Queen Anne (1702–1707): The Last Stuart Monarch and the Birth of Great Britain
The reign of Queen Anne from 1702 to 1707 marked the final chapter of the House of Stuart and one of the most transformative periods in British history. Anne’s rule was defined by political and military conflict, religious division, and the forging of a new political entity—the Kingdom of Great Britain—through the Act of Union in 1707. Anne was the last reigning monarch of the House of Stuart and the first sovereign of a united Britain, presiding over a kingdom reshaped by constitutional monarchy and Protestant ascendancy. Her reign saw the rise of party politics, the consolidation of parliamentary authority, and Britain’s emergence as a major European military power through the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). Yet Anne’s reign was also marked by profound personal tragedy and political instability. Her fragile health, the loss of all her children, and the factional conflict between the Tories and the Whigs placed enormous strain on her authority. As historian Edward Gregg observes, “Anne was a monarch whose political instincts were often underestimated—her reign was not merely a transition from Stuart to Hanoverian rule but the moment when Britain’s constitutional and political foundations were firmly laid” (Gregg, 2001).
Anne’s Rise to Power and the Political Context of Her Reign
Anne was born on 6 February 1665 at St. James’s Palace in London, the second daughter of James, Duke of York (later James VII and II) and Anne Hyde. She was raised in an Anglican household, despite her father’s Catholicism. Her religious upbringing became a defining element of her political identity and her later opposition to Catholic influence within the British monarchy. Anne’s mother died when she was six, and she was sent to live with her aunt, Henrietta, Duchess of Orléans, in France, where she was exposed to the Catholic rituals of the French court. Despite this early exposure to Catholicism, Anne remained a committed Anglican throughout her life.
Anne’s political position became more prominent after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Her father, James VII and II, was overthrown by her Protestant sister Mary and her brother-in-law, William of Orange. Anne supported the new regime, aligning herself with the Protestant establishment. In 1683, she married Prince George of Denmark, a Protestant prince whose political influence was minimal but whose presence helped reinforce Anne’s position within the Protestant elite. Despite suffering from poor health and experiencing 17 pregnancies—all of which ended in miscarriage, stillbirth, or the early death of the child—Anne’s dynastic importance was central to the succession crisis that would define her reign.
The death of William II in 1702 placed Anne on the throne. She was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 23 April 1702. Anne was 37 years old, overweight, plagued by gout, and physically frail. Yet despite her personal limitations, she was politically astute and determined to secure the Protestant succession and preserve Britain’s constitutional order. Anne declared in her first address to Parliament: “I know my heart to be entirely English. I can sincerely assure you that there is not anything you can expect or desire from me which I shall not be ready to do for the happiness and prosperity of England” (Hill, 1990).
Anne’s accession came at a moment of profound political and military challenge. The War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) had already begun, and Britain faced the task of leading a fragile alliance of Protestant and Catholic powers against the expansionist ambitions of Louis XIV of France. Domestically, Anne inherited a politically divided Parliament, with the Tory and Whig factions locked in bitter conflict over foreign policy, religious toleration, and the limits of royal authority. Scotland, meanwhile, remained politically unstable, with lingering Jacobite sympathies threatening to undermine Anne’s position as a Protestant monarch. Anne’s ability to navigate these complex political and military challenges would define her legacy.
Political and Military Challenges
1. The War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714)
The most significant military conflict of Anne’s reign was the War of the Spanish Succession, which was sparked by the death of Charles II of Spain without a direct heir. Louis XIV of France supported the claim of his grandson, Philip of Anjou, to the Spanish throne, threatening to create a powerful Franco-Spanish Catholic alliance that would disrupt the balance of power in Europe. Britain, under Anne’s leadership, joined the Grand Alliance alongside the Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire to prevent French dominance.
Anne’s government appointed John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, as commander of British forces. Marlborough’s military leadership was one of the great successes of Anne’s reign. His victories at the Battle of Blenheim (1704), Ramillies (1706), Oudenarde (1708), and Malplaquet (1709) were among the most decisive in European history. Marlborough’s campaigns not only prevented French dominance but also elevated Britain’s status as a leading military and diplomatic power in Europe. Historian Michael Lynch notes that “Marlborough’s victories during Anne’s reign transformed Britain from a peripheral naval power into the dominant force in European military affairs” (Lynch, 1991).
However, the war was politically divisive. The Whigs supported the conflict as a means of expanding British influence, while the Tories viewed it as costly and unsustainable. The financial strain of the war—combined with growing war-weariness—created political instability that Anne was forced to navigate carefully.
2. The Act of Union (1707)
Anne’s most enduring political achievement was the passage of the Act of Union in 1707, which united the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into a single political entity—the Kingdom of Great Britain. The Union was driven by political and economic factors. England sought to secure the Protestant succession by bringing Scotland under parliamentary control, while Scotland sought economic stability and access to English colonial markets.
The Act of Union was not universally popular. Scottish nationalists and Jacobite sympathizers viewed it as a betrayal of Scottish sovereignty. Anti-Union riots erupted in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the Scottish Parliament’s decision to accept the Union was secured only through substantial political negotiation and economic concessions. Nevertheless, the Union created a single British Parliament, a unified economic system, and a common foreign policy. Anne was personally committed to the Union, declaring it “a matter of the greatest importance for securing the Protestant succession and the future stability of this kingdom” (Gregg, 2001).
3. Religious and Dynastic Conflict
Anne’s reign was shaped by the unresolved conflict over religious succession. Anne was a devout Anglican and strongly opposed the Catholic claims of the exiled Stuart line. The passage of the Act of Settlement in 1701 had already excluded Catholics from the throne, but Anne’s failure to produce an heir created a dynastic crisis. The death of her only surviving child, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, in 1700 meant that the Protestant succession would pass to the German House of Hanover. Anne’s personal support for the Protestant succession was unwavering, but her political sympathies lay with the Tory faction, which sought to preserve the authority of the crown against Whig attempts to further limit royal power. Anne’s relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough deteriorated as the Whig-dominated government pushed for greater parliamentary control over military and foreign policy.
Accomplishments and Legacy
Anne’s reign secured several defining achievements:
- The creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain through the Act of Union (1707).
- Britain’s emergence as a leading European military and colonial power.
- The preservation of Protestant succession and the reinforcement of constitutional monarchy.
- The development of party politics and parliamentary government.
Conclusion
Anne’s reign was a turning point in British history—a period when the Stuart monarchy gave way to the constitutional order that would define modern Britain. Her military successes under Marlborough, her political success in achieving Union with Scotland, and her unwavering commitment to Protestant succession ensured that Anne’s legacy would endure beyond the end of the Stuart line. As Edward Gregg concludes, “Anne was a queen whose political instincts and determination secured the Protestant succession and laid the foundations for Britain’s constitutional and imperial future” (Gregg, 2001).
References
- Gregg, Edward. (2001). Queen Anne. Yale University Press.
- Hill, Brian. (1990). The Growth of Parliamentary Government. Oxford University Press.
- Lynch, Michael. (1991). Scotland: A New History. Pimlico.
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