Queen Victoria's Matchmaking

The Royal Marriages that Shaped Europe

By: Deborah Cadbury

Narrated by: Charlotte Strevens

A captivating exploration of the role in which Queen Victoria exerted the most international power and influence: as a matchmaking grandmother.
As her reign approached its sixth decade, Queen Victoria's grandchildren numbered over thirty, and to maintain and increase British royal power, she was determined to maneuver them into a series of dynastic marriages with the royal houses of Europe.
Yet for all their apparent obedience, her grandchildren often had plans of their own, fueled by strong wills and romantic hearts. Victoria's matchmaking plans were further complicated by the tumultuous international upheavals of the time: revolution and war were in the air, and kings and queens, princes and princesses were vulnerable targets.
Queen Victoria's Matchmaking travels through the glittering, decadent palaces of Europe from London to Saint Petersburg, weaving in scandals, political machinations and family tensions to enthralling effect. It is at once an intimate portrait of a royal family and an examination of the conflict caused by the marriages the Queen arranged. At the heart of it all is Victoria herself: doting grandmother one moment, determined Queen Empress the next.

Critic reviews

Wonderfully compelling and packed with new material - a gripping story beautifully told.—Jane Ridley

In this enjoyable story for fans of royal machinations, Cadbury ably shows not just the successes, but also the damage inflicted by Victoria's single-mindedness. An instructive European history that effectively shows 'the influence of [Victoria's] matchmaking on the remarkable rise of the royal dynasty'.—Kirkus Reviews

[An] absorbing book... The fall of the Romanovs occupies the superb last pages of Cadbury's book... Dynastic mergers, we may deduce from Deborah Cadbury's account, offer no defence against the whims of history. This catastrophe-laced slice of royal history offers a ripping read.—Miranda Seymour, The Observer

Engrossing...Cadbury engagingly presents [Queen Victoria] as a mesmerising Mrs Bennet, summoning her children and then her grandchildren to Balmoral. ..The stories of [Queen Victoria's] descendants are mesmerising and often stranger than fiction...From the pen of a writer of skill and style, this surprising narrative leaves you wanting more.—Paula Byrne, TheTimes

Cadbury's account of Victoria's attempts to bend her unruly grandchildren to her matrimonial will is the stuff of melodrama...covered with verve and insight by Deborah Cadbury in her new history.—Daisy Goodwin, TheSunday Times

Deborah Cadbury is an adroit story teller. Her lively colourfully written book...begins in the 1880s and ends in the toppling thrones of the First World War, a panoramic family saga, its players by turns pragmatic and romantic, wilful, dutiful, misguided and, occasionally tragic—Matthew Dennison, TheDaily Telegraph

"A rich history of Queen Victoria's canny use of political power."—Bookpage

"Ms. Cadbury stresses the human element of her story, not least the wayward personalities and unforeseen family rivalries that thwarted Victoria's designs as a monarch and matriarch... Many vivid pen portraits."—William Anthony Hay, Wall Street Journal

"Fantastic...In lively and page-turning prose, author Deborah "Chocolate Wars" Cadbury confirms her place as a leading historian of Britain as she pulls Queen Victoria out of caricature and into our hearts."—Randy Dotinga, Christian Science Monitor

"Queen Victoria's Matchmaking is a look at royalty when it still had a somewhat mystical aura-these people who were both the state and their own particular selves-and a fascinating angle on a time of ferment, when the wheels were finally, permanently coming off this way of running nations...Forget The Crown-what I really want is a Netflix show based on all these royal grandchildren."
—Kelly Faircloth, Pictorial

Historical detail

An interesting account of Queen Victoria’s family, influence, and failures to meet the challenges of the 20th century

Inteesting

This kept my attention, and I looked forward to listening every evening. Looks like I need several more words for this review.

Much more interesting than I thought it would be

I have read a lot about Q. Victoria and her children. I did not expect to much, but this shed some interesting today bits on the minor branches and how all of the interactions amongst the cousins ended up impacting WWI.

Interesting perspective on history

The upheavals in Europe from the admittedly perspective of one family. I gained new appreciation for Victoria’s capabilities and aspirations despite the ultimate failure of her and Albert’s aim (self-serving but not entirely without general benefit) to keep the peace on the continent.

Very Interesting

This is a nonfiction discussion of European politics during the late Victorian era as seen through the lens of the marriages of Queen Victoria's children and grandchildren. The title suggests that it will tell of the Queen's personal involvement in the marriages, which was not actually a lot, but the subtitle truthful shows that it only features those marriages that affected European politics. I found both aspects to be somewhat disappointing, as I would have enjoyed learning about some of the Queen's lesser-known children and grandchildren. Nonetheless, I found it generally well-written and thoroughly entertaining and informative; I would certainly recommend it to other armchair historians also interested in this area.