Queen Victoria's Empire
At the time of Queen Victoria's birth in 1819, England was an agrarian society. Within a few short decades, this small island nation would be transformed into an industrial superpower, with an empire spanning the globe. This series is both the story of this time, and a portrait of a queen who ruled over a fifth of the world's population. It is the story of influential figures that would shape a distinctively British imperialism: Gladstone, Disraeli, Livingstone, Rhodes and Prince Albert, Victoria's husband. Whether driven by profit, passion or noble deeds, these figures would fuel expansion unequaled in history, forever changing Britain and the lands it controlled. Personal accounts, reenactments and cinematography from former outposts of the Empire, including Africa and India, recount the dramatic clash of personalities and cultures that would drive Victoria's 64-year reign.
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