THE VICTORIAN ERAvalues and social class system

Queen Victoria

• 1838: crowned Queen when

eighteen years old

• succeeded William IV

• but until birth of first

daughter in 1840

Ernest August I of Hannover

was king

• married prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

when 20 years old

• gave birth to nine children

• arranged the marriages of children and grandchildren

‘the grandmother of Europe’

• mourned very long for

husband

→ pro-republic movement

gained popularity

• golden and diamond

jubilees

• lived frugal and prudish life

- compensate for her uncle’s

lifestyle

- raised following the

Kensington system

→ “Victorian”

= like Victoria did

Victorian values

• not talking about sex

• punishing crime severely

• living by strict social rules

→ only for one group of society

• beach

- special cubicles to

change and put on

bathing suit

- separate beach for

men and women

• very rude to show arms and legs

• Queen Victoria collected male nudes

• emotions and sexual feelings:

in the ‘language of flowers’

• explicit erotica in personal

letters and even newspapers

• sex before marriage = taboo

- many pregnant brides

- limited physical contact

with fiancé

• prostitution flourished

• supposed to keep the whole household running

• unmarried women: socializing in spare time

• worst thing: death of father or husband

→ poor women: factory work, governess or prostitution

→ rich women: no inheritance

• supposed to be raised very strictly

• had to work long shifts and do dirty jobs

→ Oliver Twist

• less important persons

Social class system

• wealthy families at court

• no need to work: inherited

fortune

• best education

• Royal Class

• largest class

• benefitted the most from Industrial Revolution

• Upper Middle Class

and Lower Middle Class

• Upper Working Class = skilled labour

• Lower Working Class = unskilled labour

• hostile to other classes

• affected the worst by immigration

• the “sunken people”

• homeless, unskilled and ill

“We are notamused”