about this session
Key stage 3 | Subject: History | Topics: Victorians, Empire | Session type: Route-based and classroom
Queen Victoria’s interest and involvement with India began years before she was officially crowned Empress of India in 1876, and gradually India came to be seen as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the British Empire.
This session will explore Victoria’s relationship with India, focusing particularly on the Queen’s friendship with Duleep Singh, the deposed Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. Through examination of primary sources from Victoria’s reign, students will analyse the complexities of British rule in India and Victoria’s role within it.
Learning objectives
Students will:
- Use primary sources to explore the growth of the British Empire during the reign of Queen Victoria, with a particular focus on British rule in India and Victoria’s role as Empress.
- Extend their knowledge of empire through the analysis of Queen Victoria’s relationships, and what they tell us about her as a wife, mother and Empress.
National Curriculum links
This session supports:
- Ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain 1745-1901 – the development of the British Empire.
- Understanding historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and using them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends and frame historically-valid questions.
- Knowing and understanding the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
Booking Information
Availability
Wednesday – Friday from January 2024
10:45, 12:45
Duration
90 minutes
Capacity
35 students
Price
£110 (plus admission)