother. ¹ Victoria's mother lived to see her daughter's reign become one of the most prosperous and influential in British history. She witnessed the expansion of the British Empire, the Industrial Revolution, the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, and the beginnings of the constitutional monarchy. She also saw her daughter become the grandmother of Europe, as her children and grandchildren married into various royal houses across the continent. ¹ Victoria's mother died in 1861 at Frogmore House, Windsor, at the age of 74. She was buried in the Duchess of Kent's Mausoleum at Frogmore, near the royal mausoleum where Victoria and Albert would later be interred. Victoria mourned her mother deeply, despite their strained relationship. She wrote in her journal: "I stood over her & kissed her dear pale forehead & felt as if my heart would break". She also expressed regret for not being more kind and forgiving to her mother in life. She wrote: "Oh! If I could but have had her again ... how I would have tried to make up for past unkindness". ¹