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      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can describe some of Queen Victoria's experiences of being a mother.

      Key learning points

      1. Victoria wrote about her pregnancies in her diaries: she didn't like being pregnant and wrote newborn babies were ugly.
      2. Victoria and Albert's first child, a girl they named Victoria, was born in November 1840.
      3. Victoria and Albert had nine children together; her first son, Albert Edward, became king when Queen Victoria died.
      4. When her 8th and 9th babies were born, Queen Victoria used special new medical invention called chloroform.
      5. Thanks to Victoria, chloroform became quite popular, which helped many other women when they were having babies.

      Keywords

      • Diaries - when people write about their life they sometimes write in books called diaries

      • Pregnant - when a woman is pregnant she is going to give birth to a baby

      • Chloroform - chloroform was used in Victorian England to reduce pain

      Common misconception

      That inventions are always things like machines, robots, computers and so on.

      Inventions come from ideas, and people can have ideas about so many different situations in life. The invention here for example is a type of pain relief for childbirth, a medical invention.

      Teacher tip

      You may have pupils in class that have recent experience of a new younger sibling being born in their family. Ask them to share their experiences by talking about them with other pupils.

      Content guidance

      Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

      Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying

      Depiction or discussion of sexual content

      Supervision

      Adult supervision required

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      How did Victoria describe her cousin Albert?

      scruffy
      boring
      Correct answer: handsome
      kind

      Q2.
      Albert was Victoria’s…

      brother
      Correct answer: cousin
      uncle

      Q3.
      In 1839, Victoria asked Prince Albert to her.

      Correct Answer: marry, Marry

      Q4.
      Albert was a prince from....

      France
      Spain
      England
      Correct answer: Germany

      Q5.
      When Victoria met Albert, she was….

      7
      Correct answer: 17
      27
      37

      Q6.
      What did Victoria think of her wedding day?

      It was a very boring day.
      It was a very long day.
      Correct answer: It was a very happy day.
      It was a very sad day.

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What word did Queen Victoria use to describe babies?

      small
      cute
      Correct answer: ugly
      loud

      Q2.
      How many babies did Queen Victoria have?

      Correct Answer: 9, nine

      Q3.
      Victoria and Albert’s first baby was a boy.

      True
      Correct answer: False

      Q4.
      Victoria and Albert named their first baby….

      Correct Answer: Victoria, victoria

      Q5.
      Queen Victoria used a special new medical invention called chloroform when she had her…

      1st and 2nd babies
      4th and 5th babies
      Correct answer: 8th and 9th babies

      Q6.
      A doctor that helped Queen Victoria was called Dr John…

      Ice
      Rain
      Sun
      Correct answer: Snow

      To help you plan your 2 history lesson on: Victoria's children, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...