Class notes
History of Britain (Full Course Notes)
- Course
- British Power (HIS349)
- Institution
- University Of Toronto (U Of T )
History of Britain (Full Course Notes)
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Week 2 Wig tradition of Monarchy (how democracy and monarch change with time and which has power at
the time and the trend)
Constitutional Monarchy
o Royal "prerogatives" (powers) by 1780:
To Advise and to Warn
To Call an Election
To Appoint members to the House of Lords
To make patronage appointments, especially "sinecures" (jobs with pay but no work),
pensions, government contracts, leases of Crown lands
o Powers, especially #4, begin to decrease due to two factors:
i. The Madness of George III
ii. The Queen Caroline Divorce 1820
George III: Inept or Farmer George (Reigned 1760 – 1820)
o Reigned during the American Revolution (Let America get away)
o He was very plain person
o George the III thought it was a good idea to let America go to but still keep trade without the
expense of the colony
o 1788 Mental illness came about, foaming of the mouth, aggression, spoke a lot, doctors didn't
know what to do (Experimentation was used to try to make him better)
He may have had a disease of the blood, Alzheimer's or Bipolar
Remission for 13 years – had no symptoms but he was shaking hands with tree branches
thinking it was actual people
Looked to Sons to rule but they were all scandalous individuals
George the IIII: He was an extravagant spender
o Built a home (Royal Pavillion) Because he felt like it – he would throw parties there (his weekend
home)
o James Gillray's "A Voluptuary under the influence of Digestion" shows the depiction of the
expensive taste
o Affairs plus illegal marriage:
Marriage was illegal (to Maria Fitzherbert) because Without King's Approval under Royal
Marriages Act 1772
May not marry a Roman Catholic under Act of Settlement 1701
No marrying Catholics because they thought the Catholics were going take over England
George married Caroline of Brunswick 1795 "Pray get me a glass of brand" -George drank
for 3 days – their child dies in child birth
o Pains and Penalties Bill 1820 (year George became King) - he wanted to get a divorce to
Caroline
o The Divorce Scandal 1820: Queen Caroline accused of Adultery (see's the fact that the royals are
messy) (trial of Queen Caroline – painting)
o Public Saw Caroline as a victim; started to boo him while he went on carriage rides
American revolution and French Revolution
o Under George III America forges the War of Independence against Britain
o 13 colonies sign the Declaration of Independence
o Franch sees the states and does the same
o Britain wanted to keep monarchy without drama
Napoleonic War
o War with France was expensive
Limitations to Royal Prerogative
, o Burke's Act 1782 and amendments up to 1830 reduce sinecures and royal influence by
Each government department must have a budget that is published
All pensions must be published
All gov't contracts must be open to competitive bidding
All loans or leases of crown lands must be published
*circumstance*
o Would this happened given that George III and IIII had personal drama that affected Britian
spending?
Remaining Royal Prerogatives
o Political functions: to dissolve parliament, to advise, to appoint to House of Lords
o Symbolic function: represents the nation
o (King William)
King William and Queen Victoria becomes Queen 1837 (First royals to be photographs)
o They marketed themselves as a family, wholesome that is like everyone else
o We will represent you well and your values as a family
Week 3
PM Lord Melbourne (Whig Party)
o sexual relationship with Victoria
o Working Class Protests is happening at this time in the street
o 1830's was a time for poverty
Bedchamber Incident 1839
o She would except the Tory Prime Minister but she wanted to keep the women in the
bedchamber
o Tory prime minister didn’t want to take office under this circumstance
1839 Visit of Ernest and Albert of Saxe-Coburg Gotha
o She fell in love with Albert and she proposed to him because she was queen (couldn’t be
proposed to)
o He was more educated than she was (arts, music politics)
o Everyone liked a big romantic story in the press – distracted from the Bedchamber incident
o Didn’t want Albert as King – in 1857 he is Prince Consort (Britain didn’t want to give him a title)
Albertine Monarchy? Was Albert too politically influential?
o He had the meeting with the prime minister, he read all the documents
o He died in 1861: very young
o What he Believes for the crown
Family look to show that they are represent the people
Eight assassination Attempts (first decade when they were married) - most of the time they
shoot at her, some one hit her over the head with a cane - need to be seen stronger (most
people that tried were mentally I'll)
Political Neutrality and Strong Monarchy – dignified image (dead bird image of them
shooting; country hobby, dogs like everybody)
Marketing the Family on the Throne (photographs started)
Cartes de Visite: Victoria as a supportive wife (would not have known that she was the
queen in these photos)
Victoria as Mother of Nine (Man as the dominant)
Christmas tree was popularized
Monarch as a charitable institution: Albert as Patron of the Arts: Founder of Great Exhibition
of 1851
, Buckingham Palace; purchased by George III; Victoria lived there – she closed it in to make it
a square and added the balcony (1845; Kitchen Ballroom, Balcony)- established as royal
palace and home
Balmoral Castle purchased 1852 – summer home (deer hunting 1858) - Scottish aspect-
showed how much she appreciated the place
"Leaves from the Journal of our Life in the Highlands" published journal by her
Osborne House Built (1845-51) - built italian villa (room is small, bed is small)
Albert Died at 1861 (Typhoid fever)
o Keeps the room in Windsor Castle Blue room exactly the way it was
Victoria as Widow of Windsor: Stage Three 1861-72 Seclusion
o Mourned death, pathological, did not want to be seen, she is not doing her job because she is
not being seen
o John Brown with Queen Victoria; he was a Higland servant, relationship was thinking about good
days with Albert then she wants to be with him all the time
o John Brown; very heavy drinker, spoke to the Queen very casually (woman), shouted Ms. Brown
to her like Melbourne
o Walter: dignified part of government – Monarchy (don’t let light in on the magic) not too much
Service of Thanksgiving 1872 (Typhoid fever)
o Stage 4: 1872-1901 Back in Public Life
o Bad relationship with her older son – he survived (had a church service with her son at her side)
Victoria named Empress of India (PM Disraeli and Royal Titles Act 1877)
Golden Jubilee (50 years as Queen) -1887 (she wore her wedding vail)
Victoria and Abdul Karim (Servant 1887 to her death 1901; taught Urdu)
Marketing the Queen (Grandmother, widow, Diamond Jubilee died in 1901)
Three Developments with Monarchy
o Rise of Ceremony as seem in Service of Thanksgiving, Royal Titles, Diamond Jubilee
o Birth of the family on the Throne as the royal image
o Expansive role for royal family in Chaity
Week 4
Definition of the Industrial Revolution
o A take off in self-sustainable economic growth (1750-1850)
Why did it happen?
o Population explosion
(Theory of Demographic transition – having a lot of children to help the farms, but they are
surviving) medicine is not the answer
Nutrition is not the answer wither
o Agricultural revolution
Consolidating small farms into big farms (process of closure; public land into private land
encourages farms and their development)
o Natural Resources: coal
o Political Advantages: Internal unity and laissez-faire
Free from invasion, political stability and no wars
Low government regulations idea is problematic because these regulations grew
o Religious toleration: having a call by God and doing your job/using your gifts
o Patronage of Scientists: a lot of wealthy people and they want to show off their intelligence of
science by supporting their projects
o Social Mobility: able to move up in class through invention and businessman: Self-made
billionaire and then they could become a part of the aristocracy
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