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DorotaBabilas
UniwersytetWarszawski
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5055-2741
WhenQueenVictoriawasbornin1819,hermaternalgrandmother,theDuchess
ofSaxe-Coburg-Saalfeldwroteinaletterthat:“TheEnglishlikequeens.”1
However,itseemsthatQueenAnne(reigned:1702-1714),thelastoftheStuarts
andVictoria’spredecessorasthesovereign,despitemanygreatachievements
ofherreignhasnotattainedthekindoflegendarystatusassociatedwith
someoftheotherBritishfemalemonarchs,especiallyVictoriaandElizabeth.
TheculturalimageofQueenAnnehasbeenwholeheartedlynegative.Ever
sincethe19thcenturyshehasbeencondemnedasphysicallyunattractive,
intellectuallydull,unabletogiveherdynastyanheir,andbulliedbyan
unscrupulousbevyofambitiousfavouritesinpoliticalmatters.
AsIhavealreadyobservedinanotherarticle,therearemanycharacteristics
2
thatlinkAnnetomoreillustrious(andappreciated)queens.LikeElizabeth,
shewasthelastscionofaoncepowerfuldynasty;withherchildlessdeath
thereignoftheStuartsendedandanewroyalfamily-inthiscasethe
Hanoverians-wasinvitedtotheBritishthrone.However,unliketheVirgin
Queenwhomadeapoliticalpointofherrefusaltomarryandbearchildren,
AnnewasadevotedwifetoPrinceGeorgeofDenmarkandstroveallher
lifetoproduceoffspring.Ifmeasuredbythenumberofpregnanciesalone,
herfecunditywouldexceedevenVictoria’s.Unfortunately,whereasallof
Victoria’sninechildrenreachedadulthood,Anne’sseventeenpregnancies
mostoftenendedinmiscarriageorstillbirth,andthefewchildrenwhosurvived
diedveryyoung.ThelasthopeoftheProtestantbranchoftheStuarts,Prince
1
SydneyLee.QueenVictoria.ABiography.London1904,p.11.
2
DorotaBabilas.“QueenAnne’sCulturalAfterlife”inExploringHistory:British
CultureandSociety1700tothePresent.EssaysinHonourofProfessorEmmaHarris.
Ed.LucynaKrawczyk-Šywko.FrankfurtamMain2015,pp.11-13.
