The Irish Famine.

Although Ireland grew large quantities of wheat and other crops, most of this food was exported to enrich absentee landlords, many of whom were living in England. About half of Ireland’s eight million people survived almost entirely on potatoes (in British English the Irish are sometimes referred to as “potato queens”). Blight (disease) ruined the potato crop in 1845 and again in 1846, causing terrible suffering. Repeal of the Corn Laws, to allow the import of cheap corn form America, came too late to save people. The Great Famine killed almost one million Irish people, while one million more emigrated to America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Britain. Most of them were never to return to the land of their birth. The famine, and Britain’s slowness to act, added to bitter Irish hatred for the British.

In 1849 Queen Victoria visited Irland. Queen’s visit occurred at a time Ireland was still in great anguish following the famine, and Victoria has rather unforgettably come to be remembered as the ‘Famine Queen’ despite the fact that the Queen personally donated £5,000 (a very substantial sum in those days) and became involved in many charities.

War and Rebellion.

The British became involved in the Crimean War from 1854 to 1856. Most of the fighting took place in Russian-held Crimea, where bitter cold and disease took as many lives as battle wounds. The queen, lacking any power in military situations, felt compelled to help. She organized relief efforts, knitted socks and mittens, and visited soldiers in hospitals. In her official capacity, Queen Victoria wrote letters of condolence to war widows.

British presence in India stirred up a rebellion of Indian soldiers, called "sepoys," in 1857. The uprising resulted in the deaths of hundreds of European civilians. When the rebellion was finally subdued by British troops, all of India came under the control of the Crown of England. Queen Victoria proudly referred to India as a "jewel of her crown." She was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877, when Parliament passed the Royal Titles Act.

Politics in Victorian era.

Politics in Victorian era was highly influenced by two Prime Ministers – Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone. Benjamin Disraeli was a Conservative prime minister keen on expanding the British Empire. Thus, he bought the Suez Canal built by France and the Turkish rulers. It secured British control of the most vital trade waterway to the East.

Politics in the later part of Queen Victoria’s reign were dominated by William Gladstone who served four terms as prime minister. Unlike Disraeli, Gladstone was not interested in expanding the British Empire; he was more interested in social reforms at home. In 1876 he helped to amend the Parliamentary Reform Bill and doubled the number of people able to vote. For the first time the vote was extended to almost all the working classes including two million agricultural laborers. Women, however, still had no vote. Gladstone also supported improvements in the provision of education. More schools were built and education finally became free and compulsory for all children up to 13 years of age.

During Victoria’s long reign, direct political power moved away form the sovereign. Despite this decline in the Sovereign’s power, Victoria showed that a monarch who had a high level of prestige and who was prepared to master the details of political life could exert an important influence. It was during Victoria’s reign that the modern idea of the constitutional monarch, whose role was to remain above political parties, began to evolve. But Victoria herself was not always non-partisan and she took the opportunity to give her opinions, sometimes very forcefully, in private.