Queen Anne

Biography

Queen Anne I (*1665 - † 1714)

Queen Anne was born in 1665. She was the daughter of James II and his first wife. She was a Protestant and married to George, Prince of Denmark. Even though she was pregnant 17 times she only gave birth to five children, none of them survived to inherit the throne. In 1702 she succeeded her brother in law William III. She died in 1714 and passed the throne on to her cousin the Hanoverian Prince Georg Louis. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/anne_queen.shtml)

Reign (1702-1714)

The reign of Queen Anne was dominated by war and political and religious changes.

The War of Spanish Succession was of great importance. It was an alliance between England, Scotland, the Netherlands and Portugal to fight against Louis XIV of France and his allies Spain and Bavaria. (Maurer, p.240) “A series of military victories by John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, strengthened England’s negotiating position at the end of the war.” (http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/KingsandQueensoftheUnitedKingdom/TheStuarts/Anne.aspx) In 1713 the Treaty of Utrecht was signed in which Louis XIV had to acknowledge Anne’s title and exile her brother James Edward. (Maurer, p.240) “Unter Anna erreichte die englische Arme eine Stärke von durchschnittlich 120000 Mann. Auch die englische Flotte wurde in den Jahrzehnten kontinuierlich ausgebaut. Sie galt 1714 bereits als stärkste der Welt.“ (Maurer, p.239)

The Church and its political influence were an important issue during the time of Queen Anne I. Religion and political powers were strongly connected. There was the division of the church in two major parts, the High Church and the Low Church. Both churches were supported by a political party. The Tories supported the High Church, the Whigs the Low Church. The connection of politics and religion resulted in the different opinions of how much influence the church should have. Supporters of the High Church wanted a great connection between the state and the church, while the supporters of the Low Church tried to divide the State from the church in terms of political power. The final decision was made after Queen Anne I died. (Maurer, p.237+238) “Als dann die Hannoveraner auf dem Thron waren, stützten sie sich hauptsächlich auf die Whigs, die sie auf diesen Thron gebracht hatten.“ (Maurer, p.238)

Literature

Maurer, Michael. Kleine Geschichte Englands. Reclam: Stuttgart 1997, p.236-241.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/anne_queen.shtml

http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/KingsandQueensoftheUnitedKingdom/TheStuarts/Anne.aspx