Victoria and the Empire
A global power1714 to 1901
Queen Victoria was on the throne while the British Empire grew into the largest the world had ever seen. Queen Victoria's reign lasted almost 64 years, longer than that of any monarch before her, and the whole period is known as the Victorian Age after her. She had come to the throne at the age of 18.
Government and engineering both moved with the times, in trade policy and on the railways. The Corn Laws had once worked at preventing the import of cheap grain, until reform finally swept them away. On the railways, George and Robert Stephenson, father and son, pioneered the railway engine. Another great figure of the age was Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the engineer behind tunnels, bridges, railway lines and ships.
What to remember
| Was reigning when the British Empire became the largest empire the world had seen | Queen Victoria Her reign is known as the Victorian Age. |
|---|---|
| Pioneered the railway engine | George and Robert Stephenson Father and son; the railways then expanded greatly in the Victorian period. |
| Queen Victoria's reign | lasting almost 64 years, until 1901 She became queen at 18; the handbook (2013) calls it the longest reign of any British monarch. |
|---|---|
| The Corn Laws | preventing the import of cheap grain Repealed in 1846, one of the century's reforms. |
| Isambard Kingdom Brunel | being an engineer who built tunnels, bridges, railway lines and ships Originally from Portsmouth. |
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