Queen Anne: Mother of Great Britain is a documentary film which premiered on British television (BBC) in 2020.
Anne was born in 1665. She was queen for twelve years. She had two titles:
During the years 1702-1707, she was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland.
In 1707, England and Scotland were formally joined in a union which was known as Great Britain.
During the years 1707-1714, Anne was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** Hosted and presented by Lucy Worsley
** Language: English
** Subtitles: English
** Run time: 54 minutes
Before Anne became Queen, she married George who was a prince of Denmark. They were married from 1683 until his death in 1708.
Before Anne became Queen, she was pregnant seventeen times, but the result was never what she and her husband wanted:
She suffered thirteen miscarriages. Only five children were born alive, but none of them lived to be an adult. Four died as infants and one as a young child.
While Anne was queen, she was seen as a fat woman who suffered from poor health.
She was also seen as a person who was weak and ignorant.
This is why she was not well-liked.
This is why she was not shown much respect, even though she was the queen.
The typical memory of her is based on such observations.
The typical memory of her is negative.
In this film, Lucy wants to investigate the life of Queen Anne. Is the negative memory justified?
If the answer is no, why is the memory so negative? How and why was such a negative memory created, if it was not based on historical facts?
Lucy begins by presenting the situation in Parliament and at the royal court while Anne is Queen. Political parties are emerging.
By nature, Anne is a Tory, but her old friend and personal advisor Sarah Churchill – the Duchess of Marlborough – is a Whig.
Sarah is married to John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, who is also a Whig. Sarah and John are married from 1677 or 1678 until his death in 1722.
Any person who wants to meet the queen, has to get permission from Sarah who decides who is allowed and who is not allowed to meet the queen.
Sarah and Anne are old friends, but there is a conflict between them, because Sarah is a Whig, while Anne is a Tory.
Sarah is the queen’s favourite in the early years of Anne’s reign, but things begin to change in 1704 when Abigail comes to court.
Abigail is Sarah’s cousin. When she arrives, she has a low position, but after a while, she begins to climb towards a higher position.
When Abigail arrives, her last name is Hill. In 1707, she marries Samuel Masham and her last name is changed to Masham.
Sarah assumes she can control her cousin, but it turns out that she cannot do this. Why not? Because Abigail is a Tory, just like Anne, and her husband Samuel is also a Tory.
Now two women are competing to be the queen’s favourite. Sarah was there first, but Abigail wants to push Sarah out. Anne is caught in a dilemma:
** Sarah is an old friend, but she is a Tory.
** Abigail is a newcomer to the court, but she is a Whig just like Anne.
The political conflict between the Tories and the Whigs is not only in Parliament but also at the royal court.
When Lucy investigates the life of Queen Anne, she comes to an interesting conclusion:
Perhaps the negative memory of the queen is not justified?
Perhaps the negative memory is based on a campaign to place the memory of the queen in a bad light?
Was Anne fat?
Did she suffer from poor health?
The answer to these questions is yes.
Was she a weak person?
Was she an ignorant person?
The answer to these questions is no.
Anne took her role as queen very seriously. Despite her poor health, she was very active while she was queen.
She followed political affairs in Parliament. She was aware of what was happening with regard to domestic affairs and foreign affairs.
The Whigs wanted to go to war against France, while the Tories were reluctant to start a war with a powerful country.
The Whigs focused on the threat from the Catholic Church, which should be stopped, while the Tories were concerned about the high cost of a war, which might not lead to victory.
When Lucy investigates the life of Queen Anne, she learns that Anne took action to deal with two major issues regarding the future:
** The relation between England and Scotland
** The royal succession after Queen Anne
Regarding the first item
A union between England and Scotland had been proposed before, but the plan to create a union had always failed. While Anne was queen, the plan was not only proposed; it was implemented.
The people of Scotland were not asked to voice their opinion regarding this project. This issue was decided by the elite of England and the elite of Scotland.
But the point is that Anne was instrumental when this union was created.
Regarding the second item
Since Anne and her husband had not been able to produce a male heir to the throne, it was clear that Anne would be the last Stuart monarch on the throne of England.
What was going to happen after her death? What about the succession? The problem was the subject of much concern. The English elite did not want to see a Catholic king or queen on the throne of England.
A careful search for a suitable family was made. In the end it was decided that the House of Hanover was the best option.
When Queen Anne died in 1714, she was succeeded by George I. The transition from the Stuart family to the House of Hanover happened without any problems.
What is the reason for the negative memory of Queen Anne?
Where does it come from?
The constant rivalry between Sarah and her cousin Abigail ended in 1711, when Sarah was pushed out and Abigail took her place as the Queen’s favourite.
Sarah’s husband John Churchill was also banned from the court. They were both angry. They decided to leave the country and go into exile for three years.
But Sarah could not forget. Could not forgive. She wanted to take revenge on Queen Anne. She felt her former friend had betrayed her.
Her weapon was her knowledge of the queen. She began to write her memoirs. This project took more than two decades to complete.
The memoirs were written and re-written several times, before they were finally published in two volumes in 1742, only two years before she died.
Her memoirs painted a negative portrait of Queen Anne and her version of history was allowed to dominate the perception of Queen Anne for a long time.
But in recent times, a different version of Queen Anne has appeared. Other sources have been found to supplement the negative description offered by Sarah Churchill.
In this film, Lucy explains how the view of Queen Anne has changed over time. From a critical and negative view to a more nuanced view of the last member of the Stuart family on the throne of England.
What do I think about this film?
Is it interesting?
Yes.
Is it boring?
No.
Does Lucy’s investigation give us a better understanding of Queen Anne and her role in English and British history?
My answer to this question is yes.
If you are interested in English or British history, this film is definitely something for you.
PS. This film is an episode of a series called Royal Secrets and Lies hosted and presented by Lucy Worsley.
If I have to rank the six episodes of the series, I am going to do it in the following way:
Episode 1 about Queen Elizabeth I and episode 2 about Queen Anne are the best of the six.
Episode 3 about Marie Antoinette and episode 6 about the Romanovs and the Russian revolution are the worst of the six
Episode 4 about the Reformation of Henry VIII and episode 5 about Kings George III and IV and the Napoleonic War are somewhere in the middle.
REFERENCES
# 1. Books
The Life and Times of Queen Anne
By Gil Curtis
(1972)
Queen Anne
By Edward Gregg
(First edition 1980)
(Second edition 2001)
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough:
The Queen’s Favourite
By Ophelia Field
(2003)
Queen Anne: The Politics of Passion
By Anne Somerset
(2013 = Hardcover)
(2014 = Paperback)
Early Modern England 1485-1714
By Robert Bucholz and Newton Key
(Third edition 2019)
# 2. A historical drama
The Favourite
Director = Yorgos Lanthimos
Run time = 120 minutes
(2018)
*****
Anne
(1665-1714)
Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland
1702-1707
Queen of Great Britain and Ireland
1707-1714
*****
Sarah Churchill
Duchess of Marlborough
(1660-1744)
*****
Abigail Masham
Baroness Masham
(ca. 1670-1734)
*****
Blenheim Palace
Named after the Battle of Blenheim (1704)
Construction began in 1705
Completed in 1722
This is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough
Sir Winston Churchill was born in this place in 1874
*****
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