To take the reins and govern a country against opposition requires a special type of individual. Not in the guise of conflict, which any leader will experience, but rather open hostility and violence. That shouldn't happen to anyone, and not everyone does. In her lifetime, Queen Victoria experienced more of this than was fair. An astounding eight times were attempted assassinations of the Queen.

A guy by the name of Edward Oxford fired a shot at the queen in 1840. He failed. Another individual carried out the same action two years later. This time, John Francis was the target, and he wasn't much more accurate as Oxford had been. He wasn't either the second time he tried to do it.

Shortly after Francis, a man by the name of John Bean made the following effort. The first person to even make an attempt to touch her was not until 1850. The Queen obviously survived, but this specific effort left some wounds on her.

Robert Pate attacked Victoria with a cane that had an iron tip. He used it to strike her in the head, leaving a scar and a black eye behind. Victoria showed up quickly after the attack to show everyone she was alright, unfazed by the assault.

After another man attempted to shoot her in the train station in 1882, Victoria made strides to establish legal standards of insanity because nearly every person who had attempted to kill her in the past had cited that justification.

"It is worth being shot at to see how much one is loved," once said Victoria. Few would be more qualified to understand that than she.

For the majority of Americans nowadays, a Christmas tree represents the holidays just as much as a turkey meal or presents do. However, we may praise Victoria for her influence because before her, it was a much more hidden practice.

Germans were the first to use Christmas trees. Although Victoria's mother was reputed to use them over the holidays, it wasn't until Victoria married Albert that the custom gained popularity in England. Prince Albert, a native of Germany, wished to impart his culture to the people he now belonged to. He had trees delivered to military bases and classrooms. Victoria and Albert were pictured in an engraving decorating a beautiful tree with their kids by their sides.

That engraving, which is said to be worth a thousand words, attracted the attention of the British people. The Christmas tree craze grew as a result of everyone wanting to participate in the charming Royal ritual.

If you've never heard of the Kensington System of child rearing, it's not surprising. This approach was used to raise Victoria up until the time of her accession to the throne. It was one of complete dependence and control. It was created by Victoria's mother and her aide John Conroy, and it dictated every element of the life of the young Victoria.

With the exception of two journeys to see an uncle, the future Queen had little any touch with the outside world. Within the palace, she rarely interacted with outsiders and was never alone. A half-sister and Conroy's daughter were her two acquaintances. The only other individuals she interacted with on a regular basis were her nanny and tutor. She basically grew up in a bubble with no more than ten other people. She had to spend the night in her mother's room.

The Kensington Method was not implemented to safeguard or raise Victoria. It was a scheme to maintain control, though. She was supposed to rely solely on Conroy and her mother for everything, even as an adult. Conroy and Victoria's mother would retain some kind of authority as regent and other family members and anyone who would gain from the Queen's influence would be excluded. The public will witness Victoria and her mother's unbreakable closeness and adore them for their pure relationship.

The strategy failed poorly since it appeared to have merely alienated Victoria. She promptly granted herself an hour of solitude each day after assuming the position of power—a luxury she had never had in her entire life—and expelled Conroy from the palace, barring him from returning.

If you are familiar with Victorian medicine, you are aware that there was no distinction between what we now refer to as medicine and opioids. As painkillers, heroin and cocaine were frequently used, and cocaine in particular was found in everything from chewing gum to wine.

Before Coca-Cola became popular, you could purchase Coca-Bola, a chewing gum that contained up to 10 lines of cocaine in each piece. Who's going around downing 10 lines of blow on a regular basis? Victoria was rumored to have chewed something similar, with a young Winston Churchill no less, which must have had her tripping the light fantastic.

The gum's advertisements say that it relieves exhaustion and gives the user extra energy for work. You might be able to quit smoking with its assistance. There is no information on how long the Queen used it, but it must have given her a little boost.

Despite their difficult beginning, the US and England have been allies for a long time. Queen Victoria commissioned the creation of a present for Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. She built a desk to present to the American president using the wood rescued from the HMS Resolute. Even a contest was organized to encourage people to submit their ideas. The Resolute Desk's design was created by the contest winners.

A ship used for Arctic expedition was the HMS Resolute. It got stuck in 1854 and was left there until an American whaling crew freed it and brought it back to England. As a token of appreciation, Victoria ordered the desk and two other items. The desk in the Oval Office has been used by almost every President since Hayes, though a few have used it in their personal study and three haven't used it at all.

Most people probably assume that the Queen of England speaks English naturally because it is her native language. Queen Victoria spoke English, of course, but that wasn't always the case. In fact, Victoria knew only German for the first three years.

British royalty had origins all over Europe, and Victoria's family included several Germans. Victoria was raised speaking only German because her mother was of German descent. German was the primary language of her early caregivers and school.

Over time, she also learned French and Italian in addition to English. She also picked up a little Hindustani. As she grew older, her German became rusty, and up until she met her husband, she mostly communicated in English on a daily basis. She refreshed her knowledge of the language, having grown up speaking it, and talked it nearly entirely with him.

Celebrity worship has become commonplace in our time. Some people have an unhealthy obsession with their favorite musicians or actors that makes the rest of us a bit uneasy. Celebrity stalkers are those who go too far with something. But this is not a brand-new occurrence. It might be more prevalent today, but it was also a thing in Victoria's era. We are aware of this since the queen had a peculiar and devoted admirer of her own.

Boy Jones, also known as Edward Jones, was 14 years old. He wasn't mentally unwell, according to historians, at least not that they are aware of. But the Queen was his one and only obsession. He was determined enough to gain entry to Buckingham Palace and take her underpants.

Jones repeatedly entered the Palace by breaking in. He confessed to others after being caught three times. Back then, security wasn't as strict, and there weren't even any palace guards. Jones would then enter by breaking through unlocked windows or doors.

Along with stealing food and repeatedly getting caught on the throne, he was also discovered to be wearing the Queen's underpants. They were never able to keep him in jail for very long because none of these qualified as a felony under the law. He was eventually compelled to board a boat and transported to Brazil; however, when he returned, he was held captive on a ship for six years before being taken to Australia.

You'd think, especially during Victoria's reign, that being the Queen of England was a significant accomplishment in and of itself. She was likely the most well-known person on Earth, and England was the largest superpower in the world. Still, there's always opportunity for development when you're a British king.

India came under British control in 1858. The nation was one of many that England had claimed over the years as its own from all over the world. It was difficult to simply declare that all Indians were now subjects of the British Empire since they were located so far away and were so different from one another in almost every respect.

An elaborate ceremony was organized in 1877 in an effort to try to smooth over tensions between Britain and India, which had several centuries of tense relations between them. India would formally congratulate the Empress Victoria, who would take over as sovereign.

There have been rumors that Victoria sought the title of Empress because she was envious of the titles her daughter possessed even though she never traveled to India. Regardless, Victoria would start using the title Queen-Empress Victoria as of 1877.

Wedding gowns are a huge industry. By 2027, it is anticipated that the worldwide wedding wear market would be worth close to $80 billion. That amount is astounding. But it just goes to demonstrate how much some women care about their attire. And Queen Victoria has had the most impact on the current bridal gown.

The wearing of bridal gowns is surrounded by numerous traditions. Most people are familiar with the whole "wear something old, new, borrowed, and blue" concept. White is the color of choice for the dress itself since it represents purity. Some individuals think it's improper to wear a white wedding gown if you're getting married for a second time or if you already have kids because it's evident you're not "pure." In other words, not a virgin.

The origins of this concept go back to Victoria. White, not purity, is the important aspect. Prior to Victoria, royal wedding attire was frequently red. White was actually never utilized because it is what mourners wore. However, Victoria created her own lace and satin bridal gown, which shocked the British nobility. Apparently many feathers were fluffed, but the impact was significant. Women wanted to be daring and distinctive like the Queen, and this ushered in a new era of bridal costume. People decided that white was obviously the best option because it was pure and innocent, and white became the new standard.

Thanks to Queen Elizabeth's stable of the little dogs, the British Royal Family is now identified with corgis. Victoria, though, also had a thing for canines. She preferred the tenacious small Pomeranian breed, popularly known as puffballs with faces today. And Queen Victoria is largely to blame for the fact that we recognize them in this way.

In 1888, Victoria took in a Pomeranian that was abnormally little. She had them brought in from all across Europe to be a part of a breeding program since she was enamored with the dog's little stature. As a result of her efforts, the modern Pomeranian often doesn't weigh more than seven pounds. Only small dogs would do.

Out of context, none of that seems noteworthy, but you need to be aware of how a Pomeranian appeared before 1888. On average, the canines were significantly bigger than the one Victoria had bought. It was even said that certain Pomeranians may weigh up to 50 pounds. She had effectively reduced the dogs to a size that was significantly less than half of what they had been, and that is now the breed standard.