History of the British Isles was the period of Queen Victoria's rule between 1837 and 1901 which signified the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. Scholars debate whether the Victorian period—as defined by a variety of sensibilities and political concerns that have come to be associated with the Victorians—actually begins with the passage of the Reform Act 1832. The era was preceded by the Regency era and succeeded by the Edwardian period. Victoria became queen in 1837 at age 18. Her long reign saw Britain reach the zenith of its economic and political power, with the introduction of
Britons: Forging the Nation 1707–1837 claiming supportive evidence when in fact there was none. For a more recent and balanced assessment, see Theodore Koditschek, "The Making of British Nationality", Victorian Studies"," 3, (2002). Britons: Forging the Nation 1707–1837 Britons: Forging the Nation 1707–1837 is a history written in 1992 by Linda Colley. "Britons" charts the emergence of British identity from the Act of Union in 1707 with Scotland and England to the beginning of the Victorian era in 1837. British identity, she argues, was created from four features that both united the Britons and set the nation apart from others: Colley's analysis of the source