Royal Cousins at War: Part 1

I love this part of history as it is so recent to our lives. Also there is photo evidence. I loved learning about the Royal Cousins at War because I did not learn about it while I was at school. I only ever learned about Royal Cousins at War after school. I personally believe that this subject "Royal Cousins at War" should be taught in detail at school. Furthermore I find this subject fascinating as the ramifications still effect us to this very day. This subject matter of Royal Cousins at war is still visible today through the First World War and its horrendous impact.

One also learns about the Victorian age and what it would have been like to live as a Royal; is it what everyone thought in their imagination it would be like ? I personally think that being Royal would be a disappointment, as they have to work on formal occasions. They are also brave, as being at the Top of the tree is not always as secure as they might want to appear.

Queen Victoria was Queen of Great Britain and of the Empire. She became Queen in 1837 and reigned until 1876, and when India became the jewel of the Empire she adopted the title Empress of India. Queen Victoria became known as the 'Grandmother of Europe". She married her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coberg. They had nine children together which she had married off to different houses within Europe. Prince Albert was famous for installing loos in Buckingham Palace and upgrading the sewer system in London. In 1861 Prince Albert died and Victoria mourned his passing. When she died, after 63 years on the the throne, her reign became known as the Victorian era. Her son Edward VII organised a huge state funeral where most of the European Royalty gathered, all like stars in the night sky .

There were many acts and actors in this play to the build up to the First World War. One of the leading figures for me is Princess Dagmar. Marie Feodorovna was born around November 1847 and she was the wife of Alexander III of Russia. I actually admire this women hugely as although she was a pawn in a bigger chess game, she managed to upgraded herself to Queen while still keeping her Danish Identity. Imagine how difficult it is to be a wife of the Tsar of Russia! Talk about having impossible jobs! I think she did the best she could. I am a huge fan of her as she was a strong character and had to quickly learn how to be diplomatic.

Princess Dagmar and her sister Princess Alexandra were married successfully to different Royal thrones. Their sons were King George V of England and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. They became close friends and they had summer holidays together in Denmark. Their mothers were fiercely anti-Prussian, as the Prussians had invaded Denmark and was very aggressive towards it as they formed the new country.

The mothers were very important in the upbringing of these future rulers. I think that the female Royals need to be more closely looked and studied at in History. We tend to focus on the male perceptive . Yet if we historians as a whole saw history through the women's viewpoint we would have a far deeper understanding of history as a whole.

A house divided is a house easy to conquer . The Royal houses became divided even though that was the opposite of what Queen Victoria wanted. Her eldest daughter was Princess Victoria who was sent off to marry the German Kaiser. Vicky's son Wilhem had a very complex and difficult attitude towards his mother. He had a tricky upbringing because he was disabled with a broken arm, which, in the eyes of the German people at the time, was seen as a huge disadvantage. This effected Vicky deeply because as a Victorian wife she felt that she had failed her mission to the Kaiser by not even being able to deliver a healthy baby. This difficult relationship with his English mother would effect his foreign relations with the British Empire.

The Royal cousins at war has always been a interest of mine I love how Queen Victoria organised the network. I also think that Queen Victoria used her family too much and they should have been left to their own devices. Even though I think Queen Victoria only wanted her family to be at the top in Europe in order to use the family to prevent a Great War. Her plans massively backfired and her family were the main cause of the First World War. If I were Queen Victoria, I would be turning in my Grave.