Confusion, Confession and Conviction by Victoria Winfield

Author:Victoria Winfield [Winfield, Victoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-12-09T05:00:00+00:00

The queen’s household was greatly managed by her childhood governess, Baroness Louise Lehzen from Hanover. The Baroness was influential on Victoria’s life and she supported her against the Kensington System. Unfortunately, Albert though Lehzen was not competent enough and that their daughter’s health was at risk. Victoria and Albert had a fight over the issue and Lehzen had to be fired.

The queen’s life from 1842 to 1860

On May 29th, 1842, John Francis aimed a gun at Victoria as she was riding in a carriage along the mall in London. The gun never fired and he escaped. The next day the queen followed the same route to provoke Francis to take another shot at her so he could be caught in the act. She rode faster and with a larger escort. Francis took the bait and shot at her but was arrested by plain-clothes officers and convicted of treason.

Two days after Francis’s death sentence was commuted to transportation for life, John William Bean also attempted to fire at Victoria but the gun was loaded only with paper and tobacco and had too little to charge. Bean was sentenced to one and a half years behind bars.in 1849, William Hamilton, an unemployed Irishman fired a pistol filled with powder at the queen’s carriage as it passed along Constitution Hill in London.

The queen was to sustain injuries in 1850 when she was attacked by Robert Pate, a suspected insane ex-army officer. Pate struck her with his cane, crushing her bonnet and bruising her forehead. Hamilton and Pate were both sentenced to seven years’ transportation.

Melbourne’s support in the House of Commons became weak and in the 1841 general election, the Whigs lost and Peel was confirmed as the prime minister. Moreover, the bedchamber ladies were replaced because they were mostly associated with the Whigs.

In 1845, potato blight hit Ireland. In the four years that followed, over one million people died and another estimated million emigrated in what was referred to as the Great Famine. Subsequently, Victoria was referred to as “The Famine Queen”. The queen personally donated two thousand pounds to the British Relief Association. This was more than any other individual donor.

By the year 1846, Peel’s ministry was faced with a crisis involving the removal of the Laws of Corn. Many Tories opposed the repeal but Peel, some Tories, most Whigs as well as the queen, supported it. Peel had to resign in 1846 after the repeal was narrowly passed. Lord John Russell then took over the leadership.

On the international front, the queen had a keen interest on improving the relations between France and Britain. Victoria made and hosted many visits between the British royal family and the house of Orleans, who were related by marriage through the Coburgs. Russell’s ministry was not favored by Victoria even though he was a Whig. The queen complained to the prime minister that the foreign secretary, Palmerston, sent official dispatches to foreign leaders without informing her. The foreign secretary was however retained in office. It was

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