Edward VII summary

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Edward VII.

Edward VII, orig. Albert Edward, (born Nov. 9, 1841, London, Eng.—died May 6, 1910, London), King of the United Kingdom (1901–10). Son of Queen Victoria, he attended Oxford and Cambridge and in 1863 married Alexandra (1844–1925), daughter of Christian IX. Noted for his interest in racing and yachting and his sometimes scandalous personal behavior, he was excluded by Victoria from most affairs of state until he was over 50 years old. He succeeded to the throne on her death, and his reign helped restore luster to the monarchy after her long seclusion as a widow. An immensely popular sovereign, he helped pave the way for the Entente Cordiale with his state visit to Paris in 1903.

Franz Xaver Winterhalter: portrait of Albert, Prince Consort

Albert, Prince Consort Summary

Albert, Prince Consort was the prince consort of Queen Victoria of Great Britain and father of King Edward VII. Although Albert himself was undeservedly unpopular, the domestic happiness of the royal couple was well known and helped to assure the continuation of the monarchy, which was by no means

Victoria Summary

Victoria queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1837–1901) and empress of India (1876–1901). She was the last of the house of Hanover and gave her name to an era, the Victorian Age. During her reign the British monarchy took on its modern ceremonial character. She and her

emperor Summary

Emperor, title designating the sovereign of an empire, conferred originally on rulers of the ancient Roman Empire and on various later European rulers, though the term is also applied descriptively to some non-European monarchs. In republican Rome (c. 509–27 bce), imperator denoted a victorious

government Summary

Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not