The Victorian Era is the period in British history that expands

throughout the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 until her death in 1901,

making it the longest monarchy in British History so far. It was a period of

excitement and prosperity in the British Empire, in which many social,

political and religious movements flourished, as well as artistic styles. One of

the main characteristics of this era was the quick change and development of

most aspects - medical advances, more technological and scientific knowledge

and changes in population growth and territorial expansion. At the time of the

Victorian Era, Britain was the world's largest empire with more than 25% of

the world's area and population. Queen Victoria reigned over more than 400

million people, scattered around Asia, New Zealand, South Africa, Honk

Kong, West Indies Islands and colonies on the African Coast.

The origins of the British Victorian Era trace to the rise of Queen

Victoria to the throne in 1837, at a time when the United Kingdom was

already a constitutional monarchy, making the prime minister was 'the head' of

government, although Victoria imposed as an important figure during the

time.

Victoria became the heiress to the throne on 1830, due to the fact that

she was George III’s only legitimate grandchild. Because the laws did not

accept a minor to be appointed as monarch, the Parliament passed the

Regency Act 1830, in which Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent, would

act as Regent if she rose to the throne while being underage.

Victoria rose to power at the age of 18 on June 20th 1837 at the death of

his uncle William IV of England and her coronation took place on June 28th

of the next year. At the time of her rise, the government was ruled by the

Whig Party (so had it been since the 1830s) and their Prime Minister, Lord

Melbourne, became a strong influence on Queen Victoria's life. After

Melbourne's resignation in 1839, Victoria's chief advisor became her uncle

King Leopold I of Belgium.

One of the most important impacts of the Victorian era was its

prominent and impacting style. When people speak of "Victorian" they usually

refer to a particular architectural and fashion style, despite Victorian being a

period of history instead of a style itself.

  Talking of 'Victorian architecture' refers to the architectural ways

present during the Victorian era. By the time of the Victorian era,

industrialization in Britain was at a high point, which made it possible to

include steel and glass as main components of construction, making British

architecture more diverse in style. Migration had in much part to do with the

spread of these styles across the world, since many English architects

immigrated to America while others went to Canada or Australia.

Before the Victorian era, the most popular architectural style had been

the Greek revival style, which was in most parts used for public buildings.

However, with the coming of Queen Victoria, these became less popular,

since Greek style was not "in" for private homes. In the beginning, Victorian

homes were simple, but became more complicated with time, which gave

them outstanding visual effects.

  In my opinion, the most important and discussed style of the era was the

Gothic Revival Architecture, which was characterized by the pointed

windows, arches, and other characteristics from the middle ages. It is

interesting to see how although based on dark ages architecture, the use of

light colors became one of the most important Victorian architecture

characteristics.

When it came to fashion, the Victoria era saw many changes in fashion,

due to the fact that it was a very long reign, and the Victorian fashion came

during a time where people’s wardrobe were filled with elegance. By this

time, the sewing machine had been introduced which made cloth-making

easier, both at home and for business. New materials were also being

introduced, and that made it possible to make new types of clothes.

  Clothing was meant to cover the entire body, since showing the slightest

piece of 'extra skin' was seen as scandalous, which was of big exaggeration.

Men's style was less colorful than before but was given a spice with brilliant

coats, jackets and gowns. In female fashion, women of the time wore corsets,

which emphasized the size of their bust and hips, enhancing their femininity.

Hoop skirts became very popular during the time as well, and were made of

materials such as steel wire. Women also wore gloves and a bonnet as

accessories. With age, the length of the skirt had to increase, since it wasn't

proper for young girls to wear clothing above their knees. As their age

progressed, so did the length of their skirt.

Not only did the so-called “Victorian style” have an impact in fashion

and architecture, but the diverse accomplishments of the era in fields such as

literature, science, military and politics increased the period’s prestige and

fame.

Victorian literature refers to the literary works produced during the

Victorian Era and is considered a high point in British and World Literature.

The period is characterized by the presence of important novelists and poets,

which include Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde and Lewis Carroll. Victorian

novels were influenced by the novels of its previous romantic age, and it

portrayed the hard lives people lived in which heroic traits such as hard work,

love and perseverance got them to victory in the end. This made them the

perfect way to describe modern life of the time and entertain the middle class.

Among the most famous novel writers, we have Charles Dickens, whose

novels portrayed what life was like to all classes, and Emily Bronte author of

Wuthering Heights. Among the important poets of the time, they had Alfred

Lord Tennyson, Robert and Elizabeth Browning, and Rudyard Kipling, whose

quest was to revive the simple beauties and natural ways of medieval life.

The British army was in main part used to extend the government's

foreign policies at a time in which Britain was a major imperial power. The

army was used in major part to support the establishment of colonies in the

Americas during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Although during

this period the nation was not involved in any outside wars with any other

European nation, it did have several colonial wars such as Indian rebellions in

1857. When absent from combat, the army was used as police in the colonies.

For example, the Indian Army [India was British colony at the time] was used

to stop uprisings and guard the frontiers. In politics, Victorian age was away

from being democratic but highly representative. At the beginning of the era,

only about a fifth of adult males could vote, by the 1890s, this number was

increased to two-thirds; no women were allowed to vote.

When it came to science, the Victorians reinforced the idea that people

could solve their problems by making themselves and their environment

better. When it came to religion, the people during this era experienced an age

of religious doubt, questioning the Christian institution. Many religious

movements such as the Oxford and Evangelical movements are of Victorian

characteristics. When it came to politics and society, the Victorian influence is

considered the parent of the modern world, since many of changes and

innovations happened during this time: socialist and feminist movements, the

rise of Marxism and changes in democracy.

The Victorian era per se did not ever “fall”, although on its last years,

Queen Victoria was becoming less popular. After the death of the Prince

Consort Albert, Victoria was devastated, forcing her to enter in a state of

isolation: she dressed in back for the rest of her life and hardly ever left the

palace, avoiding all public appearances. Victoria’s withdrawal from society

decreased her popularity as a monarch, since even when she performed her

duties as Queen, she no longer participated in the government. This did not

last long, since after the joyous celebration of her 50 th anniversary as queen,

she ‘came out of her shell’ and once again embraced public life. The day after,

Victoria participated in a procession, which according to Mark Twain

“stretched to the limit of sight in both directions”; after this, she became a

very popular monarch once again. The Victorian era was officially over with

the death of Queen Victoria in 1901.

The Victorian era ended. However, its legacy continued throughout the

20th century and some have even had an impact on our present day.

Perhaps two of the most impacting and effect-lasting aspects of the

whole Victorian period were its literature and architecture. Victorian

literature worked as a period of transition, linking writers of the previous

Romantic Period and the 20th century literature, which included Modern and

Postmodern literature. The literature of Britain also influenced in great part

writers from the United States, Canada and Australia, including authors from

the transcendentalism movement such as Ralph Waldo Emerson or Henry D.

Thoreau. As mentioned before, not only did Victorian literature have

influence on that particular time but also on modern day media and

literature, since works of authors such as Dickens and the Bronte sisters are

still big bestsellers and many have been made into film versions.

In the architectonic field, the Victorian style of homes spread not only

throughout Europe, but also to the United States and the world. Even today,

people all over the world still have Victorian-style homes, which are

considered among the most beautiful architectural works.

This time also had an impact on other aspects such as medicine and

migration. In the medical field, I can say that medicine in England improved

greatly due to the introduction of anesthetics in different ways and the new

use of antiseptics. At first, nitrous oxide and ether were used as local

anesthetics, but with the discovery of chloroform, surgical practices, such as

childbirth, became less painful. Migratory patterns also changed during this

time. The Victorian era drove a massive wave of immigrants to America,

making cities expand rapidly, especially between 1800 and 1900, although

life in America was not particularly easy for them: they had crowded homes

and low paid jobs.

The consequences mentioned above were able to spread due to the great

size of the empire. Victoria’s empire was huge, which made ideals more

prompt to be spread and accepted. In effect, more people started to see

themselves as part of this popular culture.

The Victorian Era may have comprised a determined period of time, but

the importance of this time marked not only the 19th century, but the 20th

century and our present time as well. The Victorian age is considered one of

the most popular eras in cultural aspects, since the time brought radical and

influential changes in literature, fashion and architecture. In my opinion, this

time was of more cultural development and importance than political,

despite being a reign. I don’t believe, however, that it was Queen Victoria

who influenced these movements and changes, but the people who lived

during this reign, and the timing, which encouraged people to be more

inspired. Despite who influenced, it’s important to remember the changes

brought by this era and the impact they had on our present-day culture.

Bibliography

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Victorian Era – New World Encyclopedia; Accessed on March 18, 2010; http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Victorian_era

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The Victorian Era; Accesed on March 15, 2010; http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/Victorians/

The Victorian Era (1837 – 1901); Accesed on March 15, 2010 http://www.victoriaspast.com/FrontPorch/victorianera.htm

Victorian England: An Introduction; Accessed on March 17, 2010 http://www.english.uwosh.edu/roth/VictorianEngland.htm

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The Role of the Victorian Army; Accessed on March 15, 2010; http://www.victorianweb.org/victorian/history/army1.html