Queen Anne's Favorites
Abstract (300 words maximum)
My topic will discuss the reign of Queen Anne of Great Britain during the early eighteenth century. More specifically, her relationships with Sarah Churchill and Abigail Masham. My central question is why did Whigs and Tories respond in such ways that made Queen Anne seem to be so influenced by her favorites that their relationships shaped the way of the nation? These relationships were regarded by both Whig and Tory politicians as relationships that could decide the fate of the nation. Some even called into question the nature of these relationships being sexual. During Queen Anne’s reign, Sarah Churchill was her first “favorite” during this time, she had Whig advisors. However, once that relationship deteriorated and Sarah’s cousin Abigail Masham became the new “favorite,” Queen Anne changed her advisors to Tory politicians and started to favor Tory’s political thought. Politicians did not believe Queen Anne had her own political ideas and was easily influenced by her favorites, which explained Queen Anne’s sudden change in political favor. Queen Anne was not researched as her own person until recently; this paper adds to the historiography by looking at Queen Anne from a different perspective. I pull from a large number of primary sources from the Kennesaw State Library, GILexpress, Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO), and Early English Books Online (EEBO). I conclude that Queen Anne did have her own political thoughts and was not as easily influenced as her contemporaries thought her to be. It can be seen in the rhetoric that morphed from the reign of Charles II to fit the supposed homosexual relationships that Queen Anne had.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - History & Philosophy
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Amy Dunagin
Queen Anne's Favorites
My topic will discuss the reign of Queen Anne of Great Britain during the early eighteenth century. More specifically, her relationships with Sarah Churchill and Abigail Masham. My central question is why did Whigs and Tories respond in such ways that made Queen Anne seem to be so influenced by her favorites that their relationships shaped the way of the nation? These relationships were regarded by both Whig and Tory politicians as relationships that could decide the fate of the nation. Some even called into question the nature of these relationships being sexual. During Queen Anne’s reign, Sarah Churchill was her first “favorite” during this time, she had Whig advisors. However, once that relationship deteriorated and Sarah’s cousin Abigail Masham became the new “favorite,” Queen Anne changed her advisors to Tory politicians and started to favor Tory’s political thought. Politicians did not believe Queen Anne had her own political ideas and was easily influenced by her favorites, which explained Queen Anne’s sudden change in political favor. Queen Anne was not researched as her own person until recently; this paper adds to the historiography by looking at Queen Anne from a different perspective. I pull from a large number of primary sources from the Kennesaw State Library, GILexpress, Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO), and Early English Books Online (EEBO). I conclude that Queen Anne did have her own political thoughts and was not as easily influenced as her contemporaries thought her to be. It can be seen in the rhetoric that morphed from the reign of Charles II to fit the supposed homosexual relationships that Queen Anne had.