Anne, Queen of Great Britain

Anne suffered from ill health all her life. This followed her into her later years, too. She had been pregnant 17 times in her lifetime but was unable to give the throne a natural successor. Most of her miscarriages were due to her perpetual ill health.

She loved her husband, George of Denmark, dearly. Although he was a drunkard, she seldom complained. However, her married life remained sad and unfulfilled till her death.

In the middle of 1713, her health worsened and she was unable to walk. She had a stroke on July 30, 1714, and passed away on August 1 that year.

Anne was born on February 6, 1665, at the ‘St. James Palace’ in London. She was the second daughter and the fourth child of Duke James II, and his wife, Anne Hyde. Her uncle, Charles II, was the king of England, Ireland, and Scotland. All her siblings, except her elder sister, Mary, died before they attained adulthood.

Anne remained a sickly child since the day she was born. Her illness followed her into adulthood. She caught an eye condition and often suffered from watery eyes. She was then sent to her paternal grandmother’s house in France to get treated.

Anne’s grandmother passed away in 1669, upon which she went to live with her aunt. Her aunt died the following year, after which Anne returned to England. Soon, she lost her mother.

According to the tradition in the royal houses of England, Anne and her sister, Mary, did not live with their father. They lived a few miles away, in Richmond, England. Both the sisters were raised as Protestants as instructed by their uncle, King Charles II. In 1671, she met Sarah Jennings, who remained her friend throughout her life.

James II, the duke of York, had converted into a Roman Catholic by then. This led to a slight uproar in the royal family. He married a Catholic princess named Mary of Modena, who was only six and a half years older than Anne. King Charles had no legitimate children of his own. Thus, his younger brother, the duke of York, was next in the line of succession, followed by his daughters, Mary and Anne.

Anne had a second cousin named George of Hanover, who kept visiting London around 1680 AD and was thought to be her future husband. However, the marriage did not take place. Anne’s elder sister, Mary, had already married her first cousin, William of Orange. Anne could not attend her sister’s marriage, as she was suffering from smallpox at that time.

King Charles took the responsibility of finding the best suitor for Anne, and the search ended with Prince George of Denmark. The marriage took place in 1683, and the newlywed couple was gifted the ‘Cockpit’ in the ‘Palace of Whitehall’ as their London residence.

Her childhood friend Sarah Churchill was then appointed as the “Lady of the Bedchamber.” Anne got pregnant shortly after her marriage, but the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. Anne later gave birth to two daughters, Anne and Marry Sophia, but both the daughters died shortly afterward.

The royal family was dragged into controversy, when Anne’s father, James II, turned to Roman Catholicism, along with Anne’s mother. Anne and Mary were, however, kept away from Catholicism and were raised as Protestants.

King Charles died in 1686. Soon, Anne’s father, James II, was made the king, as he was next in the line of succession. However, his adherence to the Roman Catholic faith became the biggest obstacle in his road to becoming an efficient king. He also wanted to construct a court without parliamentary intervention.

Such actions did not sit well with the parliament, and soon, there were plans to overthrow James. This led to one of the most significant events in English history, the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688.

Mary and her husband, William of Orange, were called upon by the parliament to overthrow her father. William invaded England in 1688 and overthrew James. Anne knew about these actions in advance, and she wanted to help her father. However, she was stopped by her friend Sarah Churchill, who believed not helping her father would be the best thing for Anne in the long run.

When King James came to know about Sarah’s intentions, he imprisoned her. Sarah and Anne ran away at night, and this led King James to get emotionally hurt. Both his daughters were against him now, and he fled to France.