Queen Victoria Comprehension Pack PDF

STAGE 3 Unit focus: Victorians Text focus: Information Text Queen Victoria Queen Victoria was one of the most important monarchs in British history. She became queen in 1837 when sh...

STAGE 3 Unit focus: Victorians Text focus: Information Text Queen Victoria Queen Victoria was one of the most important monarchs in British history. She became queen in 1837 when she was only 18 years old. She reigned until she died in 1901. The period when she was on the throne is now called the Victorian period of British history. She was the longest-reigning British monarch until Queen Elizabeth II. Victoria was a strong character from the beginning. Her father was a prince, and her upbringing was strict. She wasn’t allowed to play with many children, so she was often lonely. Growing up like this might have been the reason why she was so tough later in life. Queen Victoria took the throne in strange circumstances. King George III had 13 adult children, but only one of them had produced an heir. George’s son, King George IV, had been acting as king in the last few years of George III’s life. George IV only had one child, Princess Charlo e. Unfortunately, she died just after giving birth in 1817. Her child also died. There were suddenly no obvious heirs to the throne. Most of King George III’s children were too old to have any children. Some of his sons were considered the right age, and four of them married in 1818. Two of them married German princesses at the same wedding! The sons Ernest Augustus and Adolphus both had sons in 1819. Ernest’s son was born first, on the 27th of May. Unfortunately for them, Edward and his wife beat them to it. They had a daughter on the 24th of May. Edward was the oldest of the brothers with a child, and his daughter was born first, so she became the next heir in front of the other two. That daughter was Victoria. Well, actually, she wasn’t. She was Alexandrina. Her middle name was Victoria, and that is what she was soon known as. Victoria’s father died before he could become king. King George III died in 1820. King George IV took the throne instead and ruled for 9 years. His brothers were both next in line for the throne. Frederick died before George IV, which only left William. Victoria was next in A line. ding ro Rea und all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed e um C u r r ic ul Th http://www.literacyshedplus.com Victoria’s life became very regimented after her father died. He had built up a lot of debt, which her mother found hard to pay. She met another man and together, they began to control Victoria’s life. They wanted to have power when she became queen. King George IV died in 1830 when William took the throne (he was King William IV). He died in 1837, which meant that it was Victoria’s time to rise to the top. Once she became queen, she broke free of the control of her mother and new partner. She removed them from her house and made her first public appearance as queen without them. She became known as The Nation’s Hope - many people thought that she would go on to do great things. They weren’t wrong. Queen Victoria ruled over the growth of the Industrial Revolution and brought great wealth to Britain. When she died aged 81, she was buried next to her husband, Albert, who had died in 1861. RETRIEVAL FOCUS 1. When did Queen Victoria die? 2. Who was her father? 3. What was Queen Victoria’s first name? 4. For how long did King George IV rule? 5. What was her nickname when she was crowned? VIPERS QUESTIONS S Who was monarch immediately before Victoria? I Why might Victoria have wanted to send a message to her mother when she was crowned? V Which word describes Victoria’s early life as being full of strict rules and not under control? S Who was Queen Victoria’s grandfather? V What is an “heir”? all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com