Queen Anne (1702–1714) – The Queen Who Created Great Britain
Who Was Queen Anne?
Queen Anne was the younger sister of Mary II and the second daughter of James II. When William III died without children in 1702, Anne inherited the throne.
Anne doesn't have the instant name recognition of Elizabeth I or Victoria, but something enormously important happened during her reign: England and Scotland officially became one country.
James I had brought the English and Scottish crowns together more than a century earlier, but the two countries still had separate parliaments. Under Anne, the Acts of Union of 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain, with one Parliament at Westminster.
Anne therefore began her reign as Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland and ended it as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland.
The Queen Who Created Great Britain
The union wasn't Anne's idea alone, nor was it universally popular. There were political, economic and security reasons on both sides of the border for bringing the countries together, and negotiations were often difficult.
But Anne strongly supported the project. In 1707 the English and Scottish parliaments were united into a single Parliament of Great Britain at Westminster. This is the moment when Great Britain officially appears as a political kingdom. There's an important distinction: this did not yet create today's United Kingdom. Ireland remained a separate kingdom until another union in 1801.
Anne's Tragic Family Story
Anne married Prince George of Denmark, and their marriage appears to have been a genuinely affectionate one. Their family story, however, was desperately sad.
Anne became pregnant many times—at least 17 pregnancies are generally recorded—but most ended in miscarriage, stillbirth or children dying very young. Her only child to survive infancy, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, died aged just 11.
That left Britain with a major problem. Anne was the last Protestant Stuart monarch and had no surviving child to inherit the throne. Parliament was determined that Anne's Catholic half-brother, James Francis Edward Stuart—the son of James II—would not become king. Instead, the succession was directed towards Anne's nearest eligible Protestant relatives: the Hanoverians of Germany.
Sarah Churchill – The Queen's Best Friend
One of the most fascinating relationships of Anne's reign was with Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. Sarah had been Anne's close friend for years and became enormously influential at court. The two women even used affectionate nicknames in their private correspondence—Anne was Mrs Morley and Sarah was Mrs Freeman—allowing them to pretend they were simply two ordinary friends rather than queen and courtier.
But the friendship eventually collapsed spectacularly. Sarah was strong-willed, politically opinionated and increasingly frustrated Anne, while another favourite, Abigail Masham, grew closer to the queen. If you've seen the film The Favourite, this rivalry is the historical world it plays with—although, as you'd expect, the film takes plenty of liberties with the story.
The Duke of Marlborough and Blenheim
Sarah Churchill's husband, John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, became one of Britain's greatest military commanders.
Britain was heavily involved in the War of the Spanish Succession, and Marlborough won a spectacular victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. As a reward, Anne granted him the royal manor of Woodstock, where the enormous Blenheim Palace was eventually built.
Here's the wonderful connection: John Churchill was an ancestor of Winston Churchill, who was born at Blenheim Palace in 1874. So Queen Anne's reign gives you a neat bridge between the Stuarts and one of the most famous Britons of the twentieth century.
St Paul's Cathedral Is Finally Finished
Anne's reign also gives us a fantastic London connection. Christopher Wren's new St Paul's Cathedral, built after the Great Fire destroyed the old cathedral, was officially completed during Anne's reign in 1710.
Wren had spent decades creating one of London's greatest buildings, and Anne became closely associated with the completed cathedral. That explains something visitors often notice today: the large statue of Queen Anne standing outside St Paul's Cathedral.
Three Things to See
Queen Anne's Statue – St Paul's Cathedral
Stand outside the main west entrance to St Paul's and you'll see Queen Anne looking rather grandly down Ludgate Hill. The present statue is a later replacement of an earlier one, but Anne occupies this prominent position because St Paul's was completed during her reign.
Look around the base and you'll see female figures representing England, Scotland, Ireland and France—France being included because British monarchs were still rather optimistically claiming the title King or Queen of France.
St Paul's Cathedral
Go inside and you're seeing Christopher Wren's masterpiece as Anne's generation would have known it: the magnificent new cathedral rising from the destruction of the Great Fire. It was declared officially complete in 1710, making Anne the monarch who saw Wren's extraordinary project finally finished.
Westminster Abbey
Anne was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1702 and is also buried there. Don't expect a spectacular Elizabeth I-style tomb, though. Anne lies in the same vault as her husband and children in the Abbey's Henry VII Lady Chapel. For a queen whose reign created Great Britain, her burial place is surprisingly understated.
Did You Know? – Queen Anne Had 17 Pregnancies But No Heir
Anne's greatest personal tragedy was her desperate attempt to produce a surviving heir. She experienced around 17 pregnancies, yet none of her children lived long enough to succeed her. Her son William survived childhood longer than the others, but died aged 11. His death made the succession question increasingly urgent. When Anne eventually died without an heir, the crown didn't go to her Catholic half-brother. Parliament instead searched the family tree for the nearest suitable Protestant relative. They found one in Germany.
Historical Highlights
1665 – Anne is born at St James's Palace.
1683 – Marries Prince George of Denmark.
1702 – Becomes queen after William III dies.
1704 – Duke of Marlborough wins the Battle of Blenheim.
1707 – England and Scotland unite to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.
1710 – St Paul's Cathedral is officially completed.
1714 – Anne dies without a surviving heir.
Imagine This...
It's 1707 and Anne is sitting on the throne while something happens that generations of monarchs had failed to achieve. England and Scotland, neighbours with centuries of rivalry and warfare behind them, are becoming one political kingdom. The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh and English Parliament at Westminster are replaced by a single Parliament of Great Britain in London, and a new country officially appears on the map. Anne may not be one of Britain's most famous queens today, but by the time she dies she is ruling something that did not officially exist when she became queen: Great Britain.
Guide's Insider Tip
When you're outside St Paul's Cathedral, don't rush straight up the steps. Turn around and look at the large statue of Queen Anne in the centre of the churchyard. Most visitors photograph it without knowing who she is, but she's standing there for a reason: Wren's magnificent new cathedral was finally completed during her reign.
Then look at the four female figures around the base representing England, Scotland, Ireland and France. England and Scotland are particularly appropriate because Anne was the monarch under whom the two countries became Great Britain.
And if you later visit Westminster Abbey, look for Anne in the Henry VII Lady Chapel. After the enormous monuments we've seen for monarchs such as Elizabeth I, Anne's resting place is remarkably modest.
What Happened Next?
When Anne died in 1714, the Stuart dynasty came to an end. Her Catholic half-brother had a closer family connection to the crown than the eventual winner, but Parliament was determined to keep Britain Protestant.
So they went considerably further down the family tree and found George, Elector of Hanover, a German Protestant descended from James I. He arrived in Britain as George I, beginning a completely new royal dynasty. The Stuarts were out. The Georgians had arrived.
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