Queen Anne

by David Green (Illustrator)

Judged by the political and military achievements of her reign Queen Anne ranks high among England's rulers. The union of England and Scotland, which came about during her reign was creative statesmanship of the first order; the victories of her general, the Duke of Marlborough, are among the most glorious in Britain's history; and the war in which they were won secured Europe against the domination of Louis XIV. Yet the figure who presided over these great events remains curiously indistinct to most of us. Most people had little idea of her person or her style, so unlike that of her two great counterparts, Elizabeth I and Victoria.

In this biography, the culmination of twenty years' research, David Green establishes her once and for all as an entirely credible and endearing human being. Of all the Stuarts she had the most affectionate nature. Yet she was too often denied the outlet for her warmth of heart. Her mother died almost before she knew her, her father made an unpopular second marriage to an Italian princess whom Anne could not like. Anne's seventeen pregnancies produced only one child who lived more than a few months, and he was deformed and had to be hidden from the public for most of his eleven years. Only with Sarah Jennings, the fascinating creature whom she had known since childhood and who was to make a brilliant marriage with John Churchill, was Anne able to establish the close, absorbing intimacy that she craved. this relationship was the sheet-anchor of her existence. Although she loved and was loved by her kindly, fuddling husband, Prince George of Denmark, it was with Sarah and Sarah alone, that passion entered in. What happened when that tigerish figure found that the Queen for all her gentleness had a will and a conscience of her own has already been described from one angle in Mr. Green's superb biography Sarah Duchess of Marlborough.

Here with all the artistry that one has come to expect from David Green is a royal biography that is at once both searching and tender. Queen Anne had much to contend with in life: the bitter divisions of her family that made her father an exile and estranged her from her sister; ill-health that left her a helpless invalid at forty; not least, the relentless malevolence with which her once dearest friend poisoned the wells of sympathy as the Queen, widowed, ailing, troubled in mind and conscience, strove gallantly to do her duty to her country and her trust. It is a touching, moving and enthralling story that cannot fail to leave the reader with a clear and convincing picture of England's most neglected queen.

Genres: Biography, History

399 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

David Green is Senior Lecturer in British Studies and History, Harlaxton College, and a regular speaker on medieval history at conferences and seminars in the UK, Ireland, and the US.

Reviews

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The single biggest argument against a hereditary monarch is genetics. In this 1970 biography of the last Stuart, David Green does his level best to be kind to the poor woman, but it is an uphill slog. As with most of the family, Anne maintained a tenacious grip upon the idea that her authority flowed from God. As with most of the family, it didn't end well. One can make a case of Charles II's having the talent to rule, but James II, Mary II and Anne are pretty much disasters. Perhaps the only comforting thing Green can say is that James II's son by Mary of Modena, the Young Pretender, was as much a dope as his stepsister. Anne was pathetically dependent upon her favorites. The most notorious and gifted of these was Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, but Green can't muster much enthusiasm for her. Who could? She was a bitch, and if she was brighter than Sarah Hill or Oxford, it doesn't really compensate for the endless scenes she made with the Queen. No one in the biography emerges with much credit, but the fact that Anne surrounded herself with such folk doesn't make her luster any more luminous.

Green writes with a fair amount of condescension for Anne (how can you not?) but there just isn't much there to make a biography all that worthwhile a read.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giving birth to 17 children and having only one survive to the age of 10, would make any biographer (let alone a reader) sympathetic to Queen Anne. Add in, her turbulent childhood,the death of her mother, her father's sham of a reign, and the sympathy level increases. But Green let's us know, that Anne created many of her own frustrations by her arrogance, stubbornness and her great reliance on Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough.

The emergence of the two-party politics, participation in the War of the Spanish Succession, and the creation of the Act of Union are three of the long-lasting events of Anne's reign. Very active in her administration and government, Anne was often thwarted in her views due to the politics of the day. Her reign did see a stability which allowed for a surge in the arts, literature and economy

Relying on letters to and from Lady Masham and the memoirs of the Duchess of Marlborough besides official documents, Green presents a well-rounded study of this much, maligned Queen.