The Events that Led to Queen Victoria's Birth and Reign

Queen Victoria's statue in London. Image: Pixabay

The events leading to the birth, and later the accession of Queen Victoria were quite peculiar. In 1817, Princess Charlotte, only daughter and child of future King George IV, who was then the Prince Regent, died while giving birth. Her sudden death resulted to the extinction of the only legitimate heir of the 13 sons and daughters of King George III. The House of Hanover faced a succession crisis.

There was no chance for the Prince Regent to father another heir because he was estranged from his wife, Caroline of Brunswick.

The Prince Regent's younger brother, the Duke of York and Albany, was childless and also estranged from his wife, Princess Frederica of Prussia.

The third son, the Duke of Clarence, long since separated from his mistress Dorothy Jordan, sired 10 children, all, however, illegitimate and barred from succeeding the throne.

The fourth son, the Duke of Kent, was living with his long-time mistress Madam de Saint de Saint Laurent, although they did not have any child.

The fifth son, the Duke of Cumberland, was already married  to his first cousin, Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, although they remained childless until 1819.

The sixth son, the Duke of Sussex, contracted secretly married Lady Augusta Murray in 1793. The marriage resulted to two children but their union was annulled the following year since it contravened the Royal Marriages Act of 1772.

The seventh son, The Duke of Cambridge, was also unmarried at the time.

No sooner after Princess Charlotte's death, the dukes of Clarence, Kent, and Cambridge decided to look for a suitable bride. Heavily indebted, getting a desirable wife would also mean a chance to appeal for an increase in their parliamentary annuity.

The Duke of Clarence married Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen; the Duke of Kent to Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfed (the widow of Prince Emich Charles of Leiningen) and Duke of Cambridge to Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel.

The Duke and Duchess of Clarence had two daughters who both died in infancy. The Duke and Duchess of Kent had an only child christened Alexandrina Victoria, in 1819. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had a son, George, who later succeeded as Duke of Cambridge, and two daughters, Augusta, later Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and Mary Adelaide, later Duchess of Teck and mother of the future Queen Mary.

In 1819, the Duchess of Cumberland gave birth to a son, George, who would later reign as the last King of Hanover.

The death of Duke of Kent in 1820, only a few days before his father's, and his elder brother the duke of York in 1827 made Victoria the heiress presumptive to the British throne on her uncle, the duke of Clarence's accession as King William IV in 1830.

You might also want to read:

The Death of Princess Charlotte and Britain’s Succession Crisis
Meet Great Britain’s Georgian Kings

Watch: The Birth of Queen Victoria Watch: Princess Charlotte of Wales: Her Life and Tragic Death