Queen Victoria, who also bore the title of Empress of India, had a real and abiding interest in the British Empire, but other European monarchs also ruled over possessions 'beyond the seas'. This collection of original essays explores the connections between monarchy and colonialism, from the old regime empires down to the Commonwealth of today. With case studies drawn from Britain, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy, the chapters analyse constitutional questions about the role of the crown in overseas empires, the pomp and pageantry of the monarchy as it transferred to the colonies, and the fate of indigenous sovereigns under European colonial control. The volume, with chapters on North America, Asia, Africa and Australasia, provides new perspectives on colonial history, the governance of empire, and the transnational history of monarchies in modern Europe.

Explores the rule of Queen Victoria, the longest-reigning British monarch, who brought Great Britain to the height of its power, building a great colonial empire while enjoying industrial expansion at home.

Victoria was only eighteen years old when she assumed the throne of England. The new queen quickly had to learn everything she could about politics and governing, relying heavily on her prime ministers for guidance. Marriage to her cousin, Albert of Saxe-Coburg, brought her a loving husband and partner. Together they raised nine children and oversaw the expansion of the British Empire. Albert's premature death, in 1861, left Victoria bereaved and so deeply depressed that she never fully recovered. She lived another four decades, however, and saw the British Empire reach its apogee. When she died in 1901, she had held the throne for sixty-three years, longer than any other British monarch. Queen Victoria and the British Empire is a vivid portrait of this brilliant period and the queen who gave her name to an era. Book jacket.

At the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, almost every European nation was a monarchy, most linked by close family ties to her and Edward VII, the "uncle of Europe". Prior to the outbreak of World War I, the personal relationships of Edward, and of his successor and son, George V, flourished with the other royal families of Europe. The closeness of the European families was violently interrupted by the outbreak of war in 1914, and the armistice of 1918 brought three empires, namely Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia, crashing down. Some monarchies were strengthened, and others weakened beyond repair. In this well-researched study, John Van der Kiste has drawn upon previously unpublished material for the Royal Archives, Windsor, to show the realtionships between the crowned heads of Europe in the first part of the 20th century. His account sheds new light on foreign policy leading up to World War I.

By the 1890s, Queen Victoria had over thirty grandchildren and to maintain and increase royal power in Europe, she knew she had to manoeuvre them into a series of dynastic marriages. In her sights was royalty from across the world. Yet for all their seeming obedience, her grandchildren often had plans of their own, plans fuelled by strong wills and romantic hearts. Her matchmaking plans were only further complicated by their coinciding with tumultuous international upheavals; revolution and war were in the air and after her death, her most carefully laid plans fell to ruin. Queen Victoria's Matchmaking travels through the most glittering, decadent palaces of Russia and Europe, weaving in scandals, political machinations and family tensions, to enthralling effect. It is at once an intimate portrait of the royal family and an examination of the conflict caused by the power, love and duty that shaped the marriages that Queen Victoria arranged. At the heart of it all is Queen Victoria herself: doting grandmother one moment, determined manipulator the next.

The Roman Empire has been an object of fascination for the past two millennia, and the story of how a small city in central Italy came to dominate the whole of the Mediterranean basin, most of modern Europe and the lands of Asia Minor and the Middle East, has often been told. It has provided the model for European empires from Charlemagne to Queen Victoria and beyond, and is still the basis of comparison for investigators of modern imperialisms. By an exhaustive investigation of the changing meanings of certain key words and their use in the substantial remains of Roman writings and in the structures of Roman political life, this book seeks to discover what the Romans themselves thought about their imperial power in the centuries in which they conquered the known world and formed the empire of the first and second centuries AD.

Like other books in this 'heritage history' series, "The Victorian Era in Europe - Age of Empires - for Kids" presents the events of mid-to-late 19th century European history through biographies of its "royals, rebels, and empire-builders" in a story-telling format. Dusty volumes, published in the days when history-teaching wasn't reduced to 'social studies, ' overflow with historical anecdotes and details that would make our kids smile, and add a memorable 'human' touch to blunders, crimes, and victories of bygone eras' stars and villains. So, I spent a good year plowing through 19th and early 20th century biographical tomes, periodicals, and vintage childrens' histories, to translate a vast volume of stories and reports into narratives that can engage today's kids and teens. I tossed out exhaustive battle descriptions and analyses of dynastic feuds and politics to which our kids can't relate. I kept stories entertaining enough to bring to life the complex era that gave us phones, subways, and diamond engagement rings, along with Marxism, terrorism, the 'white man's burden, ' and hundreds of thousands of long-lost graves of those who fell in brutal colonial and European imperial wars. As always, this book presents only historical facts and reports (no embellishment, fiction, or opinions of any kind) and stays firmly on track with kid-appropriate, family-friendly content. Meet Queen Victoria, French Emperor Napoleon III, German Reichskanzler Bismarck, Russian Emperor Alexander II, the hero of the Italian Wars of Independence Giuseppe Garibaldi, the creator of Marxism - Karl Marx, the British Empire builder and diamond monopolist Cecil Rhodes, and the legend of archaeology Heinrich Schliemann - they are all here. Since understanding Victorian-era history requires knowledge of certain political/economic concepts, the book offers paragraph-long definitions of - ideas, such as Realpolitik, liberalism, fatalism, socialism, communism, nihilism, anarchism, totalitarianism, populism, the Monroe Doctrine, ''the white man's burden, ' 'jingoism...' - political movements and organizations, such as the Carbonari, Freemasons, Illuminati... - political/economic terms, such as monopoly, viceroy, protectorate, puppet regime, 'scorched earth' policy, and others. Did Queen Victoria actually say "We are not amused"? Why socialist economies fall apart, and why a communist socio-economic system has never existed in real life? Who came up with the diamond engagement ring 'tradition'? ... Your sleepless nights, pondering over these epic questions are over! Your kid will deliver the answers upon reading "The Victorian Era in Europe - Age of Empires - for Kids"!

Julia Gelardi's Born to Rule is an historical tour de force that weaves together the powerful and moving stories of the five royal granddaughters of Queen Victoria. These five women were all married to reigning European monarchs during the early part of the 20th century, and it was their reaction to the First World War that shaped the fate of a continent and the future of the modern world. Here are the stories of Alexandra, whose enduring love story, controversial faith in Rasputin, and tragic end have become the stuff of legend; Marie, the flamboyant and eccentric queen who battled her way through a life of intrigues and was also the mother of two Balkan queens and of the scandalous Carol II of Romania; Victoria Eugenie, Spain's very English queen who, like Alexandra, introduced hemophilia into her husband's family-with devastating consequences for her marriage; Maud, King Edward VII's daughter, who was independent Norway's reluctant queen; and Sophie, Kaiser Wilhelm II's much maligned sister, daughter of an Emperor and herself the mother of no less than three kings and a queen, who ended her days in bitter exile. Born to Rule evokes a world of luxury, wealth, and power in a bygone era, while also recounting the ordeals suffered by a unique group of royal women who at times faced poverty, exile, and death. Praised in their lifetimes for their legendary beauty, many of these women were also lauded-and reviled-for their political influence. Using never before published letters, memoirs, diplomatic documents, secondary sources, and interviews with descendents of the subjects, Julia Gelardi's Born to Rule is an astonishing and memorable work of popular history.

In 1806, the Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist when Francis II became Emperor of Austria. 112 years later, the Habsburg empire collapsed after the First World War after surviving many tribulations. During the year of revolutions in 1848 the much-loved but incompetent Emperor Ferdinand had abdicated in favour of his young nephew Francis Joseph. His long reign was marked by defeat in several wars, family tragedies and scandals including the execution of his brother Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico, the suicide of his son Crown Prince Rudolf, and the assassinations of his wife Empress Elizabeth, and nephew Francis Ferdinand. He was succeeded in 1916 by the succession of his great-nephew Charles, who abdicated in 1918 and died after two unsuccessful attempts to regain the throne of Hungary, but his eldest son Otto remained head of the family and Member of the European Parliament for twenty years. This book looks at the final chapter of the Habsburgs, from the Napoleonic era to the age of the dictators and post-war Europe.