Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria (24 May 1819 - 22 January 1901) inherited the British throne at age 18 after her father's three elder brothers died without surviving legitimate heirs, reigning as Queen of the United Kingdom from 20 June 1837 until her death, a reign of 63 years and 216 days that was longer than any of her predecessors and gave its name to the Victorian era of industrial, political, scientific and military advancement. Her reign saw the great expansion of the British Empire, and in 1876 she was granted the additional title Empress of India. She married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840, and their nine children married into royal and noble families across Europe, earning her the designation grandmother of Europe; after Albert's death in 1861 she remained in mourning for the rest of her life. She was succeeded by her son, Edward VII.