On 16 March 1861, her mother died, and on 14 December of the same year she suffered her crowning affliction, the death of her husband, a bereavement which altered the whole tenor of her life. For many years she lived in almost uninterrupted seclusion, and only toward the very end of her reign did she return to any thing like the court system of her married life.
The war between Prussia and Denmark caused her keen anxiety, her sympathies on the whole being with Prussia, while the wife of her eldest son was a Danish princess. The death of Palmerston in 1865 raised Lord John (now Earl) Russell to the premiership, and the con sequent rearrangement of portfolios made W. E Gladstone Chancellor of the Exchequer. This in stitution of the Albert Medal in 1866 for bravery in rescuing at sea showed at once her devotion to her husband's memory and her quick human sympathy. The war between Prussia and Aus tria was a severe trial to her, because she had near relatives on both sides, and her satisfac tion at the aggrandizement of Prussia was qualified by regret at other results of the war. Earl Russelrs defeat on the reform bill led to his resignation in 1866, and, a Derby-Disraeli ministry catne into power. Disraeli had her active support in carryinqk refortn bill, which was congenial to her ig principles. On Derby's resignation in 1868 Disraeli became Prime Minister, but his defeat on Gladstone's Irish Church resolution led to a dissolution. The electors g-ave the Liberals a large majority, and in December 1868 Gladstone became Pre mier and inaugurated a succession of reforms which she regarded with some alarm. With Gladstone she was never in sympathy. Recog nizing, however, that Irish disestablishment was inevitable, she used her influence with Arch bishop Tait to secure the passage of the bill through the House of Lords. Cardwell's im portant army refortns were distasteful to her, for she always tried to retain control of the army as a royal prerogative.
The dis.solution of 1874 placed the Conserva tives under Disraeli in power, much to the sat isfaction of the queen; and in 1876 the Royal Titles Bill, conferring upon her the additional title of empress of India, was passed. The passing of this bill may be taken a,s marking the formal beginning of the movement known as Imperialism, with which Queen Victoria was from the first in hearty sympathy. Disraeli was rewarded for his services by being raised to the upper House as Earl of Beaconsfield, and the new regime in India was signalized by the in stitution in 18'77 of the. Orders of the Indian Empire and the Crown of India. Gladstone's
passionate denunciations of Beaconsfield's East ern policy and of his aggressive imperialism in other puts of the world during the years 1876 79 were extremely distasteful to the queen, and his return to power after the overwhelming Liberal tritunph of 1880 was far from welcome to her. She disapproved strongly of the action of her ministers in regard to the Transvaal in 1881, and during die Egyptian and Sudan troubles of 1882-85, which culminated in the unhappy fate of the brave Gordon, she never ceased to urge strong action upon her advisers. The negotiations which led to the passing of the franchise and redistribution acts of 1884 and 1885 were much aided by her influence and tact. Gladstone was defeated in June 188S, and Salis bury came into office; but in the following Jarruary she had to recall Gladstone. She was strongly opposed to the Home Rule policy which Gladstone now adopted, and was greatly re lieved by its defeat in the Commons and at the polls, and by the return of Salisbury to power. (1886).
The completion of the 50th year of Vic toria's reign, in 1887, was celebrated throughout all her dominions with appropriate splendor and rejoicing, and her diamond jubilee in 1897 called forth even more striking demonstrutions of loyalty and respect The general election of 18472 placed Glad stone again in power, and once more the queen' had to face the question of Home Rule, but she was relieved by the rejection of the 1893 bill in the House of Lords. In 1894, Gladstone resigned, and the queen summoned the Earl of Rosebery to the head of the government The Liberal government fell in 1895, and the queen again asked Salisbury to form a ministry. He remained in power during the rest of her reign. On 23 Sept. 1896 her reign exceeded in length that of George III, till then the longest in Eng lish history. When Gladstone died in 1898 she expressed sympathy with his family, but she made no pretense of admiration for his public policy and achievements. The South African War (q.v.), which began in October 1899, caused her much anxiety and pain' and called forth her fortner enthusiasm for the anny and her old sympathy with suffering. She sent boxes of chocolate to the troops at the front at Christmas, 1899, and irt recognition of the bravery of Irish soldiers in the field she con ceded the permission to wear the shamrock in the army on Saint Patrick's Day, and ordered the formation of a regiment of Irish Guards. She visited Ireland in 1900, after an absence of nearly 40 years.