Poteri e legittimità della Corona nell’evoluzione verso la democrazia. Il caso della regina Vittoria

The article analyzes the complicate process of transformation of the role of the Crown in Victorian England, a process that did not even spare Great Britain although the Glorious Revolution had prevented the monarchy from becoming an absolute regime. Central figure of this path of modernization was Queen Victoria: thanks to her great popular appeal and her long reign, she symbolized the «invention of tradition» by which the English parliamentary system could develop without appearing a usurpation of the ancient royal prerogatives. On the one hand, Vittoria was able to create a new imagery of rituals and symbols around the monarchy and the royal family. She became the living personification of the nation and its empire. On the other hand, the Queen always tried to counter the weakening of the powers and influence of the Crown, but failed in preventing the consolidation of party government. Since the 1880s the relationship between government and parliament linked to party dynamics would have characterized the English political system, that was on the way to becoming a «crowned democracy».