Queen Anne

The English Monarchs

by Edward Gregg

The reign of Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch, was a period of significant progress for the Britain became a major military power on land, the union of England and Scotland created a united kingdom of Great Britain, and the economic and political basis for the Golden Age of the eighteenth century was established. However, the queen herself has received little credit for these achievements and has long been pictured as a weak and ineffectual monarch dominated by her advisers. This landmark biography of Queen Anne shatters that image and establishes her as a personality of integrity and invincible stubbornness, the central figure of her age.

Praise for the earlier

“A thoughtful and . . . authoritative study, easily the best thing we have on the Queen. Like Anne herself, it is eminently worthy.”—Angus McInnes, History

“With the appearance of this volume, a generation of revision in Queen Anne studies comes to fruition.”—Henry Horowitz, American Historical Review

“The best kind of biography, scholarly but sympathetic, as well as highly readable.”—John Kenyon, The Observer

“Bold . . . startling . . . imaginative and persuasive.”—G.C. Gibbs, London Review of Books

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

A specialist in late 17th and early 18th century Britain, Gary Edward Gregg was a professor of history at the University of South Carolina. He was a graduate of the University of London, where he earned his doctorate in 1972.

Reviews

[John Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot happened during Anne’s 12 year reign. She presided over a nation emerging as a world power with a growing empire. The union of Scotland and England happened on her watch and with her encouragement. Anne was a semi-constitutional monarch. Her reign provides a fascinating insight into the workings of monarchy when the Crown was more than a cypher, though power was continuing to slip away from it. Any monarch worth their salt jealously guarded the royal prerogative; Anne was no exception.

“All I desire is my liberty in encouraging and employing all those that Concur faithfully in my Service whether they are call’d Whigs or Torys, not to be tyed to one, nor to ye other, for if I should be soe unfortunat as to fall into ye hands of ether, I shall look upon myself tho I have the name of Queen, to be in realety but theire slave, which as it will be my personal ruin, soe it will be ye destroying of all Government, for instead of putting an end to faction, it will lay a lasting foundation for it...”

“Why for God sake, must I who have no interest, no end, no thought but for ye good of my Country, be made soe miserable as to be brought into ye power of one sett of men, & why may I not be trusted, since I meane nothing but what is equally for ye good of all my subjects?”

Although very different, personality wise, Anne seems to have taken Elizabeth I as her role model as Queen, even adopting her personal motto ‘Semper Eadem’ (“Ever the Same”/ “Always the Same”). Like the first Elizabeth she saw herself as a unifying figure, keen to govern independent of political faction. This was easier said than done; Anne’s reign saw the growth of a party system – the Tories and the Whigs. A devout Anglican who took her title, ‘Defender of the Faith’, very seriously, she naturally inclined towards the Tories, and referred to them as “The Church Party”. She would soon learn that this was a gross over-simplification.

A fascinating period of British history, politically, socially and militarily, it is also one of the least straightforward. Under the Captain-General, Marlborough, The Grand Alliance ( which included Britain, The Netherlands and the Habsburg Empire) gained major victories over France and by 1711/12 France was on its knees. It was at this point that Anne’s government under the chameleon like and ever slippery Lord Treasurer, Harley, secretly negotiated a peace treaty with the French; hence the coining of the term ‘Perfidious Albion’ by Britain’s erstwhile allies. At the risk of gross over-simplification, the Whigs were for continuing the war, the Tories for peace and very lucrative trade deals. The latter won.

Running alongside all of this was the question of the succession to the childless and ailing Queen’s throne. Her half brother, the ‘Pretender’ was Roman Catholic and unless he adopted Anglicanism it was hard to see how he could succeed Anne. Her cousin Sophia, Electress of Hanover and/or her son George Lewis, the Elector, protestant to the core, were the obvious alternatives and the choice of the Whigs. Anne too, favoured a Hanoverian succession it seems, provided she could keep them out of her country until after her death. The Queen knew her history and understood why Elizabeth I had been so reluctant to name her successor. The last thing a Queen wants is a rival camp around which a political opposition can form.

At the time of her birth, there seemed little likelihood of her coming to the throne. Her mother died when Anne was a child, also her grandmother and a much loved aunt. Her sister, the future Mary II, was married off young; Anne therefore grew up with no close female family members around her. Added to this, her father, the future James II, remarried; his new bride only a few years older than Anne and they were far from close. It was hardly surprising therefore, that Anne felt the need for close female contact – enter Sarah Jennings, the future Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, otherwise known as Mrs Freeman.

The Queen had lavished wealth and titles on the Marlboroughs for their services to her and the country. But Sarah was never likely to be satisfied and her behaviour became increasingly outrageous. How I longed for the Queen to pick up one of her walking sticks and strike down this obnoxious “over-mighty subject”. But her style was more coldly regal than that.

Magnificent!

[Paul Gaya Ochieng Simeon Juma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains numerous direct quotations from correspondences between the Queen and her associates which were very revealing about the former's personal life. Through these letters, we learn more about her character and how her life impacted on her reign as Queen. For a change, I have written a very unconventional review. Instead of presenting a formal discourse on Queen Anne, I have written this review from a stream of consciousness level. Once in a while I have offered scholarly ideas about the queen's reign but I haven't dwelt on them.

Books transcend cultures and countries. So, what is significant about such kind of books? Why do I read them? It is because they reflect the human condition. The human condition is universal, whether you are a king or a commoner. There is an aspect of all of us in our individual selves. To see kings and queens feel the same alienation as I do, the same desires that I have, enduring trials, just like I do, having aspirations and dreams like I do is encouraging and inspiring. For example the Queen started out as a shy royal but with time was able to master the courage needed to face her friends and rivals alike. Such kind of books gives us insight into the fact that we are not alone. We should keep searching for the meaning of life despite the false appearances.

There were a lot of life lessons here. Some of the things that molded queen Anne remind me of the things that have molded my personality. In this book we learn about Queen Anne's personal, social, political, and historical challenges. She had to contend with so much conflicts during her reign, external and internal. There were conflict between the Whigs, Tories, and the Jacobites, conflict between parliament and the monarchy, conflict between the United Kingdom and France, conflict between protestants and Catholics.

Apart from 'business' conflicts, the Queen was also consumed by 'personal' feuds such as those which she had between herself and Sarah, the Duchess of Duke. But the Queen never took the path of least resistance. She faced her challenges head on. I was impressed by the Queen's chutzpah. She confronted her rivals in parliament through debates. She always preferred the middle ground which enabled her to cut through the bureaucratic double-talk of the politicians.

[Rio (Lynne) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't like reviewing non-fiction books, since they are not my favorite to read in the first place. I turn to them when I want certain questions answered or confirmed and this book did that. It is very dry and text bookish, but I enjoyed the fact the author added the correspondences between Anne and Sarah Churchill. You can read between the lines and decide for yourself who controlled or loved who. 5 stars for information, but it wasn't hard to put down for me either. I believe if you enjoy nonfiction and want to read their letters for yourself, you will enjoy this.

[Pam Shelton-Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author had access to some relatively new information (as when the book was written) and is a more balanced view of Queen Anne than those that relied more heavily on the Duchess of Marlborough's "massaged" memoirs. It was well presented, annotated and easy to read. I thought we had issues with partisan squabbling now, but the ministers in this era take the cake.

[Kaufmak · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best bio of Queen Anne still out there. It isn't as intimate as the more recent bio that came out recently, but for a good point to point depiction of the Queen and her times, this is it.

[Brad Hodges · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Queen Anne has often been portrayed as a pasteboard character, a dull, weak, irresolute woman dominated by favourites, her policies determined by the outcome of bedchamber quarrels." So writes Edward Gregg in his extremely thorough biography of the first queen of Great Britain, who ruled from 1702 to 1714. As a queen falling between the much more legendary Elizabeth I and Victoria, Anne doesn't get much copy these days, though I was interested to read about her after the film The Favourite of a few years ago. Much of that film is fictionalized, but a lot of it bears the stamp of truth.

Anne was the second daughter of James II, who succeeded his brother Charles II to the throne. James converted to Catholicism, which was tantamount to abdication, as he was squeezed out in what was known as the Glorious Revolution. His eldest daughter, Mary, had married William of Orange, and they ruled together. After Mary died, William ruled alone.

While Anne was a girl she was pulled by various interests. It was the hope of the Jacobites, who supported James, that she also become Catholic. But to do so would have scotched any chances at her taking the throne. James had a son by another wife, who would be forever known as the Pretender (this is a title given to anyone who claimed the throne). But he, too, would not renounce his Catholicism, and Anne became queen.

Gregg tries to prop up her reputation. She was an active queen, taking part in all the major decisions of the day. Her reign was marked by the rivalry between parties, the Whigs and the Tories (plus the Jacobites, who never gave up on a putative James III).

She was married to Prince George of Denmark, but she never produced an heir. What Anne may be known now more than ever is that she had seventeen pregnancies, but none of her children survived into a adulthood. Therefore, the succession was determined to go to the house of Hanover (a part of modern Germany), which were second cousins. The dowager of Hanover, Sophia, was set to succeed Anne, but she died just before Anne did, and therefore George I became king, starting the Hanover line.

Gregg certainly leaves no stone unturned, and at times there may be more detail than the average reader can handle. The palace intrigue is dizzying. The second-most important person in the book is Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough, who was Anne's friend and confidante. They referred to each other in letters as "Mrs. Morley" and "Mrs. Freeman." Sarah's husband was the Duke of Marlborough who led England to many victories in the War of Spanish Succession with France. But over the years, Sarah was presumptuous, even accusing the queen of lesbianism (with Abigail Hill Masham, who was played by Emma Stone in The Favourite).

Other important players in this drama were Lord Godolphin, who was her most trusted adviser for many years, and Robert Harley. At times the narrative becomes confusing, as Gregg refers to Harley by his name until he becomes the Earl of Oxford, and thereafter calls him by that name. The same happens with Henry St. John, who then is called Bolingbroke. This may be technically correct, but may require a scorecard.

The major events of Anne's reign were the unification with Scotland in 1707, when the two countries plus Ireland became Great Britain, and the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, which ended the fighting with France (the French king at the time was Louis XIV). Through the use of many letters (and their idiosyncratic spelling) Gregg shows that Anne was actively involved in these events.

Anne died in 1714, without heir. Her legacy seems to be more in things that are named after her, such as architecture, than anything she did as queen. She was an invalid for much of her life (all the miscarriages and stillbirths couldn't have helped), and Gregg points out that her less than stellar reputation was largely formed by Sarah Churchill, who wrote a memoir that did not paint her former friend in a good light.

Many Americans find the idea of a monarchy, especially a hereditary one, as ridiculous, but an Englishwoman once explained to me that the purpose is largely as a neutral leader in a constitutional monarchy. Anne recognized this--there were no executions during her reign, and she always acknowledged the power of Parliament. The divine right of kings is idiotic, as there have been several weak sovereigns, but in England's case, for the most part, it seems that those who take the throne own up to their responsibility, including Anne.

[Nick Artrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Queen Anne has often been portrayed as a pasteboard character, a dull, weak, irresolute woman dominated by her favourites, her policies determined by the outcome of her bedroom quarrels..."

I selected Queen Anne by Edward Gregg as my next nonfiction read. Anne was the last Stuart monarch. During her reign the union of England and Scotland created a united kingdom of Great Britain and the economic and political basis for the golden age of the eighteenth century was established. This biography presents a balanced study of both Anne’s private and public life. Gregg places his subject firmly at the center of her era rather than relegating her to the margins and challenges the notion that Anne’s reign was entirely dominated by the will of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough.

Queen Anne has been reduced to a caricature, either weak and ineffectual or as haughty, cold, and ridiculous. Neither of these extremes, however, do any justice to such a complex and interesting figure. Anne was shy and less of an intellectual in comparison with her sister, but she was ultimately much more forceful. As the tide turned against James II, Anne didn’t have the luxury of distance. She had to remain steadfast in her Protestantism when someone with less firm resolve may have quite easily buckled under the weight of paternal pressure. Her doggedness in protecting her self-interests is noteworthy. Anne may have had her missteps, and she may have overplayed her hand on occasion, but Gregg’s text convincingly makes the argument that she was much more responsible for her personal successes than some may believe.

It is true that you can barely skim a few paragraphs without encountering some reference to Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, and she was quite a remarkable woman, but to claim that Anne was wholly her puppet would be a mistake. Queen Anne does a great job of showing when and how her influence mattered, but it also sheds light on where Anne and Sarah diverged. Gregg’s work thoroughly explores the political landscape of Anne’s reign and is a great source for understanding the politics involved in the Hanoverian succession. Queen Anne insisted on political moderation and mixed ministries with disastrous results, but she did effectively protect her prerogative and stave off unwanted Jacobite and Hanoverian influence. Great book on Anne, a bit dry, but very informative. I look forward to leaving the Stuarts behind for now and returning to George I!

[Gayla Bassham · Rating 4 out of 5]

More focused on Anne's actual reign and less focused on her relationships than the more recent biography, but if you squint you can definitely see Olivia Colman's Anne in these pages. Which is to say even the most scholarly, sober biography cannot hide the hot mess.