I have heard that Queen Victoria was an abusive mother, what if Queen Victoria was not mentally sick and was a good mother and married a husband who loves her for who she is how would this effect history.
What if Queen Victoria was a good mother
- Thread starter kasumigenx
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There were articles regarding how abusive Victoria was..I am just wondering what would happen if Queen Victoria was more loving and was mentally healthy as well..
I've heard stories about how Victoria regarded babies are ugly and how she regard it as unfortunate to frequently have children,since it's painful.I have also heard that she's jealous over her own children due to the amount of attention spent by her husband on them.
There was a BBC documentary on Queen Victoria's motherhood antics. The first episode was her reaction to motherhood in general, the second episode, entitled "A Domestic Tyrant" centred on her daughters, while the third "Princes Will Be Princes" focused on the boys.
One of the things I can remember them talking about was Princess Helena/Louise going to visit the first woman doctor in England (or somesuch), and before her Royal Highness left, she begged the woman to not say anything about it, for the queen would be terribly upset were she to find out that Helena/Louise had been to see her.
Another thing was apparently when the duke of Albany was a child, he was caught in a lie. Victoria beat him severely for it. When her mother tried to intervene, saying: "Stop, can you not hear how he's crying?", Victoria told her mother to f**k-off (I'm paraphrasing), and said: "Mother, after you've had eight children you don't hear it [the crying] anymore."
One of the things I can remember them talking about was Princess Helena/Louise going to visit the first woman doctor in England (or somesuch), and before her Royal Highness left, she begged the woman to not say anything about it, for the queen would be terribly upset were she to find out that Helena/Louise had been to see her.
Another thing was apparently when the duke of Albany was a child, he was caught in a lie. Victoria beat him severely for it. When her mother tried to intervene, saying: "Stop, can you not hear how he's crying?", Victoria told her mother to f**k-off (I'm paraphrasing), and said: "Mother, after you've had eight children you don't hear it [the crying] anymore."
Penny for The Guy
Banned
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A kinder, gentler Victoria and no WW1?
Age of Empires up to the 23rd Century. Hurrah!
It's an interesting point, that. I saw the British documentary about Queen Victoria's children as well. She seems to have been blithely indiscreet in her admissions and admonitions to her children; letters to the Princess Royal frequently and offhandedly mention how troublesome, annoying, ungrateful little brats children are. So although she had very strong relationships with most of her children, she was the master of backhanded, bitchy comments basically. Kind of the ultimate stage parent
Combine this with her and Albert especially pushing their children towards social and academic perfection, and it seems her emotionally distant and unsympathetic parenting style rubbed off on the Princess Victoria. Many biographers of the Kaiser single her out as a stern, unloving influence in his early life: she made him ride horses even though it was hard with his damaged arm, because she was apparently obsessed with her boy being 'perfect' and not a cripple. One biographer said that when the Kaiser was about 5 he wrote a loving letter in English to his mother, and she simply sent it back marked up with his mistakes - no hint of affection at all.
Obviously that was kind of the way it was back then, and poor Vicky felt pressured to succeed in Germany since everyone more or less hated her. But the Queen's mothering did little to help her daughter adapt to a more progressive form of parenting, and his pathological love/hate relationship with his mother (and the nation she symbolised) stems largely from the creaky foundations laid at childhood by his mother.
Interesting thought, might she have been told that breast feeding had a partial contrceptive effect. That might have made a real difference.
Based on what I've read in this thread, it really doesn't seem like Victoria's treatment of her children as any worse or better than any other upper class woman in the mid-late 19th century. Corporal punishment and even beatings were standard in all classes. Children were commonly not raised by their parents but by tutors, guardians, and governesses. What upper class (royal) couple didn't expect and demand perfection and social acceptability from their children? Children were often not objects of love and indulgence, but simply insurance policies to ensure the family line continued and married well.
Victoria's parenting should not be judged by todays standards, nor do I believe it had a significant impact on history.
Victoria's parenting should not be judged by todays standards, nor do I believe it had a significant impact on history.