The 1st of January 1877 AD, Victoria Proclaimed Empress of India Victoria Proclaimed Empress of India The 1st of January 1877 AD Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India at the first Delhi Durbar, on January 1 1877, though legally she had held the title since Parliament passed the necessary legislation ï¿½ The Royal Titles Act - in May 1876. There was a personal and a political aspect to the change. In personal terms, Disraeli did himself no harm by flattering the Queen with the additional title, on which it is said she was keen; his perennial rival Gladstone had earlier been reticent to do the same. Politically, the move symbolised the change of circumstances in Indian rule: the East India Company, discredited by the events of the Indian Mutiny, had been replaced by the crown; governor general by viceroy. Queen Victoria herself did not attend the Durbar; the viceroy Earl Lytton was there in her stead. Later Durbars were mass events; this, the first, was for the elite: Maharajas, European grandees, Nawabs and Princes.

But the opportunity for a show of Imperial might was not lost: there were 101 artillery salvoes; marching bands; guards of honour; and much pomp and ceremony to mark the historic significance of the proclamation. Internet History Sourcebooks Project Field Marshal Lord Roberts: When Queen Victoria Became Empress of India, 1877 [Tappan Introduction] THE PRINCE OF WALES, afterwards King Edward VII, paid a visit to India as a mark of honor to the native princes who had aided the English in their efforts to govern the land. This visit was followed by Queen Victoria's assumption of the title of Empress of India.

IN the autumn of 1876 preparations were commenced for the "Imperial Assemblage," which it was announced by the Viceroy would be held at Delhi on the first day of January, 1877, for the purpose of proclaiming to the Queen's subjects throughout India the assumption by Her Majesty of the title of "Empress of India." To this assemblage Lord Lytton further announced that he proposed "to invite the governors, lieutenant-governors, and heads of administration from all parts of the Queen's Indian dominions, as well as the princes, chiefs, and nobles in whose persons the antiquity of the past is associated with the prosperity of the present, and who so worthily contribute to the splendor and stability of this great empire." Delhi was selected as the place where the meeting between the Queen's representative and the great nobles of India could most appropriately be held, and a committee was appointed to make the necessary arrangements. As a member of the committee I was deputed to proceed to Delhi, settle about the sites for the camps, and carry out all details in communication with the local authorities.

The Viceroy impressed upon me that the assemblage was intended to emphasize the Proclamation Lord Canning issued eighteen years before, by which the Queen assumed the direct sovereignty of her Eastern possessions, and that he wished no trouble or expense to be spared in making the ceremony altogether worthy of such a great historical event. I returned to Simla in October, when my wife and I accompanied the commander-in-chief on a very delightful march over the Jalauri Pass through the Kulu Valley to Chamba and Dalhousie. Our party consisted of the chief, his doctor (Bradshaw), Persian interpreter (Moore), General and Mrs. Lumsden, and ourselves. The first slight shower of snow had just fallen on the Jalauri Pass, and as we crossed over we disturbed a number of beautiful snow-pheasants and minals busily engaged in scratching it away to get at their food. The scenery on this march is very fine and varied; for the most part the timber and foliage are superb, and the valleys are very fertile and pretty, lying close under the snow-capped mountains.

Having inspected the "Hill stations," we proceeded to Peshawar, where the Viceroy had arranged to hold a conference with the lieutenant-governor of the Punjab and the commissioner of Peshawar about frontier affairs. Early in December I was back again at Delhi, where I found the arrangements for the several camps progressing most satisfactorily, and canvas cities rising up in every direction. I had previously chosen the site of the old cantonment for the camps of the Viceroy, the commander-in-chief, and the principal officials, while for the assemblage itself I had selected ground about three miles off. The chiefs and princes were all settled in their several camps ready to meet the Viceroy, who, on his arrival, in a few graceful words welcomed them to Delhi, and thanked them for responding to his invitation. He then mounted with Lady Lytton, on a state elephant, and a procession was formed, which, I fancy, was about the most gorgeous and picturesque which has ever been seen, even in the East.

The magnificence of the native princes' retinues can hardly be described; their elephant-housings were of cloth of gold, or scarlet-and-blue cloths embroidered in gold and silver. The howdahs were veritable thrones of the precious metals, shaded by the most brilliant canopies, and the war-elephants belonging to some of the Central India and Rajputana chiefs formed a very curious and interesting feature. Their tusks were tipped with steel; they wore shields on their foreheads, and breastplates of flashing steel; chain-mail armor hung down over their trunks and covered their backs and sides; and they were mounted by warriors clad in chainmail, and armed to the teeth. Delhi must have witnessed many splendid pageants, when the Rajput, the Moghul, and the Mahratta dynasties, each in its turn, was at the height of its glory; but never before had princes and chiefs of every race and creed come from all parts of Hindustan, vying with each other as to the magificence of their entourage, and met together with the same object, that of acknowledging and doing homage to one supreme ruler.

The next few days were spent by Lord Lytton in receiving the sixty-three ruling princes of India according to the strictest etiquette. Each prince, with his suite, was met at the entrance to the camp, and conducted up the street to the durbar tent by mounted officers, the salute to which he was entitled being fired while the procession moved on. He was then presented by the Foreign Secretary to the Viceroy, who placed him on a chair on his right, immediately below a full-length portrait of Her Majesty. A satin banner, richly embroidered with the chief's armorial bearings surmounted by the imperial crown, was next brought in by Highland soldiers and planted in front of the throne, when the Viceroy, leading the particular chief towards it, thus addressed him: "I present Your Highness with this banner as a personal gift from Her Majesty the Queen, in commemoration of her assumption of the title of Empress of India.

Her Majesty trusts that it may never be unfurled without reminding you not only of the close union between the throne of England and your loyal and princely house, but also of the earnest desire of the paramount power to see your dynasty strong, prosperous, and permanent." His Excellency then placed round the chief's neck a crimson ribbon, to which was attached a very handsome gold medal with the Queen's head engraved on it, adding: "I further decorate you, by command of Her Majesty. May this medal be long worn by yourself and long kept as an heirloom in your family in remembrance of the auspicious date it bears." The first of January, 1877, saw the Queen proclaimed Empress of India. The ceremony was most imposing, and in every way successful. Three tented pavilions had been constructed on an open plain. The throne-pavilion in the center was a very graceful erection, brilliant in hangings and banners of red, blue, and white satin magnificently embroidered in gold with appropriate emblems. It was hexagonal in shape, and rather more than two hundred feet in circumference.

In front of this was the pavilion for the ruling chiefs and high European officials, in the form of a semicircle eight hundred feet long. The canopy was of Star of India blue-and-white satin embroidered in gold, each pillar being surmounted by an imperial crown. Behind the throne was the stand for the spectators, also in the form of a semicircle divided in the middle, and likewise canopied in brilliant colors. Between these twoblocks was the entrance to the area. Each chief and high official sat beneath his own banner, which was planted immediately behind his chair, and they were all mixed up as much as possible to avoid questions of precedence, the result being the most wonderful mass of color, produced from the intermingling of British uniforms and plumes with gorgeous Eastern costumes, set off by a blaze of diamonds and other precious stones. All the British troops brought to Delhi for the occasion were paraded to the north, and the troops and retainers belonging to the native chiefs to the south, of the pavilion. Guards of honor were drawn up on either side of the throne, and at each opening by which the ruling chiefs were to enter the pavilion.

The guests being all seated, a flourish of trumpets by the heralds exactly at noon announced the arrival of the Viceroy. The military bands played a march, and Lord Lytton, accompanied by Lady Lytton, their daughters, and his staff, proceeded to the pavilion. His Excellency took his seat upon the throne, arrayed in his robes as Grand Master of the Star of India, the National Anthem was played, the guards of honor presented arms while the whole of the vast assemblage rose as one man. The chief herald was then commanded to read the proclamation. A flourish of trumpets was again sounded, and Her Majesty was proclaimed Empress of India. When the chief herald had ceased reading, the royal standard was hoisted, and a salute of one hundred and one salvos of artillery was fired, with a feu-de-joie from the long line of troops. This was too much for the elephants. As the feu-de-joie approached nearer and nearer to them, they became more and more alarmed, and at last scampered off, dispersing the crowd in every direction.

When it ceased, they were quieted and brought back by their mahouts, only to start off again when the firing recommenced; but, as it was a perfectly bare plain, without anything for the great creatures to come in contact with, there was no hatm done beyond a severe shaking to their riders. As the sound of the last salvo died away, the Viceroy addressed the assemblage. When he had ceased speaking, the assembly again rose en masse and joined the troops in giving several ringing cheers. His Highness the Maharaja Sindhia then spoke as follows: "Shah in Shah Padishah. May God bless you.

The princes of India bless you, and pray that your sovereignty and power may remain steadfast forever " Sir Salar Jung rose in behalf of the boy Nizam and said: "I am desired by His Highness the Nizam to request Your Excellency to convey to Her Majesty, on the part of himself and the chiefs of India, the expression of their hearty congratulations on the assumption of the title of Empress of India, and to assure the Queen that they pray for her, and for the enduring prosperity of her Empire, both in India and England." The Maharajas of Udaipur and Jaipur, in the name of the United Chiefs of Rajputana, begged that a telegram might be sent to the Queen, conveying their dutiful and loyal congratulations; and the Maharaja of Kashmir expressed his gratification at the tenor of the Viceroy's speech, and declared that he should henceforth consider himself secure under the shadow of Her Majesty's protecting care. It is difficult to overrate the political importance of this great gathering.

It was looked upon by most of the ruling chiefs as the result of the Prince of Wales's visit, and rejoiced in as an evidence of Her Majesty's increased interest in, and appreciation of, the vast Empire of India with its many different races and peoples. Source: From: Eva March Tappan, ed., The World's Story: A History of the World in Story, Song and Art, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1914), Vol. II: India, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Palestine, pp. 184-190. Scanned by Jerome S. Arkenberg, Cal. State Fullerton. The text has been modernized by Prof. Arkenberg. This text is part of the Internet Indian History Sourcebook . The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted texts for introductory level classes in modern European and World history. Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use of the Sourcebook.

© Paul Halsall November1998 Valentine Cameron Prinsep (1838-1904) - The Imperial Assemblage held at Delhi, 1 January 1877 Valentine Cameron Prinsep (1838-1904) - The Imperial Assemblage held at Delhi, 1 January 1877 1879-01-01 The Imperial Assemblage held at Delhi, 1 January 1877 Signed and dated 1877-80 Oil on canvas | RCIN 407181 Valentine Cameron Prinsep (1838-1904) References Description Lord Lytton was appointed Viceroy and Governor-General of India by the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, late in 1875. Queen Victoria assumed the title of Empress of India on 1 May 1876. Lord Lytton organised the Imperial Assemblage as a means of ‘publicly announcing Your Majesty’s present title to the Chiefs and princes of India with the utmost pomp and magnificence’.

On a site four miles to the north-west of Delhi a red and gold hexagonal Throne Pavilion was constructed for the Viceroy. Facing it, for the Princes, representatives of foreign governments and chief British officials was a semi-circular Amphitheatre in blue, white and gold, 800 feet long. The 63 Princes ‘all in gorgeous costumes of satin, velvet, or cloth of gold’ attended. Just before the ceremony they were each presented with a silken banner bearing their own arms and the date of the event (hanging above them in the painting). About 100,000 people were camped in the area for the occasion, in addition to hundreds of horses, elephants (lined up in the background on the left) and camels. Lord Lytton, seated on the dais, wore the mantle of Grand Master of the Star of India. Lady Lytton and her two daughters stood behind him. She wore ‘a lovely gown of purple blue silk and velvet stamped with blue velvet brocade’.

After a fanfare of trumpets Major Barnes ‘an enormous man of, I am sure, seven feet’ according to Lady Lytton, read the proclamation – he can be seen standing on the steps. Lord Lytton wrote to Queen Victoria explaining that the Princes wanted a ‘pictorial record of the event to be painted by a good English artist for presentation to Your Majesty’. Prinsep had the advantage of being from an Anglo-Indian family and had been born in Calcutta. He was very aware of the difficulty posed by the task and noted that ‘Of necessity my picture must be a picture commemorative of the Assemblage rather than a faithful reproduction of the scene’. He managed to get photographs of some of the participants and spent months after the event travelling around India obtaining sittings from the Princes for their portraits. There are nearly 160 recognisable portraits in the finished painting. The final painting is huge, but it is still a shrunken representation of the Assemblage. The centre of the arc of the Amphitheatre was in fact 226 feet from the Viceroy’s Pavilion – in the painting it is nearer 30 feet.

Each of the Pavilion’s hexagonal sides was 40 feet long in reality, but in the picture they are nearer six feet, and the decoration of the Pavilion was far more elaborate than appears in Prinsep’s picture. Back in London, the painting entirely filled the artist’s especially enlarged studio. It took 14 skilled men to move it ‘in a folded shape’ to the Royal Academy in 1880, and Prinsep had to finish it there, after the exhibition had closed. Signed and dated: VAL.C.PRINSEP / 1877-80. Provenance Presented by the people of India to Queen Victoria People involved Queen Victoria Becomes Empress of India | Making Britain Queen Victoria Becomes Empress of India Date: 01 Jan 1877 About: In 1877, Benjamin Disraeli, Conservative Prime Minister, had Queen Victoria proclaimed as Empress of India. India was already under crown control after 1858, but this title was a gesture to link the monarchy with the empire further and bind India more closely to Britain. The Royal Titles Bill was brought before Parliament in 1876.

It faced opposition from Liberals who feared that the title was synonymous with absolutism. Queen Victoria opened Parliament in person, the first time since the death of Prince Albert, to announce the change in royal title. Celebrations were held in Delhi, in what is known as the Delhi Durbar, on 1 January 1877, led by the Viceroy, Lord Lytton.

People involved: Secondary works: Cannadine, David, Ornamentalism: How the British saw their Empire (London: Penguin, 2001) Cohn, Bernard S., 'Representing Authority in Victorian India', in Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger (eds) The Invention of Tradition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992) Metcalf, Thomas R., Ideologies of the Raj (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998) Strachey, Lytton, Queen Victoria (London: Chatto & Windus, 1921) Archive source: Queen Victoria Timeline | Queen Victoria Facts Queen Victoria Timeline Timeline of Queen Victoria's Personal Life 1819 - Victoria, daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent and Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield, is born at Kensington Palace on May 24th. 1837 - On June 20th, Victoria, at age 18, becomes Queen of England, succeeding her uncle William IV. 1837 - Prince Albert writes a letter to his cousin, the Queen of England.

1838 - Victoria is crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 28th. 1840 - Marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on February 10th. 1840 - Princess Victoria is born - first child. 1841 - Prince Albert Edward Wettin is born - second child and future King of England. 1842 - Attempted assassination of Queen Victoria. 1843 - Princess Alice Maude Mary is born - third child. 1844 - Prince Alfred Ernest Albert is born - fourth child. 1846 - Princess Helena Augusta Victoria is born - fifth child. 1848 - Princess Louise Caroline Alberta is born - sixth child. 1850 - Prince Arthur William Patrick is born - seventh child. 1851 - Great Exhibition opens in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park. 1853 - Prince Leopold George Duncan is born - eighth child. 1857 - Princess Beatrice Mary Victoria is born - ninth child. 1857 - Parliament gives Albert the title of Prince Consort. 1861 - Prince Albert dies of typhoid fever at age 42.

1863 - Edward, Prince of Wales, marries Alexandra of Denmark . 1877 - Victoria becomes Empress of India. 1887 - Queen Victoria celebrates her Golden Jubilee, 40th anniversary of her accession to the throne. 1897 - Queen Victoria celebrates her Diamond Jubilee, 50th anniversary of her accession to the throne. 1901 - The death of Queen Victoria at Osborne House, Isle of Wight on January 22nd. She was 81. BBC - iWonder - Queen Victoria: The woman who redefined Britain’s monarchy Queen Victoria: The woman who redefined Britain’s monarchy 24 May, 1819 Presented byProfessor Kate WilliamsRoyal historian A headstrong head of state Queen Victoria restored the reputation of a monarchy tarnished by the extravagance of her royal uncles. She also shaped a new role for the Royal Family, reconnecting it with the public through civic duties. At just 4ft 11in tall, Victoria was a towering presence as a symbol of her Empire. She and her husband Albert and their nine children came to symbolise a new, confident age.

24 May, 1819 Bridgeman A portrait of Princess Victoria and her mother Victoria, Duchess of Kent in 1824. Alexandrina Victoria was born to the Duchess of Kent. Her father was the fourth son of George III and she was fifth in line to the throne. However, she had three elderly uncles ahead of her in the succession. So when her father died when she was eight months her prospects of becoming queen were good. The princess, known as Victoria, was raised at Kensington Palace. She was educated by her governess Baroness Lehzen, who taught her languages, arithmetic, drawing and music. Her widowed mother was lonely and depended utterly on John Conroy – a servant of her former husband who was bent on power. As plump as a partridge Baby Victoria described by Baron Stockmar, doctor to her German uncle Prince Leopold 1820-1837 Mary Evans An engraved portrait showing Victoria in 1834. She had a sheltered childhood. After the death of two uncles, the teenage Victoria became heir to her final surviving uncle King William IV. But Victoria's youth was dominated by strict rules known as the 'Kensington System'.

These rules included sharing a room with her mother and having no time alone. The system was designed by John Conroy, who hoped to manipulate her to gain further power and influence. When Victoria was 13 she was taken on a tour of the Midlands so that Conroy and her mother could show her off to the public. The princess found it exhausting and became increasingly stubborn. She started writing a diary. The men, women, children, country and houses are all black... I just now see an extraordinary building flaming with fire. Victoria's first journal entry, a train near Birmingham, 2 August 1832 20 June 1837 Victoria becomes Queen Victoria is welcomed into the City of London for the first time as Queen. Victoria succeeded her uncle William IV, just weeks after her 18th birthday. Her first request was an hour alone, something denied to her until then. Victoria moved to Buckingham Palace making it her official royal residence in London. She began exerting her will by exiling her mother to live in distant rooms. She also banned John Conroy the courtier who made her childhood miserable – from her state apartments.

The young Queen was charmed by her first prime minister, Lord Melbourne, who was both fatherly and admiring. She became the richest woman in the world after Parliament granted her an annuity of £385,000. Lord Conyngham then acquainted me that my poor Uncle, the King, was no more… and consequently that I am Queen. Journal entry, 20 June 1837 28 June 1838 He was so kind, so affectionate; oh! to feel I was, and am, loved by such an Angel as Albert, was too great delight to describe! Journal entry, 15 October 1839 10 June 1840 Victoria survives an assassination attempt A lithograph depicting the first assassination attempt on Victoria. The Queen – who often rode in an open carriage – was the target of eight attempts to kill or assault her during her lifetime. In the first attempt a teenager called Edward Oxford fired at her as she was out driving with Albert near Buckingham Palace. The gunman was seized by onlookers. The Queen was shaken but managed to smile at crowds on her return trip through Hyde Park.

Oxford was later found to be of ‘unsound mind’ and sent to Bedlam (the state criminal lunatic asylum). He was released in 1867 and deported to Australia. All of the Queen’s assailants worked alone and were judged to have mental health conditions. I saw him aim at me with another pistol. I ducked my head, & another shot, equally loud instantly followed. Journal entry, 10 June 1840 21 November, 1840 We scrambled up to the highest peak, & here we sat down & had our luncheon. The view is truly magnificent, such endless ranges of hills. Journal entry, 24 August 1849 3 February, 1852 A new parliamentary tradition The Irish State Coach has been used for the State Opening of Parliament since 1852. The Queen began new royal traditions when she attended the first State Opening of Parliament in the new Palace of Westminster. The original building had been demolished by fire in 1834. The Queen arrived in the Irish State Coach, which had been built the year before and processed through Parliament before making her speech.

The protocols and traditions established then have been followed by every British monarch since. We drove in under the new covered entrance, which is magnificent & had a beautiful effect... Got through the reading of my speech well. Journal entry, 3 February 1842 7 September 1858 Victoria and Albert redefine what it means to be Queen Getty The royal procession on its way to open the new town hall in Leeds. The Illustrated London News. Victoria, with the assistance of Albert, created a newly visible constitutional monarchy to stem a growing republican movement in Britain. Victoria became patron of 150 institutions, including dozens of charities, while Albert supported the development of educational museums. The couple went on civic visits to industrial towns such as Leeds, and attended military reviews to support the armed forces. Together they helped stem criticism that the Royal Family didn't earn its keep. Nothing could have been more enthusiastic than the reception we met with, or better than the way the people behaved. Journal entry, Leeds, 7 September 1858 29 January, 1856 The Victoria Cross The Illustrated London News reveals the first recipients of the VC.

The Victoria Cross was introduced by Queen Victoria to honour acts of great bravery during the Crimean War. It was awarded on merit instead of rank. The Crimean War was fought by an alliance of countries including Britain against Russia. The Queen was suspected of secretly supporting the Russian Tsar. However, she allayed suspicions by taking an interest in the nursing of wounded soldiers. She also awarded the first Victoria Crosses personally to 62 men at a ceremony at Hyde Park in 1857. It was the first time officers and men had been decorated together. After riding down the Line the ceremony of giving medals, began... with blue ribbons for the Navy, & red, for the Army. Journal entry, 26 June 1857 1860 Royal photographs sold to the public You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. How Victoria and Albert became celebrities. The World's Most Photographed: Queen Victoria (BBC Two, 2014). A set of 14 photos, known as Carte de Visites, was created of the Royal Family. More than 60,000 copies were sold, despite having a hefty price tag of four pounds and four shillings.

It marked the beginning of photographic celebrity culture. Women tried to replicate Victoria's fashions while some men copied Albert's hairstyle and moustache. The death of Albert You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Exploring the close relationship of Queen Victoria and John Brown. The World's Most Photographed: Queen Victoria, BBC Two, 2014 Prince Albert died at the age of 42. The Queen was inconsolable with grief and wore mourning for the rest of her life. Victoria withdrew from public life after Albert's death, but kept up with her correspondence and continued to give audiences to ministers and official visitors. She decreed that monuments to honour Albert should be built across the country and Empire – including the Albert Memorial. She became very close to John Brown, a servant at Balmoral Castle, even though her children resented him. Victoria was called ‘Mrs Brown’ in the press but despite this she refused to give up her friendship. Have been unable to write my Journal since the day my beloved one left us, & with what a heavy broken heart I enter on a new year without him!

Journal entry, 1 January 1862 February 1871 Victoria returns to the public eye Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015 The Queen rides with her son to a thanksgiving service after he recovers from typhoid. The Queen was frantic with worry after her son and heir Edward fell ill with typhoid. It came a year after the founding of the French Third Republic, which had provoked anti-monarchist feeling in Britain. When Edward recovered, the Queen used a carefully orchestrated event to boost royal support. She gave a public thanksgiving service and appeared to crowds on the Buckingham Palace balcony. It marked the queen's gradual return to public life. I went upstairs & stepped out on the Balcony with Beatrice & my 3 sons, being loudly cheered. Journal entry, 27 February 1871 2 January, 1877 The Queen who became an Empress Punch Magazine, Getty My thoughts much to taken up with the great event at Delhi today, & in India generally, where I am being proclaimed Empress of India.

Journal entry, 1 January 1877 June 1887 A new favourite from India You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Victoria and her 'munshi'. Queen Victoria's Letters: A Monarch Unveiled (BBC Four, 2014). The Queen received Indian servants to mark her Golden Jubilee year. She promoted one, Abdul Karim, to become her personal teacher or ‘Munshi’. Karim instructed Victoria in Urdu and Indian affairs and introduced her to curry. He was just 24 but Victoria was fascinated by India, the country she ruled but would never visit. Politicians and members of the royal household resented his position but despite this, Victoria gave him honours and lands in India and took him with her on visits to the French Riviera. To-day is the day on which I have reigned longer, by a day, than any English Sovereign & the people wished to make all sorts of demonstrations. Journal entry, 23 September 1896 20 June, 1887 The Golden Jubilee defines 'brand Victoria' The Queen as she appeared in 1837 and 1887, from a colour supplement.

Victoria's Jubilee bolstered her reputation. Her face was emblazoned on products from mugs to jars of mustard to mark the occasion. The Jubilee celebrations focussed on the Queen but also affirmed Britain's place as a global power. Soldiers from the British Empire marched in processions through London. Victoria held a feast, attended by 50 foreign kings and princes, along with the governing heads of Britain's overseas colonies and dominions. 50 years today since I came to the throne. God has mercifully sustained me through many great trials & sorrows. Journal entry, 20 June 1887 22 June 1897 The Diamond Jubilee celebrates Empire You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. The first moving footage of Queen Victoria in 1896. The World's Most Photographed: Queen Victoria (BBC Two, 2014) (silent footage). A day of global celebrations was planned for Victoria. The elderly Queen presided over a number of events though her mobility was limited. Victoria embraced technology by sending a telegram thanking her subjects across the empire. She attended a procession to St Paul's Cathedral.

Street parties were held across Britain, while Sydney Harbour in Australia was lit up with illuminations. In India, 19,000 prisoners were granted a pardon. I started a message which was telegraphed throughout the whole Empire… ‘From my heart I thank my beloved people, May God bless them!’ Journal entry, 22 June 1897 22 January 1901 The end of the Victorian age Getty Victoria's funeral procession leaves Windsor Castle. Victoria died after weeks of ill health. Her son and heir Edward VII and her grandson Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany were at her deathbed. The Queen ruled over an Empire that covered a quarter of the globe with 400 million subjects, but she never forgot the men who supported her. She requested that Albert's dressing gown and a plaster cast of his hand be placed in her coffin. She also asked for a lock of John Brown's hair and his picture to be put in her hand. Lastly she left orders that Abdul Karim be among the principal mourners at her funeral. She was an indomitable monarch who, even at the end, was adept at getting her own way.

empire | Making Britain Making Britain Discover how South Asians shaped the nation, 1870-1950 01 Jan 1877 About: In 1877, Benjamin Disraeli, Conservative Prime Minister, had Queen Victoria proclaimed as Empress of India. India was already under crown control after 1858, but this title was a gesture to link the monarchy with the empire further and bind India more closely to Britain. The Royal Titles Bill was brought before Parliament in 1876. It faced opposition from Liberals who feared that the title was synonymous with absolutism. Queen Victoria opened Parliament in person, the first time since the death of Prince Albert, to announce the change in royal title. Celebrations were held in Delhi, in what is known as the Delhi Durbar, on 1 January 1877, led by the Viceroy, Lord Lytton.

People involved: Secondary works: Cannadine, David, Ornamentalism: How the British saw their Empire (London: Penguin, 2001) Cohn, Bernard S., 'Representing Authority in Victorian India', in Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger (eds) The Invention of Tradition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992) Metcalf, Thomas R., Ideologies of the Raj (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998) Strachey, Lytton, Queen Victoria (London: Chatto & Windus, 1921) Archive source: Benjamin Disraeli Letters, Brandeis University Library, Massachusetts Mss Eur E218, Lytton Papers, Asian and African Studies Reading Room, British Library, St Pancras Tags for Making Britain: London About: The Imperial Conference of 1926 was the sixth in a series of increasingly formal meetings of the Prime Ministers of the Dominions of the British Empire, which usually took place in London. The 1926 Conference met shortly after the League of Nations’ General Assembly in 1926.

The most influential conclusion made at the 1926 Imperial Conference was the Balfour Formula or Balfour Declaration (this should not be confused with the 1917 Balfour Declaration which declared British support for the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine). Arthur Balfour, who had been Prime Minister from 1902-5, and Foreign Secretary from 1916-19, was in 1926 Lord President of the Council, and thus responsible for presiding over meetings of the Privy Council. At the Imperial Conference Balfour chaired the Inter-Imperial Relations Committee, who were appointed on the 25 October 1926 'to investigate all the questions on the Agenda affecting Inter-Imperial Relations.' This Committee was comprised of Prime Ministers and Heads of Delegations. The central conclusion that the Inter-Imperial Relations Committee drew was that the Dominions were, 'autonomous Communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate to one another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations'.

The statement was ratified by the Conference on 19 November 1926. Notably, this was not a constitution for the British empire, for which some, including Jan Smuts of South Africa, had campaigned. Furthermore, while the report called for an equality of status of the Dominions, it did not suggest that their functions were anything but different. A tension existed between the self-governing Dominions of the British Commonwealth, whose status was addressed at the Imperial Conference, and the non-self-governing elements of the British empire. The unique status of India in terms of self-determination and continuing inclusion in the British empire in some ways set it apart from the Dominions discussed at the Conference. The Maharaja of Burdwan, the representative for India, gave a lengthy opening speech which addressed India’s loyalty to the British empire and her recent economic developments. The discussions were relevant, however, in terms of the continuing evolution of the British empire and Commonwealth. The Formula was enshrined in law only in 1931, under The Statute of Westminster.

Organizer: Leopold Amery, First Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs People involved: Arthur Balfour, Earl of Birkenhead (Secretary of State for India and Head of the Indian Delegation) [Frederick Edwin Smith], Maharaja of Burdwan (representative for India), The Maharaj Kumar of Burdwan (Private Secretary to the Maharaja of Burdwan), Earl Winterton, MP (Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for India) [Edward Turnour] Reviews: The Sunday Observer, The Times and The Sunday Times, The Manchester Guardian, and The Daily Telegraph, compiled in The Imperial Conference, 1926: Report of the Inter-Imperial Relations Committee on Dominions’ Status… together with newspaper editorials, etc. (Wigan, 1926) The Times, 22 May 1926 Secondary works: Young, Kenneth, Arthur James Balfour: The happy life of the politician, Prime Minister, statesman and philosopher, 1848-1930 (London: G.

Bell & Sons, 1963) Amery, Leopold, My Political Life (London: Hutchinson, 1953) Marshall, Peter, 'Shaping the New Commonwealth, 1949', The Round Table 350 (1999), pp. 185-197 Marshall, Peter, 'The Balfour Formula and the Evolution of the Commonwealth', The Round Table 90.361 (2001), pp. 541-553 Example: Imperial Conference, 1926. Inter-Imperial Relations Committee Report, appendices, p.28 Content: The Maharaja of Burdwan's speech Extract: Position of India: …The basis of our presence here today is special because India herself occupies a special, and, indeed, unique position in the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Though her status in many respects is different from that of a Dominion, she looks forward to the progressive realisation of responsible Government as an integral part of the Empire and has already reached a stage of individual development, as an important part of that Empire, through which alone it has been possible for her to be admitted to your counsels and also to take a place, side by side with the Dominions, as a Member of the League of Nations. Archive source: B.P.13/38 (13), Report, Balfour Papers, Miscellaneous Reports, 1892-1926, British Library, St Pancras Tags for Making Britain: Westminster Abbey, London; celebrations in India, most particularly in Delhi during the Delhi Durbar, 1902-3. About: Edward VII was crowned in August 1902, some months after the death of his mother Queen Victoria, and about two weeks after he had suffered from appendicitis, which was, unusually for the era, operated upon successfully. He assumed the title, among others, of Emperor of India.

The death of Victoria had been ‘profoundly mourned’ in India and was marked by the building of the Victoria Memorial Hall in Calcutta (Gilmour, p. 234). Edward had visited India as Prince of Wales from November 1875 to March 1876, including a brief trip to Ceylon (Sri Lanka). He had been welcomed warmly, and ‘succeeded in winning the affection of the common people of India, as well as the respect and admiration of India’s princes and nobles’ (Magnus, p. 183). Indian princes who attended the coronation in London included the Maharaja of Jaipur and the Maharaja of Bikanir, both of whom visited the Viceroy Curzon’s ancestral home Kedleston during their time in England. Receptions for Indian princes were overseen by Sir William Curzon Wyllie (no relation to the Viceroy), the political aide-de-camp to the Secretary of State for India.

The celebrations in India, known as the Delhi Durbar or the Imperial Durbar, took place from 29 December 1902 to 10 January 1903, and were attended by the Duke of Connaught, King Edward’s brother. The programme of events lasted a fortnight and were on a scale never before attempted. The Viceroy’s own camp included nearly 3,000 people, and accommodation for the whole event was provided for about 150,000 attendees. On 29 December the Curzons and Connaughts arrived in Delhi by train. They then took part in a state procession through the centre of Delhi and out to the Durbar site by elephant. On New Year’s Day the main ceremony took place, attended by over 300 veterans of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, most of them Indians who had fought on the British side. The Central Camp of the Durbar was about one mile from monument to the Rebellion. For more details see Official Directory (listed below).

Celebrations took place in other Indian towns; for an example see Poems regarding Coronation of His Majesty Edward VII Emperor of India, at Narsipatam Durbar Meeting on 1st January 1903 (listed below). People involved: Sir Shahu Chhatrapati (Maharaja of Kolhapur), Sir Narayan Bhup Bahadur (Maharaja of Cooch Behar) and Sunity Devee (Maharani of Cooch Behar), Sir Madho Rao Sindhia (Maharaja of Gawlior), Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah (the Aga Khan), Frederick Duleep Singh , Sophia Duleep Singh , Sir Ganga Singh (Maharaja of Bikaner), Sir Madho Singh (Maharaja of Jaipur), Sir Pertab Singh (Maharaja of Idar), Sir William Curzon Wyllie .

Published works: The Coronation Durbar Delhi 1903 - Official Directory (with Maps) (Camp Delhi: Foreign Office Press, 1902) Barjorji, Rustam, The Nazarânâ, or, Indian’s offering to her King-Emperor on his coronation (Bombay: D. B.

Taraporevala Sons & Co., 1902) A Collection of Proclamations, Programmes, Tickets and Other Material connected with the Delhi Durbar, 1903, formed by Perceval Landon (Folio, 1902-3) Bodley, John Edward Courtenay, The Coronation of Edward the Seventh: A Chapter of European and Imperial History (London: Methuen & Co., 1903) Wheeler, Stephen, History of the Delhi Coronation Durbar, held on the first of January 1903 to celebrate the coronation of His Majesty King Edward VII, Emperor of India, compiled from official papers by order of the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, with portraits and illustrations (London: John Murray, 1904) Saheb, Mohommed Yacob, Poems regarding Coronation of His Majesty Edward VII Emperor of India, at Narsipatam Durbar Meeting on 1st January 1903 (Vizagapatam: S. S. M.

Press, 1907) Reviews: Secondary works: Gilmour, David, Curzon (London: John Murray, 1994) Gilmour, David, ‘Curzon, George Nathaniel, Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (1859-1925)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2009) [ Hibbert, Christoper, Edward VII: The Last Victorian King (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007) Magnus, Philip, King Edward the Seventh (London: Penguin Books, 1964) Example: Bodley, John Edward Courtenay, The Coronation of Edward the Seventh: A Chapter of European and Imperial History (London: Methuen & Co., 1903), p. 227 Content: On the Indian Army’s involvement in the coronation in London and the public’s response. Extract: The Orientals who attracted most attention wearing the King’s uniform were not those from the Levant or the China Sea.

The parks, in and around London, had been turned into camps for the soldiers of the British Empire chosen to take part in the military pageants of the Coronation, and one of them was peopled with an imposing contingent of the native troops of the Indian army. That force, two hundred thousand strong, is recruited in every region of the great peninsula, from Kashmir to Cape Comorin, and from the Afghan hills to the delta of Godavery. To hail the Emperor of India it had sent to England representatives of a vast array of races and of castes. There were Tamils from Southern India, Telugus from the East Coast, Mahrattas from the Deccan, Bhramins, Jats and Rajputs from Oudh and Rajputana, Gurkhas from Nepal, Sikhs from the Pubjab, Afridies and other Pathans from the wild borderland across the Indus, Hazaras from Afghanistan and Mussulmans of diverse origin and locality. The crowds admired the dark turbaned warriers in the brilliant attire of Lancers or Guides, and felt a pride in knowing that they formed part of the King’s Army.

Archive source: Letters, journals, and other papers, Royal Archives, Windsor Castle, Windsor Newspapers from Britain and South Asia, British Library Newspapers, Colindale, London National Archives of India, New Delhi Tags for Making Britain: London and other cities in the British empire About: Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee of 1887 marked a limited return to public view following her near total isolation after her husband’s death in 1861. South Asians played a prominent role in the celebrations. The Queen had assumed the title ‘Empress of India’ following a controversial ‘Royal Titles Bill’ in 1876; her son the Prince of Wales had visited India that same year, bringing back his mother’s Leaves from Balmoral translated into Hindustani. Shortly afterwards, the Queen began to sign correspondence 'V. R. & I.’ – Victoria Regina et Imperatrix. On 21 June the Queen, wearing the Orders of the Garter and the Star of India, was led to Westminster Abbey by an escort of Indian cavalry, under the command of Captain Charles W. Muir, Commandant of the Governor-General’s Bodyguard since 1885.

Each member of the escort was later presented with a Jubilee medal by the Queen in a ceremony at Windsor Castle. Indian princes in attendance that day included: the Maharaja of Cooch Behar with his wife (significantly seen out of purdah; the state was known for its emancipated outlook); the Maharao of Kutch (aged 21 and accompanied by his brother); the Maharaja of Holkar of Indore; the Thakor of Gondal (who had studied medicine at Edinburgh and been one of the first Indian princes to receive the honour KCOBE); the Thakor of Limbdi; and the Maharaja of Morvi (who made a gift of an Arab stallion with gold and silver trappings). There were also representatives from states whose rulers did not attend, including Hyderabad, Alwar, Jodpure, Bhurtapore and Kapurthala. They attended the ceremony in Westminster Abbey as well as the dinner at Buckingham Palace that night. On 23 June, the Queen received two new Indian servants: Mahomet and Abdul Karim . Karim's influence over the Queen was to raise him from waiting servant to personal teacher.

As munshi, Karim later taught Victoria Hindustani, and was subject of immense controversy both within the royal household and among members of the Government. On 29 June at the Buckingham Palace Garden Party the royal tent was attended by members of the Indian escort including Subadar Sheik Imdad Ali, a senior officer of the Viceroy’s bodyguard, and Risaldar Major Nural Hussan of the 6th Prince of Wales Bengal Cavalry. Towards the end of July, the Indian princes who had attended the Jubilee were given a lavish farewell at Osborne, on the Isle of Wight. Organizer: Royal Family, British Government. People involved: Maharaja of Cooch Behar, Sunity Devee (Maharani of Cooch Behar), Thakor of Gondal, Abdul Karim , Maharao of Kutch, Thakor of Limbdi, Maharaja of Morvi.

Published works: Bratt, Thomas, In Commemoration of Her Majesty’s Jubilee, 1887 (Cullwick Bros: Wolverhampton, 1890) Church of England, A Form of Thanksgiving and Prayer to Almighty God, Upon the Completion of Ffty Years of Her Majesty’s Reign: To be used on Tuesday, the 21st day of June next, in all churches and chapels in England and Wales, and in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed (Cheltenham: C. Westley, 1887) Hail to the Queen!: Verses Written on the Occasion of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee 1887, compiled and introduced by Brian Louis Pearce, (Magwood, 1987) Reviews: Times of India, June 1887 See contemporary newspapers Secondary works: Buckle, George Earle (ed.), The Letters of Queen Victoria.

A Selection from Her Majesty’s Correspondence and Journal between the Years 1886 and 1901, 3 vols, (London: John Murray, 1930-2) Chapman, Caroline and Raban, Paul (eds), Debrett’s Queen Victoria’s Jubilees 1887 and 1897, foreword by H. B. Brooks-Baker (London: Debrett’s Peerage Ltd, 1977) Fabb, John, Victoria’s Golden Jubilee (London: Seaby, 1987) Hibbert, Christopher, Queen Victoria: A Personal History (London: HarperCollins, 2000) Longford, Elizabeth, Queen Victoria (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1964) King, Greg, Twilight of Splendour: The Court of Queen Victoria during Her Diamond Jubilee Year (New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007) Ponsonby, Sir Frederick, Recollections of Three Reigns (New York: E. P.

Dutton, 1952) Visram, Rozina, Asians in Britain: 400 Years of History (London: Pluto Press, 2002) Example: Longford, Elizabeth, Queen Victoria (London: The Folio Society, 2007), p. 477 Content: Messages of goodwill from India. Extract: All over the empire prisoners were released in her honour. A grateful ex-convict from Agra sent her a vast acrostic in Hindustani and English of which this was one verse: Her Majesty’s name is Victoria, Good God! The Indian word for Victoria is Fath And it happens that my district is called Fathpur. This coincidence is marvellously auspicious. Countless telegrams from the east had to be read: ‘Empress of Hindoostan, Head of all Kings and Rulers, and King of all Kings, who is one in a Hundred, is Her Majesty Queen Victoria.’ At Mithi in Sind the authorities celebrated by opening ‘The Queen Victoria Jubilee Burial and Burning Ground'. From Madras a poem in Sanskrit welcomed railways and steamers as ‘celestial steamers’ from the queen-empress.

Letters, journals, and other papers, Royal Archives, Windsor Castle, Windsor Newspapers from Britain and South Asia, British Library Newspapers, Colindale, London National Archives of India, New Delhi Tags for Making Britain: London and other cities in the British empire About: Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee of 1897 was both a more restrained and a far grander celebration of her reign than the Golden Jubilee of the previous decade. The Queen’s own involvement was greatly diminished on account of her increasing frailty. As an example of alterations in ceremony, the thanksgiving service took place not in Westminster Cathedral, but in the open outside St Paul’s Cathedral, so that the Queen could remain in her carriage. The scope of the celebrations, however, expanded considerably for the Diamond Jubilee, with a celebration of empire becoming arguably the central theme: ‘unlike the Golden Jubilee, which had placed Victoria and her family at the centre of the festivities, the Diamond Jubilee would focus almost exclusively on a celebration of the British Empire’ (King, p. 19). Joseph Chamberlain is generally credited for this shift in focus.

Before leaving Buckingham Palace on 22 June, the Queen issued a telegraph throughout the empire, saying ‘From my heart I thank my beloved people. May God bless them!’ Invitations had been issued to all the Indian princes, but many were forced to remain at home to deal with the aftermath of the devastating famine of 1896-7. Many Indian troops, however, participated in the processions through London, including Bengal lancers, officers of the Indian Imperial Service Troops in kirtas with gold sashes, and Sikhs marching alongside Canadians. The Daily Mail wrote: ‘Up they came, more and more, new types, new realms at every couple of yards, an anthropological museum – a living gazetteer of the British Empire’ (23 June 1897). Upon her return to Windsor on 23 June, the Queen was met by four young Indian students from Eton College: ‘sons of the Maharajahs of Kuch, Behar, the Minister of Hydrebad, and the Prince of Gondal’ (King, p. 268). On 2 July the Queen surveyed the colonial troops at Windsor.

A court circular erroneously claimed she had addressed the Indians in Hindustani, which was allowed to pass by the Queen who said ‘I could have done so had I wished’ (Ponsonby, pp. 62-3; quoted in King, p. 269). Celebrations were also held throughout India. Typically, responses focused on the unifying effect of Queen Victoria, and presented her in a maternal light. Organizer: Joseph Chamberlain (Colonial Secretary), community leaders throughout Britain and India. Published works: Bharucha, A. M. and Thakore, D. P., The Diamond Jubilee at Surat and a Short Early Life of Her Majesty the Queen (Surat, The Mutual Improvement Society: Surat Khodabux Press, 1897) Joshi, P. B., Victoria Mahotsava, or Verses in Commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty’s Reign (Bombay: Tatva-Vivechaka Press, 1897) Royal Diamond Jubilee Commemoration Programme: Colombo, Sri Lanka. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Collection.

The Victorian Diamond Jubilee: Hindu Technical Institute, Punjab Inaugural Address on the Commercial and Industrial Development of India, 21st June, 1897 (Lahore: Tribune Press, 1897) Reviews: Daily Mail, 23 June 1897, and other contemporary newspapers Secondary works: Buckle, George Earle (ed.), The Letters of Queen Victoria. A Selection from Her Majesty’s Correspondence and Journal between the Years 1886 and 1901, 3 vols (London: John Murray, 1930-2) Chapman, Caroline and Raban, Paul (eds), Debrett’s Queen Victoria’s Jubilees 1887 and 1897, foreword by H. B.

Brooks-Baker (London: Debrett’s Peerage Ltd, 1977) Hibbert, Christopher, Queen Victoria: A Personal History (London: HarperCollins, 2000) King, Greg, Twilight of Splendour: The Court of Queen Victoria during Her Diamond Jubilee Year (New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007) Longford, Elizabeth, Queen Victoria (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1964) Ponsonby, Sir Frederick, Recollections of Three Reigns (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1952) Visram, Rozina, Asians in Britain: 400 years of history (London: Pluto Press, 2002) Archive source: Letters, journals, and other papers, Royal Archives, Windsor Castle, Windsor Newspapers from Britain and South Asia, British Library Newspapers, Colindale, London National Archives of India, New Delhi Tags for Making Britain:

Question: Queen Victoria assumed which title on 1st January 1877?
Answer: Empress of India