The Victorian Era

The Victorian Era refers to the period of British history spanning the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 to 1901, during which Britain reached the height of its industrial power and global imperial reach, becoming the world's dominant economic and naval power. The period saw rapid industrialization and urbanization, the expansion of the British Empire to cover roughly a quarter of the world's land area, major social reform movements addressing labor conditions, public health and expanding voting rights, and a rigid set of social and moral conventions, particularly around sexuality, gender roles and domestic life, that gave the era its enduring cultural reputation. It was also a period of extraordinary literary and scientific output, including the novels of Charles Dickens and the Bronte sisters and Charles Darwin's 1859 publication of "On the Origin of Species." The era ended with Victoria's death in January 1901.