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* * * * *
[Illustration: QUEEN VICTORIA RECEIVING THE NEWS OF HER ACCESSION TO
THE THRONE, JUNE 20, 1837
From the picture by H. T. Wells, R.A., at Buckingham Palace
_Frontispiece, Vol. I._]
THE LETTERS OF
QUEEN VICTORIA
A SELECTION FROM HER MAJESTY'S
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE YEARS
1837 AND 1861
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF
HIS MAJESTY THE KING
EDITED BY ARTHUR CHRISTOPHER BENSON, M.A.
AND VISCOUNT ESHER, G.C.V.O., K.C.B.
IN THREE VOLUMES
VOL. I.--1837-1843
LONDON
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W.
1908
_Copyright in Great Britain and Dependencies, 1907, by_ H.M. THE KING.
_In the United States by_ Messrs LONGMANS, GREEN & CO.
_All rights reserved._
PREFACE
Entrusted by His Majesty the King with the duty of making a selection
from Queen Victoria's correspondence, we think it well to describe
briefly the nature of the documents which we have been privileged to
examine, as well as to indicate the principles which have guided us
throughout. It has been a task of no ordinary difficulty. Her Majesty
Queen Victoria dealt with her papers, from the first, in a most
methodical manner; she formed the habit in early days of preserving
her private letters, and after her accession to the Throne all her
official papers were similarly treated, and bound in volumes. The
Prince Consort instituted an elaborate system of classification,
annotating and even indexing many of the documents with his own hand.
The result is that the collected papers form what is probably the most
extraordinary series of State documents in the world. The papers which
deal with the Queen's life up to the year 1861 have been bound
in chronological order, and comprise between five and six hundred
volumes. They consist, in great part, of letters from Ministers
detailing the proceedings of Parliament, and of various political
memoranda dealing with home, foreign, and colonial policy; among these
are a few drafts of Her Majesty's replies. There are volumes concerned
with the affairs of almost every European country; with the history
of India, the British Army, the Civil List, the Royal Estates, and all
the complicated machinery of the Monarchy and the Constitution. There
are letters from monarchs and royal personages, and there is further
a whole series of volumes dealing with matters in which the
Prince Consort took a special interest. Some of them are arranged
chronologically, some by subjects. Among the most interesting volumes
are those containing the letters written by Her Majesty to her uncle
Leopold, King of the Belgians, and his replies.[1] The collection
of letters from and to Lord Melbourne forms another hardly less
interesting series. In many places Queen Victoria caused extracts,
copied from her own private Diaries, dealing with important political
events or describing momentous interviews, to be inserted in the
volumes, with the evident intention of illustrating and completing the
record.
[Footnote 1: A set of volumes containing the Queen's letters
to Lord John Russell came into our hands too late to be made
use of for the present publication.]
It became obvious at once that it was impossible to deal with these
papers exhaustively. They would provide material for a historical
series extending to several hundred volumes. Moreover, on the other
hand, there are many gaps, as a great deal of the business of State
was transacted by interviews of which no official record is preserved.
His Majesty the King having decided that no attempt should be made to
publish these papers _in extenso_, it was necessary to determine upon
some definite principle of selection. It became clear that the only
satisfactory plan was to publish specimens of such documents as
would serve to bring out the development of the Queen's character and
disposition, and to give typical instances of her methods in dealing
with political and social matters--to produce, in fact, a book for
British citizens and British subjects, rather than a book for
students of political history. That the inner working of the unwritten
constitution of the country; that some of the unrealised checks and
balances; that the delicate equipoise of the component parts of our
executive machinery, should stand revealed, was inevitable. We have
thought it best, throughout, to abstain from unnecessary comment and
illustration. The period is so recent, and has been so often traversed
by historians and biographers, that it appeared to us a waste of
valuable space to attempt to reconstruct the history of the years
from which this correspondence has been selected, especially as Sir
Theodore Martin, under the auspices of the Queen herself, has dealt so
minutely and exhaustively with the relations of the Queen's innermost
circle to the political and social life of the time. It is tempting,
of course, to add illustrative anecdotes from the abundant Biographies
and Memoirs of the period; but our aim has been to infringe as little
as possible upon the space available for the documents themselves,
and to provide just sufficient comment to enable an ordinary reader,
without special knowledge of the period, to follow the course of
events, and to realise the circumstances under which the Queen's
childhood was passed, the position of affairs at the time of her
accession, and the personalities of those who had influenced her in
early years, or by whom she was surrounded.
The development of the Queen's character is clearly indicated in the
papers, and it possesses an extraordinary interest. We see one of
highly vigorous and active temperament, of strong affections, and with
a deep sense of responsibility, placed at an early age, and after a
quiet girlhood, in a position the greatness of which it is impossible
to exaggerate. We see her character expand and deepen, schooled by
mighty experience into patience and sagacity and wisdom, and yet never
losing a particle of the strength, the decision, and the devotion with
which she had been originally endowed. Up to the year 1861 the
Queen's career was one of unexampled prosperity. She was happy in her
temperament, in her health, in her education, in her wedded life, in
her children. She saw a great Empire grow through troubled times in
liberty and power and greatness; yet this prosperity brought with it
no shadow of complacency, because the Queen felt with an increasing
depth the anxieties and responsibilities inseparable from her great
position. Her happiness, instead of making her self-absorbed, only
quickened her beneficence and her womanly desire that her subjects
should be enabled to enjoy a similar happiness based upon the same
simple virtues. Nothing comes out more strongly in these documents
than the laborious patience with which the Queen kept herself informed
of the minutest details of political and social movements both in her
own and other countries.
It is a deeply inspiring spectacle to see one surrounded by every
temptation which worldly greatness can present, living from day to
day so simple, vivid, and laborious a life; and it is impossible to
conceive a more fruitful example of duty and affection and energy,
displayed on so august a scale, and in the midst of such magnificent
surroundings. We would venture to believe that nothing could so deepen
the personal devotion of the Empire to the memory of that great Queen
who ruled it so wisely and so long, and its deeply-rooted attachment
to the principle of constitutional monarchy, as the gracious act of
His Majesty the King in allowing the inner side of that noble life and
career to be more clearly revealed to a nation whose devotion to their
ancient liberties is inseparably connected with their loyalty to the
Throne.
EDITORIAL NOTE
Our special thanks, for aid in the preparation of these volumes, are
due to Viscount Morley of Blackburn, who has read and criticised
the book in its final form; to Mr J. W. Headlam, of the Board of
Education, and formerly Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, for much
valuable assistance in preparing the prefatory historical memoranda;
to Mr W. F. Reddaway, Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, for
revision and advice throughout, in connection with the introductions
and annotations; to Lord Knollys, for criticism of selected materials;
to Lord Stanmore, for the loan of valuable documents; to Dr Eugene
Oswald, for assistance in translation; to Mr C. C. Perry and M. G.
Hua, for verification of French and German documents; to Miss Bertha
Williams, for unremitting care and diligence in preparing the volumes
for press; to Mr John Murray, our publisher, for his unfailing
patience and helpfulness; and especially to Mr Hugh Childers, for
his ungrudging help in the preparation of the Introductory annual
summaries, and in the political and historical annotation, as well as
for his invaluable co-operation at every stage of the work.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
Ancestry of Queen Victoria--Houses of Brunswick, Hanover, and Coburg
--Family connections--The English Royal Family--The Royal Dukes--Duke
of Cumberland--Family of George III.--Political position of the Queen
(Pages 1-7)
CHAPTER II
Queen Victoria's early years--Duke and Duchess of Kent--Parliamentary
grant to Duchess of Kent--The Queen of Würtemberg--George IV. and the
Princess--Visits to Windsor--Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
--Education of the Princess--The Duchess of Kent's letter to the
Bishops--Religious instruction--Result of examination--Speech by
Duchess of Kent--The Princess's reminiscences of Claremont--William IV.
and the Princess--The accession--Queen Victoria's character and
temperament--Her sympathy with the middle classes (Pages 8-21)
CHAPTER III
Queen Victoria's relations and friends--King Leopold's influence
--Queen Adelaide--Baroness Lehzen--Baron Stockmar (Pages 22-26)
CHAPTER IV
1821-1835
Observations on the correspondence with King Leopold and others--First
letter received by Queen Victoria--Her first letter to Prince Leopold
--Birthday letters--King Leopold's description of his Queen--His
valuable advice--The Princess's visit to Hever Castle--King Leopold's
advice as to reading, and the Princess's reply--New Year greeting
--On autographs--The Princess's confirmation--King Leopold's advice as
to honesty and sincerity (pages 27-42)
CHAPTER V
1836
Visit of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg--Invitation to the Prince of
Orange--Arrival of Princes Ernest and Albert--The Princess's
appreciation of Prince Albert--King Leopold's advice as to
conversation--Crisis in Spain--Farewell letter--The Princess and the
Church--Death of Charles X.--Abuse of King Leopold--Revolution at
Lisbon--The Princess's name--Newspaper attacks on King Leopold
(pages 43-55)
CHAPTER VI
1837
Spain and Portugal--Music with Princes Ernest and Albert
--Parliamentary language and political passion--The throne of Greece
--Queen of the Belgians' dowry--The English Press--The Princess's
establishment--Young Belgian cousins--Irish Municipal Bill--Whig
Ministers--Birthday rejoicings--King Leopold's advice and
encouragement--Accession imminent--Condition of the King--Reliance on
Lord Melbourne--The Princess and the Church--The Accession--The
Queen's journal--Interview with Lord Melbourne--The Queen's first
Council--Letter from the King of the French--Congratulations from
King Leopold--Nationality of the Queen--The Queen and her Ministers
--Reflection advised--Baron Stockmar--Important subjects for study
--Sister Queens--Letter from Queen Adelaide--Buckingham Palace--Madame
de Lieven--Parliament prorogued--England and Russia--Discretion advised
--Singing lessons--The elections--Prevalence of bribery--End of King
Leopold's visit--Reception at Brighton--Security of letters--England
and France--France and the Peninsula--Count Molé--The French in Africa
--Close of the session--Prince Albert's education--Canada--Army
estimates--Secretaries of State (pages 56-101)
CHAPTER VII
1838
Lord Melbourne--Canada--Influence of the Crown--Daniel O'Connell
--Position of Ministers of State in England and abroad--New Poor Law
--Pressure of business--Prince Albert's education--Favourite horses
--Deaths of old servants--The Coronation--Address from Bishops--Ball
at Buckingham Palace--Independence and progress of Belgium
--Anglo-Belgian relations--Foreign policy--Holland and Belgium
--Coronation Day--Westminster Abbey--The enthronement--Receiving
homage--Popular enthusiasm--Coronation incidents--Pages of honour
--Extra holidays for schools--Review in Hyde Park--Lord Durham and
Canada--Government of Canada--Ireland and O'Connell--Death of Lady
John Russell--The Queen's sympathy with Lord John Russell--Belgium
and English Government--Belgium and Holland--Canada--Resignation of
the Earl of Durham--English Church for Malta--Disappointment of Duke
of Sussex--Brighton (pages 102-140)
CHAPTER VIII
1839
Murder of Lord Norbury--Holland and Belgium--Dissension in the Cabinet
--The Duke of Lucca--Portugal--Ireland and the Government--England and
Belgium--Prince Albert's tour in Italy--Jamaica--Change of Ministry
imminent--The Queen's distress--Interviews with the Duke of Wellington
and Sir Robert Peel--Lord Melbourne on Sir Robert Peel--The Household
--Proposed new Cabinet--Interview with Lord Melbourne--The Ladies of
the Household and Sir Robert Peel--Reply to Sir Robert Peel
--Resignation of Sir Robert Peel--The Queen's journal--Cabinet minute
--Whigs resume office--Ball at Buckingham Palace--Lord John Russell
and Sir Robert Peel--The Queen on the crisis--King Leopold's approval
--The penny postage--The Queen and Prince Albert--Syria--England and
the Sultan--Proposed visit of King Louis Philippe--Preparing the
Queen's speech--King Leopold's feeling for the Queen--Coming visit of
Prince Albert--Arrival of Princes Ernest and Albert--The Queen's
engagement to Prince Albert--Lord Melbourne's congratulations--King
Leopold's satisfaction--Austria and the Porte--The Queen's happiness
--Queen Louise's congratulations--The Queen's letters to the Royal
Family--The Prince's religion--Announcement to the Council--Marriage
treaty--Question of a peerage--English susceptibilities--Letter from
Donna Maria--Household appointments--Mayor of Newport knighted--The
word "Protestant"--The Prince's coat-of-arms--The Prince and Mr Anson
--Appointment of Treasurer--The Prince and Lord Melbourne (pages 141-208)
CHAPTER IX
1840
Letters to Prince Albert--Opening of Parliament--The Prince's grant
--The Prince at Brussels--Marriage of the Queen and Prince--Public
enthusiasm--Plays in Lent--Debate on the Corn Laws--England and China
--Disturbance at the Opera--Murder of Lord William Russell--Mrs Norton
--Character of Princess Charlotte--English manners--Oxford's attempt
on the Queen's life--Egypt and the Four Powers--Prince Louis Napoleon
--King Leopold at Wiesbaden--A threatened crisis--France and the East
--A difficult question--Serious measures--Palmerston and France--Views
of King Louis Philippe--Propositions for settlement--Attitude of
France--Pacific instructions--The Porte and Mehemet Ali--Bombardment
of Beyrout--Guizot and Thiers--Differing views--The Queen's influence
--An anxious time--Attempt on life of King Louis Philippe--Negotiation
with France advised--Thiers more moderate--Death of Lord Holland
--Change of Ministry in France--Importance of conciliation--The
Prince's name in the Prayer-book--King Leopold on Lord Palmerston
--Birth of the Princess Royal--Settlement of Eastern Question
(pages 209-252)
CHAPTER X
1841
Letter to King Leopold--The Prince and literature--The speech from the
throne--Domestic happiness--Duke of Wellington's illness--England and
the United States--Operations in China--Lord Cardigan--Army discipline
--The Nottingham election--The Budget--Irish Registration Bill--Sugar
duties--Ministerial crisis--Lord Melbourne's advice--Dissolution or
resignation--The Household question--Sir Robert Peel--Mr Anson's
intervention--Interview with Lord Melbourne--King Leopold's sympathy
--The Corn Laws--The Queen's journal--The Prince's support--Further
interviews--Resignation postponed--The Queen and the Church--King
Leopold's advice--The Queen's impartiality--Difficulties removed--Vote
of want of confidence--The country quiet--King Leopold's views--Fiscal
Policy--Marriage of Lord John Russell--Visit to Nuneham--Archbishop
Harcourt--The Prince visits Oxford--Letter from Lord Brougham--Visit
to Woburn Abbey--Lord Melbourne and the Garter--A dreaded moment
--Debate on the Speech--Overwhelming majority--Resignation--New
arrangements--Parting with Lord Melbourne--The Prince in a new
position--The Queen and Sir Robert Peel--Lord Melbourne's opinion of
the Prince--The Household question--New Cabinet--Lord Melbourne's
official farewell--Sir Robert Peel's reception--New appointments
--Council at Claremont--The Lord Chamberlain's department--The French
ambassador--Confidential communications--The diplomatic corps
--Governor-General of Canada--India and Afghanistan--Lord Ellenborough
--Russia and Central Asia--Indian finances--The Spanish mission
--Correspondence with Lord Melbourne--Fine Arts Commission--Peers and
audiences--Lord Radnor's claim--The Chinese campaign--English and
foreign artists--Lord Melbourne and the Court--The Queen and her
Government--Baron Stockmar's opinion--Lord Melbourne's influence
--Baron Stockmar and Sir Robert Peel--Professor Whewell--Queen
Christina--Queen Isabella--French influence in Spain--Holland and
Belgium--Dispute with United States--Portugal--The English
Constitution--The "Prime Minister"--The "Secretaries of State"--Baron
Stockmar expostulates with Lord Melbourne--Birth of Heir-apparent
--Created Prince of Wales--The Royal children (pages 253-369)
CHAPTER XI
1842
Letter from Queen Adelaide--Disasters in Afghanistan--The Oxford
movement--Church matters--The Duke of Wellington and the christening
--Lord Melbourne ill--A favourite dog--The King of Prussia--Marriage
of Prince Ernest--Christening of the Prince of Wales--The Corn Laws
--Marine excursion--Fall of Cabul--Candidates for the Garter--The Earl
of Munster--The Queen and Income Tax--Lambeth Palace--Sale at
Strawberry Hill--Selection of a governess--Party politics--A brilliant
ball--The Prince and the Army--Lady Lyttelton's appointment--Goethe
and Schiller--Edwin Landseer--The Mensdorff family--Attack on the
Queen by Francis--Letters from Queen Adelaide and Lord Melbourne
--Successes in Afghanistan--Sir R. Sale and General Pollock--Debate
on Income Tax--The Queen's first railway journey--Conviction of
Francis--Presents for the Queen--Another attack on the Queen by Bean
--Death of Duke of Orleans--Grief of the Queen--Letters from the King
and Queen of the French--Leigh Hunt--Lord Melbourne on marriages
--Resignation of Lord Hill--Appointment of Duke of Wellington
--Manchester riots--Military assistance--Parliament prorogued--Causes
of discontent--Mob in Lincoln's Inn Fields--Trouble at the Cape--Tour
in Scotland--Visit to Lord Breadalbane--Return to Windsor--Royal
visitors--A steam yacht for the Queen--Future of Queen Isabella--The
Princess Lichtenstein--Historical works--Walmer Castle--Lord
Melbourne's illness--The Crown jewels--Provision for Princess Augusta
--Success in China--A treaty signed--Victories in Afghanistan--Honours
for the army--The gates of Somnauth--France and Spain--Major Malcolm
--The Scottish Church--A serious crisis--Letter from Lord Melbourne
--Esteem for Baron Stockmar (370-449)
CHAPTER XII
1843
Recollections of Claremont--Historical writers--Governor-Generalship
of Canada--Mr Drummond shot--Mistaken for Sir Robert Peel--Death of
Mr Drummond--Demeanour of MacNaghten--Letter from Lord Melbourne
--Preparations for the trial--The Royal Family and politics--King
Leopold and Sir Robert Peel--The American treaty--Position of the
Prince of Wales--Good wishes from Queen Adelaide--Proposed exchange
of visits--Mr Cobden's speech--The new chapel--Fanny Burney's diary
--MacNaghten acquitted--Question of criminal insanity--Princess Mary
of Baden--The Prince and the Levées--Sir Robert Peel's suggestions
--Police arrangements--Looking for the comet--Flowers from Lord
Melbourne--The Royal children--The toast of the Prince--King of
Hanover's proposed visit--Gates of Somnauth restored--Death of Duke
of Sussex--Birth and christening of Princess Alice--Irish agitation
--Rebecca riots--Duchess of Norfolk's resignation--Duelling in the
Army--Outpensioners of Chelsea--Crown jewels--Obstruction of business
--Lord Melbourne on matrimonial affairs--Visit to Château d'Eu
--Increased troubles in Wales--Royal visitors--England and Spain
--Arrest of O'Connell--Duc de Bordeaux not received at Court--Duc de
Nemours expected--Visit to Cambridge--Duc d'Aumale's engagement
--Indian affairs--Loyalty at Cambridge--Proposed visit to Drayton
Manor--Travelling arrangements--Duchesse de Nemours--Birmingham
--Canadian seat of government--Chatsworth--American view of monarchy
--Prince Metternich and Spain (450-512)
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
QUEEN VICTORIA RECEIVING THE NEWS OF HER ACCESSION TO THE THRONE,
20TH JUNE 1837.
_From the picture by H. T. Wells, R.A., at Buckingham Palace_
T.R.H. THE DUCHESS OF KENT AND THE PRINCESS VICTORIA.
_From the miniature by H. Bone, after Sir W. Beechey,
at Windsor Castle_
H.R.H. THE PRINCESS VICTORIA, 1827. By Plant, after Stewart.
_From the miniature at Buckingham, Palace_
H.M. KING WILLIAM IV. _From a miniature at Windsor Castle_
H.R.H. THE PRINCE CONSORT, 1840. _From the portrait by John Partridge
at Buckingham Palace_
H.M. QUEEN VICTORIA, 1841. _From the drawing by E. F. T.,
after H. E. Dawe, at Buckingham Palace_
* * * * *
CHAPTER I
THE ANCESTRY OF THE QUEEN--HOUSES OF BRUNSWICK, HANOVER, AND COBURG
QUEEN VICTORIA, on her father's side, belonged to the House of
Brunswick, which was undoubtedly one of the oldest, and claimed to be
actually the oldest, of German princely families. At the time of her
birth, it existed in two branches, of which, the one ruled over what
was called the Duchy of Brunswick, the other over the Electorate
(since 1815 the Kingdom) of Hanover, and had since 1714 occupied the
throne of England. There had been frequent intermarriages between the
two branches. The Dukes of Brunswick were now, however, represented
only by two young princes, who were the sons of the celebrated Duke
who fell at Quatre-Bras. Between them and the English Court there was
little intercourse. The elder, Charles, had quarrelled with his uncle
and guardian, George IV., and had in 1830 been expelled from his
dominions. The obvious faults of his character made it impossible for
the other German princes to insist on his being restored, and he had
been succeeded by his younger brother William, who ruled till his
death in 1884. Both died unmarried, and with them the Ducal family
came to an end. One Princess of Brunswick had been the wife of George
IV., and another, Augusta, was the first wife of Frederick I., King
of Würtemberg, who, after her death, married a daughter of George III.
The King of Würtemberg was also, by his descent from Frederick Prince
of Wales, first cousin once removed of the Queen. We need only notice,
in passing, the distant connection with the royal families of Prussia,
the Netherlands, and Denmark. The Prince of Orange, who was one of the
possible suitors for the young Queen's hand, was her third cousin once
removed.
[Pageheading: THE HOUSE OF SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]
The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, to which the Queen belonged on her
mother's side, and with which she was to be even more intimately
connected by her marriage, was one of the numerous branches into which
the ancient and celebrated House of Wettin had broken up. Since the
11th century they had ruled over Meissen and the adjoining districts.
To these had been added Upper Saxony and Thuringia. In the 15th
century the whole possessions of the House had been divided between
the two great branches which still exist. The Albertine branch
retained Meissen and the Saxon possessions. They held the title of
Elector, which in 1806 was exchanged for the title of King. Though
the Saxon House had been the chief protectors of the Reformation,
Frederick Augustus I. had, on being elected to the throne of Poland,
become a Roman Catholic; and thereby the connection between the two
branches of the House had to a great extent ceased. The second line,
that of the Ernestines, ruled over Thuringia, but, according to the
common German custom, had again broken up into numerous branches,
among which the Duchies of Thuringia were parcelled out. At the time
of the Queen's birth there were five of these, viz., Gotha-Altenburg,
Coburg-Saalfeld, Weimar-Eisenach, Meiningen, and Hildburghausen. On
the extinction of the Gotha line, in 1825, there was a rearrangement
of the family property, by which the Duke of Hildburghausen received
Altenburg, Gotha was given to the Duke of Coburg, and Saalfeld with
Hildburghausen added to Meiningen. These four lines still exist.
The Ernestine princes had, by this constant division and sub-division,
deprived themselves of the opportunity of exercising any predominant
influence, or pursuing any independent policy in German affairs; and
though they had the good fortune to emerge from the revolution with
their possessions unimpaired, their real power was not increased. Like
all the other princes, they had, however, at the Congress of Vienna,
received the recognition of their full status as sovereign princes of
the Germanic Confederation. Together they sent a single representative
to the Diet of Frankfort, the total population of the five
principalities being only about 300,000 inhabitants.
It was owing to this territorial sub-division and lack of cohesion
that these princes could not attach to their independence the
same political importance that fell to the share of the larger
principalities, such as Hanover and Bavaria, and they were
consequently more ready than the other German princes to welcome
proposals which would lead to a unification of Germany.
It is notable that the line has produced many of the most enlightened
of the German princes; and nowhere in the whole of Germany were the
advantages of the division into numerous small States so clearly seen,
and the disadvantages so little felt, as at Weimar, Meiningen, Gotha,
and Coburg.
[Pageheading: THE HOUSE OF COBURG]
The House of Coburg had gained a highly conspicuous and influential
position, owing, partly, to the high reputation for sagacity and
character which the princes of that House had won, and partly to
the marriage connections which were entered into about this time by
members of the Coburg House with the leading Royal families of Europe.
Within ten years, Princes of Coburg were established, one upon the
throne of Belgium, and two others next to the throne in Portugal and
England, as Consorts of their respective Queens.
By the first marriage of the Duchess of Kent, the Queen was also
connected with a third class of German princes--the Mediatised, as
those were called who during the revolution had lost their sovereign
power. Many of these were of as ancient lineage and had possessed as
large estates as some of the regnant princes, who, though not always
more deserving, had been fortunate enough to retain their privileges,
and had emerged from the revolution ranking among the ruling Houses of
Europe. The mediatised princes, though they had ceased to rule, still
held important privileges, which were guaranteed at the Congress
of Vienna. First, and most important, they were reckoned as
"_ebenburtig_," which means that they could contract equal marriages
with the Royal Houses, and these marriages were recognised as valid
for the transmission of rights of inheritance. Many of them had vast
private estates, and though they were subjected to the sovereignty of
the princes in whose dominions these lay, they enjoyed very important
privileges, such as exemption from military service, and from
many forms of taxation; they also could exercise minor forms of
jurisdiction. They formed, therefore, an intermediate class. Since
Germany, as a whole, afforded them no proper sphere of political
activity, the more ambitious did not disdain to take service with
Austria or Prussia, and, to a less extent, even with the smaller
States. It was possible, therefore, for the Queen's mother, a Princess
of Saxe-Coburg, to marry the Prince of Leiningen without losing caste.
Her daughter, the Princess Feodore, the Queen's half-sister, married
Ernest, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and thus established an
interesting connection with perhaps the most widely-spread and most
distinguished of all these families. The House of Hohenlohe would
probably still have been a reigning family, had not the Prince of
Hohenlohe preferred to fight in the Prussian army against Napoleon,
rather than receive gifts from him. His lands were consequently
confiscated and passed to other princes who were less scrupulous.
The family has given two Ministers President to Prussia, a General in
chief command of the Prussian army, a Chancellor to the German Empire,
and one of the most distinguished of modern military writers. They
held, besides their extensive possessions in Würtemberg and Bavaria,
the County of Gleichen in Saxe-Coburg.
[Pageheading: FAMILY CONNECTIONS]
It will be seen therefore that the Queen was intimately connected with
all classes that are to be found among the ruling families of Germany,
though naturally with the Catholic families, which looked to Austria
and Bavaria for guidance, she had no close ties. But it must be borne
in mind that her connection with Germany always remained a personal
and family matter, and not a political one; this was the fortunate
result of the predominance of the Coburg influence. Had that of the
House of Hanover been supreme, it could hardly have been possible
for the Queen not to have been drawn into the opposition to the
unification of Germany by Prussia, in which the House of Hanover was
bound to take a leading part, in virtue of its position, wealth, and
dignity.
It will be as well here to mention the principal reigning families of
Europe to which Queen Victoria was closely allied through her mother.
The Duchess of Kent's eldest brother, Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Coburg,
was the father of Albert, Prince Consort. Her sister was the wife of
Alexander, Duke of Würtemberg. The Duchess of Kent's nephew, Ferdinand
(son of Ferdinand, the Duchess's brother), married Maria da Gloria,
Queen of Portugal, and was father of Pedro V. and Luis, both
subsequently Kings of Portugal.
The Duchess's third brother, Leopold (afterwards King of the
Belgians), married first the Princess Charlotte, daughter of George
IV., and afterwards the Princess Louise Marie, eldest daughter of
King Louis Philippe. Prince Augustus (son of Ferdinand, the Duchess
of Kent's brother) married another daughter of Louis Philippe, the
Princess Clémentine, while Prince Augustus's sister, Victoria, married
the Duc de Nemours, a son of Louis Philippe. Another nephew, Duke
Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander, son of the Duchess of Würtemberg, married
the Princess Marie, another daughter of Louis Philippe.
Thus Queen Victoria was closely allied with the royal families of
France, Portugal, Belgium, Saxe-Coburg, and Würtemberg.
On turning to the immediate Royal Family of England, it will be seen
that the male line at the time of the Queen's accession was limited to
the sons, both named George, of two of the younger brothers of George
IV., the Dukes of Cumberland and Cambridge. The sons of George III.
played their part in the national life, shared the strong interest in
military matters, and showed the great personal courage which was a
tradition of the family.
[Pageheading: THE ENGLISH ROYAL FAMILY]
It must be borne in mind that abstention from active political life
had been in no sense required, or even thought desirable, in members
of the Royal House. George III. himself had waged a life-long struggle
with the Whig party, that powerful oligarchy that since the accession
of the House of Hanover had virtually ruled the country; but he did
not carry on the conflict so much by encouraging the opponents of the
Whigs, as by placing himself at the head of a monarchical faction. He
was in fact the leader of a third party in the State. George IV. was
at first a strong Whig, and lived on terms of the greatest intimacy
with Charles James Fox; but by the time that he was thirty, he had
severed the connection with his former political friends, which had
indeed originally arisen more out of his personal opposition to his
father than from any political convictions. After this date he became,
with intervals of vacillation, an advanced Tory of an illiberal
type. William IV. had lived so much aloof from politics before his
accession, that he had had then no very pronounced opinions, though he
was believed to be in favour of the Reform Bill; during his reign his
Tory sympathies became more pronounced, and the position of the Whig
Ministry was almost an intolerable one. His other brothers were men
of decided views, and for the most part of high social gifts. They not
only attended debates in the House of Peers, but spoke with emotion
and vigour; they held political interviews with leading statesmen, and
considered themselves entitled, not to over-rule political movements,
but to take the part in them to which their strong convictions
prompted them. They were particularly prominent in the debates on the
Catholic question, and did not hesitate to express their views with an
energy that was often embarrassing. The Duke of York and the Duke of
Cumberland had used all their influence to encourage the King in his
opposition to Catholic Emancipation, while the Duke of Cambridge had
supported that policy, and the Duke of Sussex had spoken in the House
of Lords in favour of it. The Duke of York, a kindly, generous man,
had held important commands in the earlier part of the Revolutionary
war; he had not shown tactical nor strategical ability, but he was for
many years Commander-in-Chief of the Army, and did good administrative
work in initiating and carrying out much-needed military reforms. He
had married a Prussian princess, but left no issue, and his death,
in 1827, left the succession open to his younger brother, the Duke of
Clarence, afterwards King William IV., and after him to the Princess
Victoria.
[Pageheading: THE ROYAL DUKES]
The Duke of Kent was, as we shall have occasion to show, a strong Whig
with philanthropic views. But the ablest of the princes, though also
the most unpopular, was the Duke of Cumberland, who, until the birth
of the Queen's first child, was heir presumptive to the Throne. He had
been one of the most active members of the ultra-Tory party, who had
opposed to the last the Emancipation of the Catholics and the Reform
Bill. He had married a sister-in-law of the King of Prussia, and lived
much in Berlin, where he was intimate with the leaders of the military
party, who were the centre of reactionary influences in that
country, chief among them being his brother-in-law, Prince Charles of
Mecklenburg.
In private life the Duke was bluff and soldier-like, of rather a
bullying turn, and extraordinarily indifferent to the feelings of
others. "Ernest is not a bad fellow," his brother William IV. said of
him, "but if anyone has a corn, he will be sure to tread on it." He
was very unpopular in England.
On the death of William IV. he succeeded to the throne of Hanover, and
from that time seldom visited England. His first act on reaching his
kingdom was to declare invalid the Constitution which had been
granted in 1833 by William IV. His justification for this was that his
consent, as heir presumptive, which was necessary for its validity,
had not at the time been asked. The act caused great odium to be
attached to his name by all Liberals, both English and Continental,
and it was disapproved of even by his old Tory associates. None the
less he soon won great popularity in his own dominions by his zeal,
good-humour, and energy, and in 1840 he came to terms with the
Estates. A new Constitution was drawn up which preserved more of the
Royal prerogatives than the instrument of 1833. Few German princes
suffered so little in the revolution of 1848. The King died in 1851,
at the age of eighty, and left one son, George, who had been blind
from his boyhood. He was the last King of Hanover, being expelled by
the Prussians in 1866. On the failure of the Ducal line of Brunswick,
the grandson of Ernest Augustus became heir to their dominions, he and
his sons being now the sole male representatives of all the branches
of the House of Brunswick, which a few generations ago was one of the
most numerous and widely-spread ruling Houses in Germany.[1]
[Footnote 1: Of the daughters of George III., Princess Amelia
had died in 1810, and the Queen of Würtemberg in 1828; two
married daughters survived--Elizabeth, wife of the Landgrave
of Hesse-Homburg, and Mary, who had married her cousin, the
Duke of Gloucester, and lived in England. There were also two
unmarried daughters, the Princesses Augusta and Sophia, living
in England.]
The Duke of Sussex was in sympathy with many Liberal movements, and
supported the removal of religious disabilities, the abolition of the
Corn Laws, and Parliamentary Reform.
The Duke of Cambridge was a moderate Tory, and the most conciliatory
of all the princes. But for more than twenty years he took little part
in English politics, as he was occupied with his duties as Regent of
Hanover, where he did much by prudent reforms to retain the allegiance
of the Hanoverians. On his return to England he resumed the position
of a peacemaker, supporting philanthropic movements, and being a
generous patron of art and letters. He was recognised as "emphatically
the connecting link between the Crown and the people." Another member
of the Royal Family was the Duke of Gloucester, nephew and son-in-law
of George III.; he was more interested in philanthropic movements than
in politics, but was a moderate Conservative, who favoured Catholic
Emancipation but was opposed to Parliamentary Reform.
Thus we have the spectacle of seven Royal princes, of whom two
succeeded to the Throne, all or nearly all avowed politicians of
decided convictions, throwing the weight of their influence and
social position for the most part on the side of the Tory party,
and believing it to be rather their duty to hold and express strong
political opinions than to adopt the moderating and conciliatory
attitude in matters of government that is now understood to be the
true function of the Royal House.
[Pageheading: INDEPENDENCE OF THE QUEEN]
The Queen, after her accession, always showed great respect and
affection for her uncles, but they were not able to exercise any
influence over her character or opinions.
This was partly due to the fact that from an early age she had imbibed
a respect for liberal views from her uncle Leopold, King of the
Belgians, to whom she was devoted from her earliest childhood, and for
whom she entertained feelings of the deepest admiration, affection,
and confidence; but still more was it due to the fact that, from the
very first, the Queen instinctively formed an independent judgment
on any question that concerned her; and though she was undoubtedly
influenced in her decisions by her affectionate reliance on her chosen
advisers, yet those advisers were always deliberately and shrewdly
selected, and their opinions were in no case allowed to do more than
modify her own penetrating and clear-sighted judgment.