Queen Victoria ascended the British throne in 1837.
Victoria became queen on 20 June 1837, when her uncle, King William IV, died at Windsor Castle. She was 18 years old, so Britain did not need a regency. Her accession followed a succession crisis shaped by the deaths of several older heirs and left her as the heir to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She inherited the throne as a member of the House of Hanover, but Britain’s succession laws meant that her uncle, Ernest Augustus, became king of Hanover instead. Victoria’s coronation took place later, on 28 June 1838, which is a common source of confusion: accession and coronation were separate events.
Her reign lasted more than 63 years, ending with her death in 1901. That long period became known as the Victorian era, associated with industrial expansion, imperial growth, scientific change and major political reform. In 1876, she also became Empress of India.