Surely, many are interested in the question of why in the British Isles the royal throne is occupied not by the king, but by the Queen of Great Britain. Since the formation of an independent state in the 9th century, eight dynasties have successively changed in England, but there is still a consanguinity between their members, since the first representative of a new family name each time married a woman from the previous one. Thus, the British can proudly claim that the current reigning Elizabeth II is descended directly from William the Conqueror.
In England, the headship of queens began with the House of Stuart. Now there is a tradition according to which, only the Queen of Great Britain is considered a real monarch, while her husband is just a prince. Naturally, it must be taken into account that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are a constitutional monarchy, and therefore the queen only reigns, but does not rule. The function of management is performed by the Prime Ministerwith your office. Her Majesty performs representative functions, addresses citizens for the New Year and is actively involved in charity work.
Unlike continental Europe, in England they were more tolerant of the primacy of women on the throne. This country knew many glorious monarchs who ruled the state and even the empire with an “iron hand”. Among them are Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anna. But the most significant mark in the history of not only England, but also other states was left by Victoria, Queen of Great Britain. This wonderful woman has been on the throne for more than 63 years, and the entire era of her reign is called Victorian.
Alexandrina Victoria - this is her full name, since the Russian Emperor Alexander I acted as godfather - was born in 1819. Until 1837 she bore the title of Duchess of Kent. When her closest relative, William IV, died, he had no legitimate heirs. In this regard, she received a new title - Queen of Great Britain - at a ceremony held on June 28, 1838. The Crown of India was added to the list of her titles in 1876. With her death in 1901, the history of the Hanoverian dynasty ended. The Victorian era marked the greatest flowering of the British Empire, its industrial power, but also, surprisingly, the era of puritanism and moral rigor.
In 1840, Victoria married her cousin, Duke Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, whom she granted the title of prince in 1857. They had nine children. Through the dynastic marriages of these children, as well as grandchildren, the monarch of England received the nickname "Grandmother of Europe": her descendants began to rule in Germany (Kaiser Wilhelm II Hohenzollern is her grandson), Spain and even Russia (Alexander's granddaughter married Nicholas II; so
Thus, Tsarevich Alexei is the great-grandson of the Queen of England). Victoria is said to have passed on the hemophilia gene to her male descendants.
This Queen of Great Britain was dearly loved by the people. Many objects discovered during her reign are named after her: a water lily in the tropics of British Guiana Victoria Regia, a waterfall, one of the largest lakes and even an asteroid discovered by astronomer J. Hind in 1850.
Now Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, who was born in 1926, sits on the throne of the constitutional monarchy. She ascended the throne in 1953. Her husband Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, by tradition, was not crowned. He took the oath of allegiance to Her Majesty as a vassal. The royal couple had four children. They now have eight grandchildren and one great-granddaughter, who was born in 2011 and named Savannah.
