-
Queen Anne
Mary died in 1694 of smallpox without having produced an heir. William continued to rule but did not remarry, so to determine succession and maintain a Protestant monarchy, the Act of Settlement was enacted in 1701, establishing Anne as successor to the throne. In 1702 William died and, at the age of 37, Anne was crowned queen on March 8, 1702. -
War of Spanish Succession
Anne immediately supported Spain in the War of Spanish Succession, declaring war on France on May 4, 1702. Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough, remained a close advisor—Anne appointed her husband, the Duke of Marlborough, to command the English Army in the War of Spanish Succession. Anne also helped to negotiate the Act of Union, in which Scotland and England were united as Great Britain on May 1, 1707. -
Battle of Blenhem
The Battle of Blenheim, fought on 13 August 1704, was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. The overwhelming Allied victory ensured the safety of Vienna from the Franco-Bavarian army, thus preventing the collapse of the Grand Alliance. -
Treaty of Union
The Acts took effect on 1 May 1707. On this date, the Scottish Parliament and the English Parliament united to form the Parliament of Great Britain, based in the Palace of Westminster in London, the home of the English Parliament.Hence, the Acts are referred to as the Union of the Parliaments. -
Whigs
Whigs given posts in Ministry. Union with Scotland strengthened Whigs. -
Battle of Oudenarde
The Battle of Oudenarde was a battle in the War of the Spanish Succession fought on 11 July 1708 between the forces of Great Britain, the Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire on the one side and those of France on the other. It took place at Oudenaarde (now in Belgium) and was a great victory for the allies -
Capture of Minorca
The Capture of Minorca saw the island of Minorca captured from Spain by British-Dutch forces acting on behalf of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor the Austrian claimant to the Spanish throne in September 1708 during the War of the Spanish Succession. -
King George Died
King George died in October 1708, devastating Anne and precipitating a falling out with Sarah Churchill that would gradually worsen until Anne expelled her from court after a violent quarrel in 1710. Anne had gradually replaced Sarah with Abigail Masham, who used her influence to further the Tories, who negotiated an end to the War of Spanish Succession. -
Abigail Hill (Mrs. Masham)
Gradul unpopularity of war. Sarah Churchill displaced in Queen's favour by Abigail Hill, a Tory.
Quarrel over the Church. Sacheverell incident lost the Whigs the Queen's support. -
Occasional Conformity Act (Toleration Act)
Its purpose was to prevent Nonconformists and Roman Catholics from taking "occasional" communion in the Church of England in order to become eligible for public office under the Corporation Act 1661 and the Test Act. Under these acts only members of the Church of England were allowed to hold any office of public trust. The 1711 Act was repealed in 1719. -
The Treaty of Utrechant
The Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht, is a series of individual peace treaties, signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht on March and April 1713. The treaties between several European states, including Spain, Great Britain, France, Portugal, Savoy and the Dutch Republic, helped end the war. -
Anne's Death
She died around 7:30 a.m. on 1 August 1714. John Arbuthnot, one of her doctors, thought her death was a release from a life of ill-health and tragedy
