Queen Anne was the last reigning English monarch of the House of Stuart – the same Scottish royal House that gave England James I (James VI of Scotland), Charles I & II and William & Mary). She reigned over Great Britain from 1702 until her death in 1714. Queen Anne was the daughter of the last Roman Catholic King of England, Scotland and Ireland, James II. James II abdicated during the “Glorious Revolution†when Protestant and Parliament friendly William of Orange usurped his throne. Although William was a Dutch Dude, his wife was none other than James II eldest daughter (and Anne’s older sister), Mary II of England, who co-ruled with her husband during what’s known as the reign of William & Mary. So how did Anne ascend to the throne, you ask? William and Mary had no children (and therefore no heirs), which made Anne next in the line of succession (as per the Bill of Rights of 1689). “Good Queen Anne†as she was known was a popular Queen; her reign is remembered for four main things: 1) The onset of the War of the Spanish Succession in which the English joined forces with the Austrians and Dutch in war against France over who would rule the vast Spanish Empire; 2) The powerful influence the Duck and Duchess of Marlborough (John and Sarah Churchill) had over the Queen, and their political differences (Tories vs. Whigs); 3) The Act of Union of 1707 which unified England and Scotland under one throne and Parliament; and 4) Despite 18 pregnancies, Anne had not produced an heir. She suffered many miscarriages and still-births. What children did survive beyond infancy died in their youth. As a result, Queen Anne would be succeeded by her second cousin and the grand-nephew of James I of England, George I of the House of Hanover (a German royal dynasty).
