1830-1880

The Victorian Era of the United Kingdom was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from the 20 June of 1837 until her death on 22 January of 1901.

It was a long period of prosperity for the British people.

the era was preceded by the Georgian period and succeeded by the Edwardian period.

The era is often characterised as a long period of peace, known as the Pax Britannica, and economic, colonial, and industrial consolidation, temporarily disrupted by the Crimean War.

The cultural, political, economic, industrial and scientific changes that happened during his reign were remarkable. 

When Victoria ascended the throne, England was basically agrarian and rural.

After his death, the country was highly industrialized and was connected by a network of rail expansion.

The first decades of the reign of Victoria had a series of epidemics, including typhoid and cholera.

Queen Victoria (London, 24 May of 1819 - Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, 22 January of 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom since the death of his paternal uncle, William IV of the United Kingdom, until his death on 22 January of 1901.

She was the first Empress of India from 1 January of 1877 until also his death.

When she was 8 months old, his father, the Duke of Kent, died of a fulminant pneumonia.

Victoria, with 3 years of age, was in the front line of succession to the throne. Victoria spoke only German during their early years, the mother tongue of her mother and governess.

Victoria married with Prince Albert on 10 February of 1840, in the royal chapel of the Palace of Saint James.

Queen Victoria and her husband had nine daughters:

Princess Victoria, Princess Royal King Edward VII Princess Alice Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Edinburgh Princess Helen Princess Louise Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany Princess Beatrice

Her  husband Albert died on December, in 1861. The loss affected him deeply and she had a semi-

permanent state of mourning and wore black clothes for the rest of his life. She avoided public appearances.

The queen held on 20 June of 1887 the fiftieth anniversary of his ascension to the throne, with a banquet, to which were invited fifty kings and princes of Europe.

Victoria died at Osborne House on 22 January of 1901, at 81 years of age, having reigned for 63 years, 7 months and 2 days, more than any other British monarch.

She was buried in the Frogmore Mausoleum beside her husband.

The period is often characterized by a long period of peaceful, consolidation of the economy, the colonial system and the industrialization.

Nevertheless, Britain was in war every year of the period.

During the first part of the period, the house of Commons was dominated by two parties: the Whig and the Tory.

From the end of the decade of 1850, the Whigs became the Liberals.

The Gothic Revival in architecture became a symbol of culture.

Gothic art was also supported by John Ruskin, who argued that architectural style exemplified community and social values, unlike classicism style.

The government was a constitutional monarchy headed by Queen Victoria. Only the nobility could rule. Other politicians came from the aristocracy. The system was criticized for favoring the upper classes.

Britain had a very rigid social structure where it had three distinct classes: the Church and aristocracy, the middle class and working class, the poorest.

The highest class was known as the aristocracy. It included the Church and the nobility, which they had a great power and wealth.

They were privileged and they didn’t pay taxes.

The middle class were the owners of factories and stores, bankers, merchants, lawyers, engineers, businessmen and other professionals. They didn’t get privileges.

The British lower class was composed of two sectors: the "working class" and  the "poor“. It Included men, women and children engaged in various types of activities, including factory work, sewing, cleaning chimneys and mining. They had to pay taxes too high.

The local bands and music halls were very popular during this time.

Was common to hear the sound of the band as they walked 

Another form of entertainment is related to the paranormal occurrences, such as hypnosis, communication with the dead, invocation of ghosts, spirits and similar.

The literature was also a very popular form of entertainment in Victorian Era.

Great writers emerged in this Era:Charles DickensThe sisters Brontë (Emily, Charlotte y Anne)Lewis Carroll Jane AustenHerbert George WellsHilda DoolittleOscar WildeArthur Conan DoyleBram StokerRobert Louis Stevenson

The industrial revolution had over, but it was during this period that great changes were noted:

There was a rise of railways  across the country. Improved the sewage system in London. Science also grew much. The photograph was made in 1839 by Louis Dauguerre

in France and William Fox Talbot in England. During the Victorian Era, electrical light appeared in

industries, homes, public buildings and streets.

In the Victorian Era, turned up the first murderer that we knows: Jack the Ripper.

Prostitution was very common activity in nineteenth century in England. In London alone is estimated that there were 2,000 prostitutes in the slums of the city.Sexual diseases were very common at the time, as was tuberculosis. However, despite the strict customs of the time, developed an underground world of prostitution.

The Victorian Era was during the reign of Queen Victoria of England.

It was a dark period. The society was very hierarchical. Britain had a very

rigid social structure, and it was separated into three groups :

1. The aristocracy. It included the Church and the nobility, which they had a great power and wealth.

2. The middle class: the owners of factories and stores, bankers and other professionals. They didn’t get privileges.

3. The lower class was composed of two sectors: the "working class" and  the "poor“. They had to pay taxes too high.

It was a very unequal society, where only the privileged lived comfortably. For that reason, many writers in his novels did a critique of this society.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va0b3EIi4uc&feature=fvwrel

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89poca_victoriana