Dear Mother Victoria

Abstract

Motherhood is by many, especially women, one of the greatest experiences in life. The ultimate goal that women, if not all than many, should achieve. Nowadays, we are flooded with help books, websites, guides that lead us through pregnancy and then assist us during the first months of our new born baby. This blessed state seems to be cherished now above all, however, this view was not always the same. Throughout history we can see many women for whom maternity was not meant to be and still they were able to fulfil their life-time goals devoting themselves to other areas of life. For some, maternity was rather a political aspect that would secure the future of the nation. In my article I will focus on the aspect of motherhood through the eyes of Queen Victoria for whom, indeed, maternity was rather an unwelcomed addition to her royal life. I will discuss her own rigid upbringing which can help to understand her later attitude towards her own children. The trend, where there were no proper roles ascribed to parents in terms of their influence on their children, was predominant in the 19th century and based on this we can see how important it was for character creation