1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,800 Speaker 1: Okay, we're talking about Victoria, Queen of England from June 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: of eighteen thirty seven until January nineteen oh one. She 3 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:10,080 Speaker 1: was just eighteen years old when she took the throne, 4 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: and she defined the stuffy Victorian Era, which course was 5 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: named for her. I'm Patty Steele. But in private, Victoria 6 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: was a sexually charged attic who led the UK into 7 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 1: a drug war with China. Wow, that's next on the backstory. 8 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,199 Speaker 1: The backstory is back. Her image is that of a 9 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:36,919 Speaker 1: buttoned up, very proper lady. She was why it was 10 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,840 Speaker 1: called the Victorian Era. Everything about that time was way 11 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:45,239 Speaker 1: more conservative than the seventeen hundreds. Queen Victoria ran the 12 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: British Empire for over sixty three years. Her father and 13 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 1: all but one of her uncles had died, so she 14 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: inherited the throne when the last living uncle, King William four, 15 00:00:55,520 --> 00:01:00,040 Speaker 1: passed in eighteen thirty seven, Victoria was just eighteen. She 16 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: was kind of a dichotomy. On the one hand, she 17 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:06,959 Speaker 1: had pretty much no personal warmth and was incredibly strict 18 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 1: about personal morality when it came to the people around 19 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:13,559 Speaker 1: her and the people she ruled. But on the other hand, 20 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: she loved alcohol, drugs and sex. In fact, despite thoroughly 21 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:22,760 Speaker 1: disliking children, she gave birth to nine of them. She 22 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: was furious that her first child came along exactly nine 23 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 1: months after she got married, since she just wanted her 24 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: husband all to herself before kids came along, not that 25 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: it mattered. She never spent much time with them anyway. 26 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: Her most telling comment about kids, she famously said, I 27 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: don't dislike babies, though I think very young ones are 28 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: rather disgusting. She felt repulsed by the idea of breastfeeding too. 29 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: But Victoria was madly in love with her husband, Prince Albert, 30 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: who happened to be her first cousin. She gave him 31 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: numerous nude paintings and relished every minute with him. When 32 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 1: he died after just twenty one years of marriage, she 33 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: spent the rest of her life over forty years in mourning, 34 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: wearing only black and never attending parties or any real 35 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:15,640 Speaker 1: public functions. But in addition to several suspected lovers, Victoria 36 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: had some other private pleasures, one of which actually led 37 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,800 Speaker 1: to war. She loved indulging in opium as well as cocaine, 38 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: and as was the custom those days, she mixed the 39 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 1: opium with alcohol to make a pain relieving tonic that 40 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 1: they called laudanum. Keep in mind, she had the best 41 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: doctor's money could buy, and it was probably a lot 42 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: easier to have a high as a kite clean rather 43 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: than one that was not amused. She was a definite grouch. Now. 44 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: If the opium was not working its magic and she 45 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: needed a little pick me up, she had sweets laced 46 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 1: with cocaine. Victoria was really enthusiastic about this treat and 47 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: even shared some of this with a very young Winston 48 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: Churchhill when he and his family came to stay with 49 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: her at her Scottish castle Balmoral. On top of that, 50 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: when she had monthly cramps or when she was pregnant, 51 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: which she was for most of the twenty years she 52 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: was married, the pain was sometimes unbearable, so what better 53 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 1: way to fix it than with a little bit of weed. 54 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 1: She was into that too, And also it was Queen 55 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:22,519 Speaker 1: Victoria herself that was one of the first women ever 56 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:26,119 Speaker 1: to use chloroform when giving birth. She said the chloroform 57 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:29,920 Speaker 1: was delightful beyond measure. Of course, this was at a 58 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 1: time when there were no real drug laws in place, 59 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: so she wasn't exactly breaking the rules. After her husband died, 60 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: Victoria spent a lot of time at Balmoral and apparently 61 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: had a close, I mean really close relationship with her servant, 62 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 1: John Brown. He was as much of a character as 63 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: Victoria and would often refer to the Queen as woman. 64 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: The pair often isolated themselves from anyone else who was 65 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: staying at Balmoral at the time. No one knew much 66 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: about their relationship, but interesting the Queen's youngest daughter, Beatrice, 67 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: had all of her mother's diaries from those years destroyed 68 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: when Victoria died in nineteen oh one. When John Brown 69 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: died years before Victoria, she went into a state of 70 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: mourning for the second time in her life, and after 71 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: she died, she left instructions that a lock of John's hair, 72 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: his photograph, a handkerchief, and some letters should be placed 73 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: in her coffin, along with keepsakes of Prince albert Io. 74 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: The photograph was hidden from public view by a bunch 75 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: of flowers clutched in her hand, along with a family 76 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: wedding ring John had given her. So their secrets are 77 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 1: buried in the Royal creekt at Windsor Castle. So how 78 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: did Victoria's love of drugs lead to war. Well. China 79 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: at that time was one of the world's most important 80 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: economic powerhouses and fiercely protective of their ancient culture. They 81 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 1: were also deeply wary of foreign interference. For Britain, trade 82 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: with China was essential. The Britain loved Chinese tea, porcelain 83 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:05,599 Speaker 1: and silk, and spent a fortune on it. Problem is, 84 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:09,840 Speaker 1: China didn't want anything Britain had to offer. Enter opium, 85 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: a dark solution Britain came up with to balance the 86 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 1: scales of trade. England controlled India in those days, and 87 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 1: poppies were a massive crop there, which were processed into opium. 88 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,839 Speaker 1: The opium would be loaded into trunks and onto ships 89 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 1: owned by the British East India Company. It was then 90 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: delivered to China, where it slowly began to change the culture. 91 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:38,159 Speaker 1: Opium permeated every level of Chinese society, from nobles and 92 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: scholars to farmers and laborers. Social effects were horrifying. Family 93 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:50,040 Speaker 1: structures eroded, communities collapsed, and productivity fell dramatically. Entire villages 94 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 1: were consumed by addiction, and corruption surged as officials bribed 95 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: by opium dealers allowed smuggling operations to continue even taking 96 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:04,440 Speaker 1: part in it themselves, sometimes realizing the crisis. Chinese authorities 97 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: tried to crack down, but nothing worked, so Aha go 98 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 1: to the source. In eighteen thirty nine, they publicly destroyed 99 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: over twenty thousand chests of confiscated opium. Queen Victoria and 100 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 1: Britain were furious. It eventually led to the First Opium War. 101 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: Britain quickly won the conflict due to their superior naval 102 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:30,159 Speaker 1: technology and huge amount of the best weaponry. By eighteen 103 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:33,679 Speaker 1: forty two, the Treaty of Nan King was signed, forcing 104 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 1: China to seed Hong Kong to Britain, legalized the drug trade, 105 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 1: and opened five ports to foreign trade. Britain controlled Hong 106 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 1: Kong for the next one hundred and fifty six years 107 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: until nineteen ninety seven. It's really fascinating. History is rarely 108 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:55,040 Speaker 1: straightforward or totally heroic. A lot of times, it's kind 109 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:59,359 Speaker 1: of a tangled web of motives and consequences. The Opium Wars, 110 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:04,919 Speaker 1: with their involving Queen Victoria's personal drug habits, shows just 111 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:07,840 Speaker 1: how complex it can be. I hope you like the 112 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 1: backstory with Patty Steele. Please leave a review and I 113 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 1: would love it if you would subscribe or follow for 114 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,720 Speaker 1: free to get new episodes delivered automatically, and feel free 115 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: to dm me if you have a story you'd like 116 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:22,960 Speaker 1: me to cover. On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on 117 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a 118 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, and 119 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:45,960 Speaker 1: Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer 120 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 1: Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. 121 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 1: Feel free to reach out to me with comments and 122 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: even story suggestions on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and 123 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 1: on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the 124 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 1: Backstory with Patty Steele, the pieces of history you didn't 125 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: know you needed to know.