Victoria
Alexandrina Victoria (1819 – 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 and Empress of India from 1876 until her death. Victoria's 64-year rule of the United Kingdom was the longest of any of British monarch, or any female monarch in history,[1] until the 70-year reign of her great-great-granddaughter Elizabeth II.[2] Her reign, dubbed the "Victorian era", was marked by the Industrial Revolution, the British Empire's expansion to encompass all five continents, and her surviving seven assassination attempts.[3]
Biography[edit | edit source]
Early life and reign[edit | edit source]
Alexandrina Victoria was born in Kensington Palace in London to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn and German-born Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Due to her father's and grandfather George III's deaths, Alexandrina was raised by her mother, a childhood she later described as "rather melancholy".[4]
She inherited the throne at age 18 and married her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840, becoming Queen Victoria. Contrary to tradition, Victoria proposed to Albert as she was the Queen.[3] She then gave birth to nine children; Victoria, Albert, Alice, Alfred, Helena, Louise, Arthur, Leopold, and Beatrice. Their nine children later married into royal and noble families in Europe, earning her the nickname "the grandmother of Europe".[4]
After Albert's death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and vanished from the public eye. Her popularity recovered, however, in the later years of her reign.[4] In October 1863, Victoria grew close to one of Albert's servants, John Brown; this relationship prompted rumors that the Queen had taken another lover.[5] On 23 and 25 April 1865, Victoria received emotionally moving letters from her Belgian uncle Leopold I concerning his health. In her 27 April reply, she discussed her daughter Helena's betrothal to Prince Christian of Augustenberg.[6] Two days later, she sent a letter of condolences to the United States' First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln regarding the assassination of her husband President Abraham Lincoln;[7] Mrs. Lincoln sent a reply on 21 May expressing her gratitude for the Queen's condolences.[8] On 13 June, Victoria sent a letter to her eldest son Albert regarding names for his then-unborn son George V.[9]
On 22 January 1866, Queen Victoria sent a letter to Earl Russell concerning the reopening of parliament. Denying the Earl's request, Victoria expressed her need to continue mourning.[10] On 6 February, Victoria attended the State Opening of Parliament for the first time since Albert's death.[11] On 16 October, Victoria discussed with her son Albert on his visit to Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Queen stated in her letter her disdain for the country but understood and respected Albert's decision to be present for the marriage of Dagmar of Denmark.[12]
On 22 May 1867, Victoria announced her plan to award her son Albert the Order of the Thistle, her son Arthur the Order of the Garter, Prince Victor the Office of Constable of the Round Tower, and Prince Christian the honor of being Ranger of Windsor Great Park.[13] On 26 June, Lord Augustus FitzRoy was invited for lunch on the Queen's behalf.[14] On 14 October, Victoria met with General Charles Grey discussing a possible attack by Fenians. As a precaution, the 93rd Highlanders regiment was placed at Abergeldie.[15] On 16 December, Victoria denied a request from Lord Stanley to observe and advise parliament.[16] On 19 December, after the Queen had moved to a more vulnerable Osborne House on the Isle of Wight for the Christmas season, she received an alarming message from General Grey concerning rumors of an assassination plot against her.[17]
Aiding the Assassins[edit | edit source]
In 1868, while hosting a ball at Buckingham Palace, Victoria had the pleasure of meeting Evie Frye, who was introduced to her by Mary Anne Disraeli. Victoria remarked that the young Frye was behind the theft of William Gladstone's carriage, but made no effort to have her arrested since she, like the Disraelis, heartily disliked Gladstone. Instead, much to the Assassin's relief, she merely told the young woman to enjoy the ball, especially the cake which was apparently very good.[18]
The next day, Victoria met with Evie, her twin brother Jacob, and Henry Green, having been told by Sergeant Frederick Abberline of how they had thwarted a plot against her life by Crawford Starrick. In recognition of their deeds, she knighted the trio into the Order of the Sacred Garter. Before departing their company, Victoria reminded Evie that she had saved some cake for her.[18]
At some point, a royal guard turned up dead in Victoria's study, and she called upon the Frye twins to investigate the murder. Suspecting that the killer might attempt to steal the Scepter of the Dove, which she planned on using to knight several industrialists opposing child labor later in the day, Victoria personally inspected her safe. One of the Frye twins later left the palace to chase down another lead and returned to warn the Queen that a bomb was in the palace.[19]
However, the bomb turned out to be a hoax and the deceased guard was in fact an impostor named Henry Raymond, who used spider venom to put himself in a death-like state so he could observe the Queen's combination to the safe. After Raymond stole the Scepter of the Dove, he attempted to escape, taking a young boy, Artie, hostage, but the Frye twins killed Raymond, saving Artie and recovering the scepter.[19]
Victoria later summoned the Frye twins to request their aid in thwarting a faction of Templars attempting to regain their power in London through acts of terrorism.[20][21] Once the plot was thwarted, including an attempt to bomb Parliament,[22] Victoria offered the Fryes her gratitude and expressed her hope that they would continue to assist her in strengthening the British Empire. However, the Assassins politely stated that their Creed forbade them from aiding in the Empire's expansion, with Evie suggesting that the Queen put an end to her imperialist beliefs. Victoria understood and respected their position, and provided them with rewards for their deeds before leaving.[23]
At some point, Victoria hosted another gala, this time at the Tower of London, with Maharaja Duleep Singh and the British India Company official Brinley Ellsworth among its guests. During the party, a group of Templars stole the Koh-i-Noor diamond—in actuality a replica of the real jewel—and planted it on an unknowing Singh, intending to frame him for theft in front of the Queen and ruin the diplomatic relations between India and the British Empire.[24]
However, the plot was foiled by Jacob and Evie, who recovered the Koh-i-Noor before the guards searched Singh. The Maharaja subsequently told Queen Victoria about the incident as she left the party, much to her amusement, wondering why anyone would attempt to steal the Koh-i-Noor, which she jokingly compared to a "potato".[24]
Assassination attempt[edit | edit source]
In 1882, rumors swirled in the streets of London that Queen Victoria was the target of an assassination plot. Believing it to be orchestrated by the Templars, the British Assassin George Westhouse asked fellow Assassin Pierrette Arnaud to watch over and protect the queen.[25]
While visiting Windsor, Victoria arrived in her carriage, only to be shot at by an unseen sniper. The assailant was knocked out shortly after by a horse ridden by Spider Wallin, while Pierrette checked on the queen to confirm she was unharmed. After the ordeal, Victoria continued to be protected by the Assassins.[26]
Later life and death[edit | edit source]
In the last fourteen years of her life, Queen Victoria befriended her Indian servant Abdul Karim.[27] She died on 22 January 1901 at the age of 81 from her declining health, with Abdul by her side. Upon her death, her eldest son and successor Albert—now King Edward VII—ordered that Abdul return to India and that all correspondence between him and the queen to be burned.[28]
Personality and traits[edit | edit source]
Queen Victoria was hemophiliac, as were her family; hence, she named the disease the "Royal Malady". She also stood at exactly 5 feet tall.[3] Victoria composed herself in a regal manner. As a wife, she was affectionate and loving, and was devastated when her husband Albert passed away, so much so that she shut herself away for five years just to grieve,[11] and thereafter exclusively wore mourning clothing.[6]
The queen was also known to have a high libido, as stated by one of her diary entries: "I will NEVER forget such a night!!! His passion and affection (...) aroused such feelings (...) as I would never before have hoped to know!"[29] She was also headstrong and opinionated, as she disliked her then-unborn grandson's potential name,[9] protested her strong dislike for Russia,[12] and did not think very highly of William Gladstone, either.[18]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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A portrait of Queen Victoria -
An illustration of Queen Victoria with her daughter and German Emperor Frederick III -
Promotional Art of Queen Victoria -
Queen Victoria knighting the Frye twins and Henry Green -
Queen Victoria requesting Jacob and Evie's help
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (first mentioned) (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Underworld
- Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Magus Conspiracy (indirect mention only)
- Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Resurrection Plot
- Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu (mentioned only)
- Echoes of History (mentioned only)
References[edit | edit source]
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