Queen Victoria

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

The above poem is a mnemonic way to recall all the kings and queens of Great Britain.

This lesson explores the life of one of the people mentioned in the poem: Victoria.

Every nation has a form of government and a way of choosing its leaders. Many governments today use some democracy.

In a democracy, the people who live in a country have a big say in choosing their leaders and deciding when they step down from their positions.

For many centuries, though, one of the most common forms of government was monarchy — rule by a king or queen.

There are still several monarchies in the world today. Some of them, like Saudi Arabia, Swaziland, and Oman, have a vital leadership role for the king. However, most modern-day governments with monarchs have found ways to limit the power of their king or queen.

One such country is the United Kingdom. This government is a constitutional monarchy.

• See the word constitution in constitutional?

A constitution is an agreement about a form of government. In a constitutional monarchy, the king or queen cannot make independent laws, but they support the rest of the government. They also serve as an important national symbol for their people.

Explore a Timeline of the Kings and Queens of England. Be sure to click on the arrow at the bottom of each page to learn more about the eight ruling families.

Pay particular attention to Queen Victoria of the House of Hanoverians.

• Which monarch did you find most interesting?
• Which fact surprised you the most?

Head to the Got It? section to take a closer look at the legendary life of one of these monarchs, Queen Victoria.