156-560: The Act of Settlement ( 12 & 13 Will. 3 . c. 2) is an act of the Parliament of England that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to only Protestants , which passed in 1701. More specifically, anyone who became a Roman Catholic, or who married one, became disqualified to inherit the throne. This had the effect of deposing the remaining descendants of Charles I , other than his Protestant granddaughter Anne , as
312-505: A denizen (unless born of English parents), can be a Privy Councillor or a member of either House of Parliament, or hold "any Office or Place of Trust, either Civill [ sic ] or Military, or to [ sic ] have any Grant of Lands, Tenements or Hereditaments from the Crown, to himself or to any other or others in Trust for him". Subsequent nationality laws (today primarily
468-583: A Canadian civic politician, took issue with the provisions that exclude Roman Catholics from the throne, and which make the monarch of Canada the Supreme Governor of the Church of England , requiring him or her to be an Anglican . This, he claimed, discriminated against non-Anglicans, including Catholics, who are the largest faith group in Canada. In 2002, O'Donohue launched a court action that argued
624-680: A Roman Catholic Canadian. (In fact, Lord St Andrews had already lost his place in the line of succession when he married the Roman Catholic Canadian Sylvana Palma Tomaselli in 1988. But St Andrews' place in the line of succession was significantly lower than Phillips'.) Criticism of the Act of Settlement due to the Phillips–Kelly marriage was muted when Autumn Kelly converted to Anglicanism shortly before her marriage, thus preserving her husband's place in
780-531: A Roman Catholic and a Canadian, discussion about the Act of Settlement was revived. Norman Spector called in The Globe and Mail for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to address the issue of the Act's bar on Catholics, saying Phillips' marriage to Kelly would be the first time the provisions of the Act would bear directly on Canada—Phillips would be barred from acceding to the Canadian throne because he married
936-555: A Roman Catholic crown would be the destruction of the Church of England because "it would contradict the essential character of that church." He continued: When Thomas Hobbes wrote that "the Papacy is no other than the ghost of the deceased Roman Empire sitting crowned upon the grave thereof", he was promulgating an enormously important truth. Authority in the Roman Church is the exertion of that imperium from which England in
1092-590: A Roman Catholic monarch would be unable to be crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury and notes that other European states have similar religious provisions for their monarchs: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, whose constitutions compel their monarchs to be Lutherans ; the Netherlands, which has a constitution requiring its monarchs be members of the Protestant House of Orange ; and Belgium, which has
1248-439: A back staircase, putting themselves under the care of Bishop Compton. They spent one night in his house, and subsequently arrived at Nottingham on 1 December. Two weeks later and escorted by a large company, Anne arrived at Oxford , where she met George in triumph. "God help me!", lamented James on discovering Anne's desertion on 26 November, "Even my children have forsaken me." On 19 December, Anne returned to London, where she
1404-425: A bawdy poem written by a Whig propagandist, probably Arthur Maynwaring , that implied a lesbian relationship between Anne and Abigail. The Duchess wrote to Anne telling her she had damaged her reputation by conceiving "a great passion for such a woman ... strange and unaccountable". Sarah thought Abigail had risen above her station, writing "I never thought her education was such as to make her fit company for
1560-640: A constitution that provides for the succession to be through Roman Catholic houses. In December 2004, a private member's bill—the Succession to the Crown Bill —was introduced in the House of Lords. The government, headed by Tony Blair , blocked all attempts to revise the succession laws, claiming it would raise too many constitutional issues and it was unnecessary at the time. In the British general election
1716-535: A covering note continuing the argument, Anne wrote back pointedly, "After the commands you gave me on the thanksgiving day of not answering you, I should not have troubled you with these lines, but to return the Duke of Marlborough's letter safe into your hands, and for the same reason do not say anything to that, nor to yours which enclosed it." Anne was devastated by Prince George's death in October 1708, and it proved
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#17327732053981872-533: A day of mourning every year on the anniversary of his death. With William childless and Gloucester dead, Anne was the only person remaining in the line of succession established by the Bill of Rights 1689 . To address the succession crisis and preclude a Catholic restoration, the Parliament of England enacted the Act of Settlement 1701 , which provided that, failing the issue of Anne and of William III by any future marriage,
2028-500: A few months after the Act received royal assent, and his Roman Catholic children, Prince James ( The Old Pretender ) and the Princess Royal , the Act also excluded the descendants of Princess Henrietta , the youngest sister of James II. Henrietta's daughter was Anne , Queen of Sardinia, a Roman Catholic, from whom descend all Jacobite pretenders after 1807. With the legitimate descendants of Charles I either childless (in
2184-467: A future marriage. On 24 July 1689, Anne gave birth to a son, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester , who, though ill, survived infancy. As William and Mary had no children, it looked as though Anne's son would eventually inherit the Crown. Soon after their accession, William and Mary rewarded John Churchill by granting him the Earldom of Marlborough and George was made Duke of Cumberland . Anne requested
2340-536: A granddaughter of James VI and I and a niece of King Charles I – and her descendants, but it excluded "for ever" "all and every Person and Persons who ... is are or shall be reconciled to or shall hold Communion with the See or Church of Rome or shall profess the Popish Religion or shall marry a Papist". Thus, those who were Roman Catholics, and those who married Roman Catholics, were barred from ascending
2496-693: A great lady of [Abigail], and should lose a useful servant". On the same day, Marlborough was dismissed as commander of the army. The peace treaty was ratified and Britain's military involvement in the War of the Spanish Succession ended. By signing the Treaty of Utrecht, Louis XIV of France recognised the Hanoverian succession in Britain. Nevertheless, gossip that Anne and her ministers favoured
2652-415: A great queen. Many people have liked the humour of their chambermaids and have been very kind to them, but 'tis very uncommon to hold a private correspondence with them and put them upon the foot of a friend." While some modern commentators have concluded Anne was a lesbian, most have rejected this analysis. In the opinion of Anne's biographers, she considered Abigail nothing more than a trusted servant and
2808-462: A lower place in the line of succession, and the two reconciled publicly. He restored her previous honours, allowed her to reside in St James's Palace, and gave her Mary's jewels, but excluded her from government and refrained from appointing her regent during his absences abroad. Three months later, William restored Marlborough to his offices. With Anne's restoration at court, Berkeley House became
2964-476: A mighty hunter like Nimrod ". She gained weight as a result of her sedentary lifestyle; in Sarah's words, "she grew exceeding gross and corpulent. There was something of majesty in her look, but mixed with a gloominess of soul". Sir John Clerk, 1st Baronet , described her in 1706: under a fit of the gout and in extreme pain and agony, and on this occasion everything about her was much in the same disorder as about
3120-573: A mockery. The Queen, increasingly disdainful of the Marlboroughs and her ministry, finally took the opportunity to dismiss Sunderland in June 1710. Godolphin followed in August. The Junto Whigs were removed from office, although Marlborough, for the moment, remained as commander of the army. In their place, she appointed a new ministry headed by Harley , which began to seek peace with France. Unlike
3276-612: A motion in 1999 calling for the complete removal of any discrimination linked to the monarchy and the repeal of the Act of Settlement. The following year, The Guardian challenged the succession law in court, claiming that it violated the European Convention on Human Rights , which provides, The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Convention shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with
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#17327732053983432-520: A national minority, property, birth, or other status. As the Convention nowhere lists the right to succeed to the Crown as a human right, the challenge was rejected. Adrian Hilton , writing in The Spectator in 2003, defended the Act of Settlement as not "irrational prejudice or blind bigotry", but claimed that it was passed because "the nation had learnt that when a Roman Catholic monarch
3588-702: A parliamentary bill, although her action was barely commented upon at the time. The invasion fleet never landed and was chased away by British ships commanded by Sir George Byng . As a result of the Jacobite invasion scare, support for the Tories fell and the Whigs were able to secure a majority in the 1708 British general election . The Duchess of Marlborough was angered when Abigail moved into rooms at Kensington Palace that Sarah considered her own, though she rarely if ever used them. In July 1708, she came to court with
3744-414: A pension from the Crown, was to be a Member of Parliament. This provision was inserted to avoid unwelcome royal influence over the House of Commons. It remains in force, but with several exceptions; ministers of the Crown were exempted early on before Anne's death in order to continue some degree of royal patronage, but had to stand for a by-election to re-enter the House upon such appointment until 1926. As
3900-527: A potential marriage between them. Historian Edward Gregg dismissed the rumours as ungrounded, as her father was essentially exiled from court, and the Hanoverians planned to marry George to his first cousin Sophia Dorothea of Celle as part of a scheme to unite the Hanoverian inheritance. Other rumours claimed she was courted by Lord Mulgrave , although he denied it. Nevertheless, as a result of
4056-657: A public show of support for the Marlboroughs, Anne took Sarah to a social event at the palace, and refused her sister's request to dismiss Sarah from her household. Lady Marlborough was subsequently removed from the royal household by the Lord Chamberlain , and Anne angrily left her royal lodgings and took up residence at Syon House , the home of the Duke of Somerset . Anne was stripped of her guard of honour; courtiers were forbidden to visit her, and civic authorities were instructed to ignore her. In April, Anne gave birth to
4212-505: A rival political faction. From around this time, at Anne's request she and Sarah Churchill, Lady Marlborough, began to call each other the pet names Mrs. Morley and Mrs. Freeman, respectively, to facilitate a relationship of greater equality between the two when they were alone. In January 1692, suspecting that Marlborough was secretly conspiring with James's followers, the Jacobites , William and Mary dismissed him from all his offices. In
4368-804: A side effect, this provision means that members of the Commons seeking to resign from parliament can get around the prohibition on resignation by obtaining a sinecure in the control of the Crown; while several offices have historically been used for this purpose, two are currently in use: appointments generally alternate between the stewardships of the Chiltern Hundreds and of the Manor of Northstead . Seventh, judges' commissions are valid quamdiu se bene gesserint (during good behaviour) and if they do not behave themselves, they can be removed only by both Houses of Parliament (or in other Commonwealth realms
4524-511: A single kingdom called Great Britain, with one parliament, on 1 May 1707. A consistent and ardent supporter of union despite opposition on both sides of the border, Anne attended a thanksgiving service in St Paul's Cathedral . The Scot Sir John Clerk, 1st Baronet , who also attended, wrote, "nobody on this occasion appeared more sincerely devout and thankful than the Queen herself". Anne's reign
4680-470: A social centre for courtiers who had previously avoided contact with Anne and her husband. According to James, Anne wrote to him in 1696 requesting his permission to succeed William, and thereafter promising to restore the Crown to James's line at a convenient opportunity; he declined to give his consent. She was probably trying to ensure her own succession by attempting to prevent a direct claim by James. Anne's final pregnancy ended on 25 January 1700 with
4836-604: A son who died within minutes. Mary visited her, but instead of offering comfort took the opportunity to berate Anne once again for her friendship with Sarah. The sisters never saw each other again. Later that year, Anne moved to Berkeley House in Piccadilly , London, where she had a stillborn daughter in March 1693. When Mary died of smallpox in 1694, William continued to reign alone. Anne became his heir apparent , since any children he might have by another wife were assigned to
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4992-512: A son, James Francis Edward Stuart , on 10 June 1688, and a Catholic succession became more likely. Anne was still at Bath, so she did not witness the birth, which fed the belief that the child was spurious. Anne may have left the capital deliberately to avoid being present, or because she was genuinely ill, but it is also possible that James desired the exclusion of all Protestants, including his daughter, from affairs of state. "I shall never now be satisfied", Anne wrote to her sister Mary, "whether
5148-518: A stillbirth. She had been pregnant at least 17 times over as many years, and had miscarried or given birth to stillborn children at least 12 times. Of her five liveborn children, four died before the age of two. Anne experienced bouts of " gout " (pains in her limbs and eventually stomach and head) from at least 1698. Based on her foetal losses and physical symptoms, she may have had systemic lupus erythematosus , or antiphospholipid syndrome . Alternatively, pelvic inflammatory disease could explain why
5304-466: A turning point in her relationship with the Duchess of Marlborough. The Duchess arrived at Kensington Palace shortly before George died, and after his death insisted that Anne leave Kensington for St James's Palace against her wishes. Anne resented the Duchess's intrusive actions, which included removing a portrait of George from the Queen's bedchamber and then refusing to return it in the belief that it
5460-558: A year. She sponsored high-quality medals as rewards for political or military achievements. They were produced at the Mint by Isaac Newton and John Croker . She knighted Newton when she visited Cambridge in 1705. While Ireland was subordinate to the English Crown and Wales formed part of the kingdom of England, Scotland remained an independent sovereign state with its own parliament and laws. The Act of Settlement 1701 , passed by
5616-523: Is a list of acts of the Parliament of England for the year 1700 . For acts passed during the period 1707–1800, see the list of acts of the Parliament of Great Britain . See also the list of acts of the Parliament of Scotland , and the list of acts of the Parliament of Ireland . For acts passed from 1801 onwards, see the list of acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . For acts of
5772-537: Is a complex process, since the act governs the shared succession of all the Commonwealth realms . The Statute of Westminster 1931 acknowledges by established convention that any changes to the rules of succession may be made only with the agreement of all of the states involved, with concurrent amendments to be made by each state's parliament or parliaments. Further, as the current monarch's eldest child and, in turn, his eldest child, are Anglican males, any change to
5928-463: Is not anything you can expect or desire from me which I shall not be ready to do for the happiness and prosperity of England." Soon after her accession, Anne appointed her husband Lord High Admiral , giving him nominal control of the Royal Navy . Anne gave control of the army to Lord Marlborough, whom she appointed Captain-General . Marlborough also received numerous honours from the Queen; he
6084-617: Is now Lower Saxony (Germany), then part of the Holy Roman Empire . This provision has been dormant since Queen Victoria ascended the throne, because she did not inherit Hanover under the Salic Laws of the German-speaking states. Third, no monarch may leave "the dominions of England , Scotland , or Ireland ", without the consent of Parliament. This provision was repealed in 1716, at the request of George I who
6240-450: Is upon the throne, religious and civil liberty is lost." He points to the Pope's claiming universal jurisdiction, and Hilton argues that "it would be intolerable to have, as the sovereign of a Protestant and free country, one who owes any allegiance to the head of any other state" and contends that, if such situation came about, "we will have undone centuries of common law." He said that because
6396-461: The Act of Union 1707 . This success was in marked contrast to the four attempts at political union between 1606 and 1689, which all failed owing to a lack of political will in both kingdoms. By virtue of Article II of the Treaty of Union , which defined the succession to the throne of Great Britain, the Act of Settlement became part of Scots law as well. In addition to excluding James II , who died
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6552-406: The Bill of Rights 1689 , the Act of Settlement remains today one of the main constitutional laws governing the succession not only to the throne of the United Kingdom , but to those of the other Commonwealth realms , whether by assumption or by patriation . The Act of Settlement cannot be altered in any realm except by that realm's own parliament and, by convention , only with the consent of all
6708-562: The British Nationality Act 1981 ) made naturalised citizens the equal of those native born, and excluded Commonwealth citizens from the definition of foreigners, and citizens of the Irish Republic from the definition of aliens, but otherwise this provision still applies. It has however been disapplied in particular cases by a number of other statutes. Sixth, no person who has an office under the monarch, or receives
6864-522: The Chapel Royal at St James's, her older sister, Mary , was one of her godparents, along with the Duchess of Monmouth and the Archbishop of Canterbury , Gilbert Sheldon . Anne's parents had eight children, but Anne and Mary were the only ones to survive into adulthood. As a child, Anne had an eye condition, which manifested as excessive watering known as "defluxion". For medical treatment, she
7020-466: The Earl of Scarsdale and three others. While many shared their opposition to a "foreign" king, the general feeling was summed up as "better a German prince than a French one". Monarch : Charles III For different reasons, various constitutionalists have praised the Act of Settlement: Henry Hallam called the Act "the seal of our constitutional laws" and David Lindsay Keir placed its importance above
7176-627: The Holy Roman Empire . To also give him the Spanish throne was no longer in Britain's interests, but the proposed Peace of Utrecht submitted to Parliament for ratification did not go as far as the Whigs wanted to curb Bourbon ambitions. In the House of Commons , the Tory majority was unassailable, but the same was not true in the House of Lords . The Whigs secured the support of the Earl of Nottingham against
7332-582: The List of ordinances and acts of the Parliament of England, 1642–1660 for ordinances and acts passed by the Long Parliament and other bodies without royal assent , and which were not considered to be valid legislation following the Restoration in 1660. The number shown after each act's title is its chapter number. Acts are cited using this number, preceded by the years of the reign during which
7488-461: The Test Acts , legislation that restricted public office to Anglican conformists . The existing law permitted nonconformists to take office if they took Anglican communion once a year. Anne's husband was placed in an unfortunate position when Anne forced him to vote for the bill, even though, being a Lutheran , he was an occasional conformist himself. The Whigs successfully blocked the bill for
7644-719: The War of the Spanish Succession , in which England, Austria, and the Dutch Republic fought against France and Bourbon Spain . Charles II of Spain had died childless in 1700, and the succession was disputed by two claimants: the Habsburg Archduke Charles of Austria and the Bourbon Philip, Duke of Anjou . She took a lively interest in affairs of state, and was a patron of theatre, poetry and music. She subsidised George Frideric Handel with £200
7800-466: The Whigs . The Whigs grew more powerful during the course of the War of the Spanish Succession , until 1710 when Anne dismissed many of them from office. Her close friendship with Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough , turned sour as the result of political differences. The Duchess took revenge with an unflattering description of the Queen in her memoirs, which was widely accepted by historians until Anne
7956-460: The 16th century finally and decisively declared its national independence as the alter imperium , the "other empire", of which Henry VIII declared "This realm of England is an empire" ... It would signal the beginning of the end of the British monarchy. It would portend the eventual surrender of everything that has made us, and keeps us still, a nation. The Scottish Parliament unanimously passed
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#17327732053988112-530: The Act catalysing the Union of England and Scotland . However, the Parliament of Scotland was more reluctant to abandon the House of Stuart, members of which had been Scottish monarchs long before they became English. Moreover, the Act also placed limits on both the role of foreigners in the British government and the power of the monarch with respect to the Parliament of England, though some of those provisions have been altered by subsequent legislation. Along with
8268-611: The Act of Settlement by passing the Act of Security , which gave the Estates the power, if the Queen had no further children, to choose the next Scottish monarch from among the Protestant descendants of the royal line of Scotland. The individual chosen by the Estates could not be the same person who came to the English throne, unless England granted full freedom of trade to Scottish merchants. At first, Anne withheld royal assent to
8424-520: The Act of Settlement violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms , but, the case was dismissed by the court. It found that, as the Act of Settlement is part of the Canadian constitution, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as another part of the same constitution, does not have supremacy over it. Also, the court noted that, while Canada has the power to amend the line of succession to
8580-461: The Act of Settlement was received into the laws of all the countries and territories over which the British monarch reigned. It remains part of the laws of the 15 Commonwealth realms and the relevant jurisdictions within those realms. In accordance with established convention, the Statute of Westminster 1931 and later laws, the Act of Settlement (along with the other laws governing the succession of
8736-567: The Act of Settlement, and, in response, passed the Act of Security in 1704, through which Scotland reserved the right to choose its own successor to Queen Anne . Stemming from this, the Parliament of England decided that, to ensure the stability and future prosperity of Great Britain, full union of the two parliaments and nations was essential before Anne's death. It used a combination of exclusionary legislation (the Alien Act 1705 ), politics, and bribery to achieve this within three years under
8892-589: The Admiralty . Anne appointed the moderate Earl of Pembroke , on 29 November 1708. Pressure mounted on Pembroke, Godolphin and the Queen from the dissatisfied Junto Whigs, and Pembroke resigned after less than a year in office. Another month of arguments followed before the Queen finally consented to put Orford in control of the Admiralty as First Lord in November 1709. Sarah continued to berate Anne for her friendship with Abigail and, in October 1709, Anne wrote to
9048-554: The Bill of Rights of 1689. Naamani Tarkow wrote: "If one is to make sweeping statements, one may say that, save Magna Carta (more truly, its implications), the Act of Settlement is probably the most significant statute in English history". The Act of Settlement was, in many ways, the major cause of the union of Scotland with England and Wales to form the Kingdom of Great Britain . The Parliament of Scotland had not been consulted about
9204-419: The British throne". Ashdown claimed the Prince said: "I really can't think why we can't have Catholics on the throne". In 1998, during debate on a Succession to the Crown Bill , Junior Home Office Minister Lord Williams of Mostyn informed the House of Lords that the Queen had "no objection to the Government's view that in determining the line of succession to the throne, daughters and sons should be treated in
9360-466: The Canadian throne, the Statute of Westminster stipulates that the agreement of the governments of the fifteen other Commonwealth realms that share the Crown would first have to be sought if Canada wished to continue its relationship with these countries. An appeal of the decision was dismissed on 16 March 2005. Some commentators state that, as a result of this, any single provincial legislature could hinder any attempts to change this Act, and by extension, to
9516-428: The Catholic faith, Anne burst into tears. "[T]he doctrine of the Church of Rome is wicked and dangerous", she wrote to her sister, "their ceremonies—most of them—plain downright idolatry." Anne became estranged from her father and stepmother, as James moved to weaken the Church of England's power. In early 1687, within a matter of days, Anne miscarried, her husband caught smallpox, and their two young daughters died of
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#17327732053989672-408: The Churchills, she refused to side with James after William landed and instead wrote to William on 18 November declaring her approval of his action. Churchill abandoned the unpopular King James on the 24th. George followed suit that night, and in the evening of the following day James issued orders to place Sarah Churchill under house arrest at St James's Palace. Anne and Sarah fled from Whitehall by
9828-436: The Commons in Parliament". This meant in effect that no pardon by the monarch was to save someone from being impeached by the House of Commons. The Tory administration that replaced the Whig Junto in 1699 took responsibility for steering the Act through Parliament. As a result, it passed with little opposition, although five peers voted against it in the House of Lords, including the Earl of Huntingdon , his brother-in-law
9984-399: The Commonwealth realms) may only be changed with the agreement of all the realms (and, in some federal realms, the constituent members of those federations). The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 changed many provisions of this Act. Challenges have been made against the Act of Settlement, especially its provisions regarding Roman Catholics and preference for males . However, changing the act
10140-492: The Crown of England and Ireland would go to Sophia, Electress of Hanover , and her Protestant descendants. Sophia was the granddaughter of James VI and I through his daughter Elizabeth , who was the sister of Anne's grandfather Charles I . Over 50 Catholics with stronger claims were excluded from the line of succession. Anne's father died in September 1701. His widow, the former queen, wrote to Anne to inform her that her father forgave her and to remind her of her promise to seek
10296-401: The Duchess of Marlborough, incessantly badgered the Queen to appoint more Whigs and reduce the power of the Tories, whom she considered little better than Jacobites, and the Queen became increasingly discontented with her. In 1706, Godolphin and the Marlboroughs forced Anne to accept Lord Sunderland, a Junto Whig and the Marlboroughs' son-in-law, as Harley's colleague as Secretary of State for
10452-464: The Duke of Marlborough asking that his wife "leave off teasing & tormenting me & behave herself with the decency she ought both to her friend and Queen". On Maundy Thursday 6 April 1710, Anne and Sarah saw each other for the last time. According to Sarah, the Queen was taciturn and formal, repeating the same phrases—"Whatever you have to say you may put in writing" and "You said you desired no answer, and I shall give you none"—over and over. As
10608-458: The Electress Sophia who had been ineligible to succeed on this ground is George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews , the elder son of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent , who married the Roman Catholic Sylvana Palma Tomaselli in 1988. His son, Lord Downpatrick , converted to Roman Catholicism in 2003 and is the most senior descendant of Sophia to be barred as a result of his religion. In 2008 his daughter, Lady Marina Windsor , also converted to Catholicism and
10764-561: The English Parliament, applied in the kingdoms of England and Ireland but not Scotland, where a strong minority wished to preserve the Stuart dynasty and its right of inheritance to the throne. Anne had declared it "very necessary" to conclude a union of England and Scotland in her first speech to the English Parliament, and a joint Anglo-Scots commission met at her former residence, the Cockpit, to discuss terms in October 1702. The negotiations broke up in early February 1703 having failed to reach an agreement. The Estates of Scotland responded to
10920-453: The High Tories, who opposed British involvement in the land war against France, were removed from office. Godolphin, Marlborough, and Harley, who had replaced Nottingham as Secretary of State for the Northern Department , formed a ruling "triumvirate". They were forced to rely more and more on support from the Whigs, and particularly from the Whig Junto —Lords Somers , Halifax , Orford , Wharton and Sunderland —whom Anne disliked. Sarah,
11076-399: The Marlboroughs insisted that the Queen had to either dismiss Harley or do without their services. When the Queen seemed to hesitate, Marlborough and Godolphin refused to attend a cabinet meeting. Harley attempted to lead business without his former colleagues, and several of those present including Charles Seymour, Duke of Somerset refused to participate until they returned. Her hand forced,
11232-460: The Protestant descendants of William III by a possible later marriage should he outlive Mary. During the debate, the House of Lords had attempted to append Sophia and her descendants to the line of succession, but the amendment failed in the Commons. Mary II died childless in 1694, after which William III did not remarry. In 1700, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester , who was Anne's only child to survive infancy, died of what may have been smallpox at
11388-586: The Queen dismissed Harley. The following month, Anne's Catholic half-brother, James Francis Edward Stuart , attempted to land in Scotland with French assistance in an attempt to establish himself as king. Anne withheld royal assent from the Scottish Militia Bill 1708 in case the militia raised in Scotland was disloyal and sided with the Jacobites. She was the last British sovereign to veto
11544-589: The Queen shall extend to Her Majesty's heirs and successors in the sovereignty of the United Kingdom." Anne Twomey reviews three possible interpretations of the clause. However, Twomey expresses confidence that, if the High Court of Australia were to be faced with the problems of covering clause 2, it would find some way to conclude that, with regard to Australia, the clause is subject solely to Australian law. Canadian scholar Richard Toporoski theorised in 1998 that "if, let us say, an alteration were to be made in
11700-547: The Roman Catholic Church does not recognise the Church of England as an apostolic church , a Roman Catholic monarch who abided by their faith's doctrine would be obliged to view Anglican and Church of Scotland archbishops, bishops, and clergy as part of the laity and therefore "lacking the ordained authority to preach and celebrate the sacraments." (Hilton noted that the Church of Scotland's Presbyterian polity does not include bishops or archbishops.) Hilton said
11856-509: The Royal Family (that is, with the style of Royal Highness ) has converted to Roman Catholicism since the passage of the Act: the Duchess of Kent , wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent , who converted on 14 January 1994, but her husband did not lose his place in the succession because she was an Anglican at the time of their marriage. As well as being part of the law of the United Kingdom,
12012-475: The Southern Department . Although this strengthened the ministry's position in Parliament, it weakened the ministry's position with the Queen, as Anne became increasingly irritated with Godolphin and with her former favourite, the Duchess of Marlborough, for supporting Sunderland and other Whig candidates for vacant government and church positions. The Queen turned for private advice to Harley, who
12168-538: The United Kingdom to the Act of Settlement 1701, providing for the succession of the Crown... [i]t is my opinion that the domestic constitutional law of Australia or Papua New Guinea, for example, would provide for the succession in those countries of the same person who became Sovereign of the United Kingdom." In practice, when legislating for the Perth Agreement (see below), the Australian governments took
12324-535: The Whigs, Harley and his ministry were ready to compromise by giving Spain to the Bourbon claimant, Philip of Anjou, in return for commercial concessions. In the parliamentary elections that soon followed his appointment, Harley, aided by government patronage, secured a large Tory majority. In January 1711, Anne forced Sarah to resign her court offices, and Abigail took over as Keeper of the Privy Purse. Harley
12480-546: The act's passing the most senior living member of the royal family to have married a Roman Catholic, and thereby to have been removed from the line of succession, is Prince Michael of Kent , who married Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz in 1978; he was fifteenth in the line of succession at the time. He was restored to the line of succession in 2015 when the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 came into force, and became 34th in line. The next most senior living descendant of
12636-543: The act, but she granted it the following year when the Estates threatened to withhold supply, endangering Scottish support for England's wars. In its turn, the English Parliament responded with the Alien Act 1705 , which threatened to impose economic sanctions and declare Scottish subjects aliens in England, unless Scotland either repealed the Act of Security or moved to unite with England. The Estates chose
12792-427: The age of 11. Thus, Anne was left as the only person in line to the throne. The Bill of Rights excluded Catholics from the throne, which ruled out James II and his children (as well as their descendants) sired after he converted to Catholicism in 1668. However, it did not provide for the further succession after Anne. Parliament thus saw the need to settle the succession on Sophia and her descendants, and thereby guarantee
12948-553: The approach of the states requesting, and referring power to, the federal government to enact the legislation on behalf of the states (under paragraph 51(xxxviii) of the Australian Constitution) and the Commonwealth of Australia. [REDACTED] Canada portal In Canada, where the Act of Settlement ( French : Acte d'établissement ) is now a part of Canadian constitutional law , Tony O'Donohue ,
13104-416: The case of his two grand-daughters the late Queen Mary II and her successor Queen Anne ) or Roman Catholic, Parliament's choice was limited to Sophia of Hanover, the Protestant daughter of the late Elizabeth of Bohemia , the only other child of King James I to have survived childhood. Elizabeth had borne nine children who reached adulthood, of whom Sophia was the youngest daughter. However in 1701 Sophia
13260-417: The child be true or false. It may be it is our brother, but God only knows ... one cannot help having a thousand fears and melancholy thoughts, but whatever changes may happen you shall ever find me firm to my religion and faithfully yours." To dispel rumours of a supposititious child, James had 40 witnesses to the birth attend a Privy Council meeting, but Anne claimed she could not attend because she
13416-501: The consternation of the English people, James began to give Catholics military and administrative offices, in contravention of the Test Acts that were designed to prevent such appointments. Anne shared the general concern, and continued to attend Anglican services. As her sister Mary lived in the Netherlands, Anne and her family were the only members of the royal family attending Protestant religious services in England. When her father tried to get Anne to baptise her youngest daughter into
13572-480: The continuity of the Crown in the Protestant line. With religion and lineage initially decided, the ascendancy of William of Orange in 1689 would also bring his partiality to his Dutch favourites that followed. By 1701, anti-Dutch sentiment was widespread in England and action was considered necessary. The Act of Settlement provided that the throne would pass to the Electress Sophia of Hanover –
13728-563: The devolved parliaments and assemblies in the United Kingdom, see the list of acts of the Scottish Parliament , the list of acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly , and the list of acts and measures of Senedd Cymru ; see also the list of acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland . For medieval statutes, etc. that are not considered to be acts of Parliament, see the list of English statutes . See also
13884-468: The duration of the parliamentary session. Anne reinstituted the traditional religious practice of touching for the king's evil that had been eschewed by William as papist superstition. After the Great Storm of 1703 , Anne declared a general fast to implore God "to pardon the crying sins of this nation which had drawn down this sad judgement". The Occasional Conformity Bill was revived in the wake of
14040-591: The expensive War of the Spanish Succession grew unpopular, so did the Whig administration. The impeachment of Henry Sacheverell , a high church Tory Anglican who had preached anti-Whig sermons, led to further public discontent. Anne thought Sacheverell ought to be punished for questioning the Glorious Revolution, but that his punishment should only be a mild one to prevent further public commotion. In London, riots broke out in support of Sacheverell, but
14196-480: The first day of the session in which they were passed. Because of this, the years given in the list below may in fact be the year before a particular act was passed. The 5th Parliament of William III which met from 6 February 1701 until 11 November 1701. This session was also traditionally cited as 12 & 13 Gul. 3 or 12 & 13 W. 3 . Anne, Queen of Great Britain Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714)
14352-504: The first time since James's accession. In letters to her sister Mary, Anne raised suspicions that the Queen was faking her pregnancy in an attempt to introduce a false heir. She wrote, "they will stick at nothing, be it never so wicked, if it will promote their interest ... there may be foul play intended." Anne had another miscarriage in April 1688, and left London to recuperate in the spa town of Bath . Anne's stepmother gave birth to
14508-582: The following year , Michael Howard promised to work towards having the prohibition removed if the Conservative Party gained a majority of seats in the House of Commons, but the election was won by Blair's Labour Party . Four years later, plans drawn up by Chris Bryant were revealed that would end the exclusion of Catholics from the throne and end the doctrine of male-preference primogeniture in favour of absolute primogeniture, which governs succession solely on birth order and not on sex. The issue
14664-459: The gossip, he was temporarily dismissed from court. With George of Hanover out of contention as a suitor for Anne, King Charles looked elsewhere for an eligible prince who would be welcomed as a groom by his Protestant subjects but also acceptable to his Catholic ally Louis XIV of France . The Danes were Protestant allies of the French, and Louis XIV was keen on an Anglo-Danish alliance to contain
14820-478: The idea and it was reported that the government of New Zealand did, as well. The Monarchist League of Canada said at the time to the media that it "supports amending the Act of Settlement in order to modernize the succession rules." Later the same year, the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nick Clegg , announced that the government was considering a change in the law. At approximately
14976-462: The inability of William and Mary, as well as of Mary's Protestant sister (the future Queen Anne), to produce any surviving children, and by the perceived threat posed by the pretensions to the throne by remaining Roman Catholic members of the House of Stuart . The act played a key role in the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain as, though England and Scotland had shared a monarch since 1603, they had remained separately governed countries, with
15132-534: The independence of the Church of England from Roman Catholicism under the English monarch. One of the principal factors which contributed to the Glorious Revolution was the perceived assaults made on the Church of England by King James II , a Roman Catholic, who was deposed in favour of his Protestant daughter Mary II and her husband William III . The need for this Act of Settlement was prompted by
15288-599: The influence of his other son-in-law, William of Orange, who was naturally unhappy at the match. Bishop Compton officiated at Anne and George's wedding on 28 July 1683 in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace. Although it was an arranged marriage, they were faithful and devoted partners. They were given a set of buildings, known as the Cockpit , in the Palace of Whitehall as their London residence, and Sarah Churchill
15444-626: The instructions of Charles II, they were raised as Protestants, despite their father being a Catholic. Placed in the care of Colonel Edward and Lady Frances Villiers , their education was focused on the teachings of the Anglican church. Henry Compton , Bishop of London , was appointed as Anne's preceptor . Around 1671, Anne first made the acquaintance of Sarah Jennings , who later became her close friend and one of her most influential advisors. Jennings married John Churchill (the future Duke of Marlborough) in about 1678. His sister, Arabella ,
15600-480: The joint monarchy of William III and Mary II. Second, if a person not native to England comes to the throne, England will not wage war for "any dominions or territories which do not belong to the Crown of England, without the consent of Parliament". This would become relevant when a member of the House of Hanover ascended the British throne, as he would retain the territories of the Electorate of Hanover in what
15756-524: The last session of the Parliament of Great Britain and the first session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom are both cited as "41 Geo. 3". Acts passed by the Parliament of England did not have a short title ; however, some of these acts have subsequently been given a short title by acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (such as the Short Titles Act 1896 ). Acts passed by the Parliament of England were deemed to have come into effect on
15912-595: The latter option; the English Parliament agreed to repeal the Alien Act, and new commissioners were appointed by Queen Anne in early 1706 to negotiate the terms of a union. The articles of union approved by the commissioners were presented to Anne on 23 July 1706 and ratified by the Scottish and English Parliaments on 16 January and 6 March 1707, respectively. Under the Acts of Union , England and Scotland were united into
16068-422: The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England, pointed out that Prince William (later the Duke of Cambridge) "can marry by law a Hindu , a Buddhist , anyone, but not a Roman Catholic." Opponents of repeal, such as Enoch Powell and Adrian Hilton , believe that it would lead to the disestablishment of the Church of England as the state religion if a Roman Catholic were to come to the throne. They also note that
16224-404: The line of succession for the shared crown of all 16 Commonwealth realms. Others contend that that is not the case, and changes to the succession instituted by an Act of the Parliament of Canada "[in accord] with the convention of symmetry that preserves the personal unity of the British and Dominion Crowns". With the announcement in 2007 of the engagement of Peter Phillips to Autumn Kelly ,
16380-655: The line of succession to the British throne from male-preference to absolute cognatic . Vaz sought support for his project from the Canadian Cabinet and Prime Minister Stephen Harper , but the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada responded that the issue was "not a priority for the government or for Canadians without further elaboration on the merits or drawbacks of the proposed reforms". Stephenson King , Prime Minister of Saint Lucia , said he supported
16536-456: The line of succession. From time to time there has been debate over repealing the clause that prevents Roman Catholics, or those who marry one, from ascending to the British throne. Proponents of repeal argue that the clause is a bigoted anachronism; Cardinal Winning , who was leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland , called the act an "insult" to Catholics. Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor ,
16692-471: The loss of her husband, they forced her to accept the Junto leaders Lords Somers and Wharton into the cabinet. Anne, however, insisted on carrying out the duties of Lord High Admiral herself, without appointing a member of the government to take George's place. Undeterred, the Junto demanded the appointment of the Earl of Orford, another member of the Junto and one of the prince's leading critics, as First Lord of
16848-418: The meanest of her subjects. Her face, which was red and spotted, was rendered something frightful by her negligent dress, and the foot affected was tied up with a poultice and some nasty bandages. I was much affected by this sight ... Anne's sole surviving child, the Duke of Gloucester, died at age 11 on 30 July 1700. She and her husband were "overwhelmed with grief". Anne ordered her household to observe
17004-594: The monarch must swear to defend the faith and be a member of the Anglican Communion , but that a Roman Catholic monarch would, like all Roman Catholics, owe allegiance to the Pope. This would, according to opponents of repeal, amount to a loss of sovereignty for the Anglican Church. When in December 1978 there was media speculation that Prince Charles might marry a Roman Catholic, Powell defended
17160-507: The next Protestant in line to the throne was Sophia of Hanover . Born into the House of Wittelsbach , she was a granddaughter of James VI and I from his most junior surviving line, with the crowns descending only to her non- Catholic heirs. Sophia died less than two months before Queen Anne, and Sophia's son succeeded to the throne as King George I , starting the Hanoverian dynasty in Britain. The Act of Supremacy 1558 had confirmed
17316-551: The next ten years, Mary of Modena had ten children, but all were either stillborn or died in infancy, leaving Mary and Anne second and third in the line of succession after their father. There is every indication that, throughout Anne's early life, she and her stepmother got on well together, and James was a conscientious and loving father. In November 1677, Anne's sister, Mary, married their Dutch first cousin William III of Orange at St James's Palace, but Anne could not attend
17472-552: The one House of Parliament, depending on the legislature's structure). This provision was the result of various monarchs influencing judges' decisions, and its purpose was to assure judicial independence . This patent was used prior to 1701 but did not prevent Charles I from removing Sir John Walter as Chief Baron of the Exchequer . Eighth, that "no Pardon under the Great Seal of England be pleadable to an Impeachment by
17628-399: The only troops available to quell the disturbances were Anne's guards, and Secretary of State Sunderland was reluctant to use them and leave the Queen less protected. Anne declared God would be her guard and ordered Sunderland to redeploy her troops. In line with Anne's views, Sacheverell was convicted, but his sentence—suspension of preaching for three years—was so light as to render the trial
17784-433: The onset of her symptoms roughly coincided with her penultimate pregnancy. Other suggested causes of her failed pregnancies are listeriosis , diabetes , intrauterine growth retardation , and rhesus incompatibility . Rhesus incompatibility, however, generally worsens with successive pregnancies, and so does not fit the pattern of Anne's pregnancies, as her only son to survive infancy, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester ,
17940-465: The other realms, as it touches on the succession to the shared crown . On 26 March 2015, following the Perth Agreement , legislation amending the Act came into effect across the Commonwealth realms that removed the disqualification arising from marriage to a Roman Catholic and instituted absolute primogeniture . Following the Glorious Revolution , the line of succession to the English throne
18096-628: The power of the Dutch. A marriage treaty between Anne and Prince George of Denmark , younger brother of King Christian V , was negotiated by Anne's uncle Laurence Hyde, who had been made Earl of Rochester, and the English Secretary of State for the Northern Department , Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland . Anne and George were second cousins once removed. Anne's father consented to the marriage eagerly because it diminished
18252-539: The provision that excludes Roman Catholics from ascending the throne, stating his objection was not rooted in religious bigotry but in political considerations. He said a Roman Catholic monarch would mean the acceptance of a source of authority external to the realm and "in the literal sense, foreign to the Crown-in-Parliament ... Between Roman Catholicism and royal supremacy there is, as Saint Thomas More concluded, no reconciliation." Powell concluded that
18408-409: The relevant parliamentary session was held; thus the Union with Ireland Act 1800 is cited as "39 & 40 Geo. 3. c. 67", meaning the 67th act passed during the session that started in the 39th year of the reign of George III and which finished in the 40th year of that reign. Note that the modern convention is to use Arabic numerals in citations (thus "41 Geo. 3" rather than "41 Geo. III"). Acts of
18564-432: The restoration of his line, but Anne had already acquiesced to the line of succession created by the Act of Settlement. Anne became queen upon the death of King William III on 8 March 1702, and was immediately popular. In her first speech to the English Parliament, on 11 March, she distanced herself from her late Dutch brother-in-law and said, "As I know my heart to be entirely English, I can very sincerely assure you there
18720-423: The restriction on successors being or marrying Roman Catholics; however, potential Roman Catholic successors would be required to convert to Anglicanism prior to acceding to the throne. In reaction to the letter and media coverage, Harper stated that, this time, he was "supportive" of what he saw as "reasonable modernizations". 12 %26 13 Will. 3 Interregnum (1642–1660) Rescinded (1639–1651) This
18876-454: The royal succession remain in force. The legal process required at the federal level remains, theoretically, unclear. The Australian constitution , as was noted during the crisis of 1936, contains no power for the federal parliament to legislate with respect to the monarchy. Everything thus turns upon the status and meaning of clause 2 in the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900, which provides: "The provisions of this Act referring to
19032-426: The same infection. Lady Rachel Russell wrote that George and Anne had "taken [the deaths] very heavily ... Sometimes they wept, sometimes they mourned in words; then sat silent, hand in hand; he sick in bed, and she the carefullest nurse to him that can be imagined." Later that year, she suffered another stillbirth. Public alarm at James's Catholicism increased when his wife, Mary of Modena, became pregnant for
19188-467: The same time, it was reported that British Prime Minister David Cameron had written to each of the prime ministers of the other fifteen Commonwealth realms, asking for their support in changing the succession to absolute primogeniture and notifying them he would raise his proposals at that year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth , Australia. Cameron reportedly also proposed removing
19344-565: The same way." In October 2011 the Australian federal government was reported to have reached an agreement with all of the states on potential changes to their laws in the wake of amendments to the Act of Settlement. The practice of the Australian states—for example, New South Wales and Victoria—has been, when legislating to repeal some imperial statutes so far as they still applied in Australia, to provide that imperial statutes concerning
19500-445: The sisters had been close, disagreements over Anne's finances, status, and choice of acquaintances arose shortly after Mary's accession and they became estranged. William and Mary had no children. After Mary's death in 1694, William reigned alone until his own death in 1702, when Anne succeeded him. During her reign, Anne favoured moderate Tory politicians , who were more likely to share her Anglican religious views than their opponents,
19656-485: The storm, but Anne withheld support, fearing its reintroduction was a ruse to cause a political quarrel. Once again it failed. A third attempt to introduce the bill as an amendment to a money bill in November 1704 was also thwarted. The Whigs vigorously supported the War of the Spanish Succession and became even more influential after the Duke of Marlborough won a great victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Many of
19812-517: The succession laws would have no immediate implications. Consequently, there was little public concern with the issues and debate had been confined largely to academic circles until the November 2010 announcement that Prince William was to marry . This raised the question of what would happen if he were to produce first a daughter and then a son. The Times reported on 6 November 1995 that Prince Charles had said on that day to Tony Blair and Paddy Ashdown that "Catholics should be able to ascend to
19968-476: The throne. The act contained eight additional provisions that were to only come into effect upon the death of both William and Anne: Firstly, the monarch "shall join in communion with the Church of England ". This was intended to ensure the exclusion of a Roman Catholic monarch. Along with James II's perceived despotism, his religion was the main cause of the Glorious Revolution, and of the previous linked religious and succession problems which had been resolved by
20124-412: The thrones of England and Ireland were therefore vacant. The Parliament or Estates of Scotland took similar action, and William and Mary were declared monarchs of all three realms. The Bill of Rights 1689 and Claim of Right Act 1689 settled the succession. Anne and her descendants were to be in the line of succession after William and Mary, and they were to be followed by any descendants of William by
20280-421: The treaty by promising to support his Occasional Conformity bill . Seeing a need for decisive action to erase the anti-peace majority in the House of Lords, and seeing no alternative, Anne reluctantly created twelve new peers , even though such a mass creation of peers was unprecedented. Abigail's husband, Samuel Masham , was made a baron, although Anne protested to Harley that she "never had any design to make
20436-433: The use of Richmond Palace and a parliamentary allowance. William and Mary refused the first, and unsuccessfully opposed the latter, both of which caused tension between the two sisters. Anne's resentment grew worse when William refused to allow George to serve in the military in an active capacity. The new king and queen feared that Anne's financial independence would weaken their influence over her and allow her to organise
20592-619: The wake of anti-Catholic hysteria fed by the Popish Plot , and Anne visited them from the end of August. In October, all three returned to Britain: Anne to England, and her father and stepmother to Scotland. She joined them at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh from July 1681 until May 1682. It was her last journey outside England. Anne's second cousin George of Hanover visited London for three months from December 1680, sparking rumours of
20748-511: The wedding because she was confined to her room with smallpox . By the time she recovered, Mary had already left for her new life in the Netherlands. Lady Frances Villiers contracted the disease and died. Anne's aunt Lady Henrietta Hyde (the wife of Laurence Hyde ) was appointed as her new governess. A year later, Anne and her stepmother visited Mary in Holland for two weeks. The Duke and Duchess of York retired to Brussels in March 1679 in
20904-413: Was Queen of England , Scotland , and Ireland from 8 March 1702, and Queen of Great Britain and Ireland following the ratification of the Acts of Union 1707 merging the kingdoms of Scotland and England , until her death in 1714. Anne was born during the reign of her uncle King Charles II . Her father was Charles's younger brother and heir presumptive , James , whose suspected Roman Catholicism
21060-431: Was a woman of strong traditional beliefs who was devoted to her husband. At a thanksgiving service for a victory at the Battle of Oudenarde , Anne did not wear the jewels that Sarah had selected for her. At the door of St Paul's Cathedral, they had an argument that culminated in Sarah offending the Queen by telling her to be quiet. Anne was dismayed. When Sarah forwarded an unrelated letter from her husband to Anne, with
21216-554: Was also the Elector of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire ; because of this, and also for personal reasons, he wished to visit Hanover from time to time. Fourth, all government matters within the jurisdiction of the Privy Council were to be transacted there, and all council resolutions were to be signed by those who advised and consented to them. This was because Parliament wanted to know who
21372-449: Was appointed one of Anne's ladies of the bedchamber . Within months of the marriage, Anne was pregnant, but the baby was stillborn in May. Anne recovered at the spa town of Tunbridge Wells , and over the next two years, gave birth to two daughters in quick succession: Mary and Anne Sophia. When Charles II died in 1685, Anne's father became King James II of England and VII of Scotland. To
21528-451: Was at once visited by William. James fled to France on the 23rd. Anne showed no concern at the news of her father's flight, and instead merely asked for her usual game of cards. She justified herself by saying that she "was used to play and never loved to do anything that looked like an affected constraint". In January 1689, a Convention Parliament assembled in England and declared that James had effectively abdicated when he fled, and that
21684-424: Was born after a series of stillbirths. Experts also believe syphilis , porphyria and pelvic deformation to be unlikely as the symptoms are incompatible with her medical history. Anne's gout rendered her lame for much of her later life. Around the court, she was carried in a sedan chair , or used a wheelchair. Around her estates, she used a one-horse chaise , which she drove herself "furiously like Jehu and
21840-446: Was born at 11:39 p.m. on 6 February 1665 at St James's Palace , London, the fourth child and second daughter of the Duke of York (later King James II and VII ), and his first wife, Anne Hyde . Her father was the younger brother of King Charles II , who ruled the three kingdoms of England , Scotland and Ireland , and her mother was the daughter of Lord Chancellor Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon . At her Anglican baptism in
21996-592: Was created a Knight of the Garter and was elevated to the rank of duke. The Duchess of Marlborough was appointed Groom of the Stool , Mistress of the Robes , and Keeper of the Privy Purse . Anne was crowned on St George's Day , 23 April 1702. Affected by gout, she was carried to Westminster Abbey in an open sedan chair, with a low back to permit her train to flow out behind her. On 4 May, England became embroiled in
22152-583: Was deciding policies, as sometimes councillors' signatures normally attached to resolutions were absent. This provision was repealed early in Queen Anne's reign, as many councillors ceased to offer advice and some stopped attending meetings altogether. Fifth, no foreigner ("no Person born out of the Kingdoms of England Scotland or Ireland or the Dominions thereunto belonging"), even if naturalised or made
22308-576: Was governed by the Bill of Rights 1689 , which declared that the flight of James II from England to France during the revolution amounted to an abdication of the throne and that James's daughter Mary II and her husband/cousin, William III (William of Orange, who was also James's nephew), were James's successors. The Bill of Rights also provided that the line of succession would go through Mary's Protestant descendants by William and any possible future husband should she outlive him, then through Mary's sister Anne and her Protestant descendants, and then to
22464-544: Was headed by Lord Treasurer Lord Godolphin and Anne's favourite the Duke of Marlborough , who were considered moderate Tories, along with the Speaker of the House of Commons , Robert Harley . Anne supported the Occasional Conformity Bill of 1702, which was promoted by the Tories and opposed by the Whigs. The bill aimed to disqualify Protestant Dissenters from public office by closing a loophole in
22620-620: Was marked by the further development of a two-party system. In general, the Tories were supportive of the Anglican church and favoured the landed interest of the country gentry, while the Whigs were aligned with commercial interests and Protestant Dissenters . As a committed Anglican, Anne was inclined to favour the Tories. Her first ministry was predominantly Tory, and contained such High Tories as Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham , and her uncle Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester . It
22776-487: Was natural "to avoid seeing of papers or anything that belonged to one that one loved when they were just dead". The Whigs used George's death to their own advantage. The leadership of the Admiralty was unpopular among the Whig leaders, who had blamed Prince George and his deputy George Churchill (who was Marlborough's brother) for mismanagement of the navy. With Whigs now dominant in Parliament, and Anne distraught at
22932-405: Was pregnant (which she was not) and then declined to read the depositions because it was "not necessary". William of Orange invaded England on 5 November 1688 in an action known as the Glorious Revolution , which ultimately deposed King James. Forbidden by James to pay Mary a projected visit in the spring of 1687, Anne corresponded with her and was aware of the plans to invade. On the advice of
23088-463: Was raised again in January 2009, when a private member's bill to amend the Act of Succession was introduced in parliament. In early 2011 Keith Vaz , a Labour Member of Parliament, introduced to the House of Commons at Westminster a private member's bill which proposed that the Act of Settlement be amended to remove the provisions relating to Roman Catholicism and change the primogeniture governing
23244-412: Was reassessed in the late 20th century. Anne was plagued by poor health throughout her life, and from her thirties she grew increasingly ill and obese. Despite 17 pregnancies, she died without surviving issue and was the last monarch of the House of Stuart . Under the Act of Settlement 1701 , which excluded all Catholics, she was succeeded by her second cousin George I of the House of Hanover . Anne
23400-603: Was removed from the line of succession. More recently, Peter Phillips , the son of Anne, Princess Royal , and eleventh in line to the throne, married Autumn Kelly ; Kelly had been brought up as a Roman Catholic, but she converted to Anglicanism prior to the wedding. Had she not done so, Phillips would have forfeited his place in the succession upon their marriage, only to have it restored in 2015. Excluding those princesses who have married into Roman Catholic royal families, such as Marie of Edinburgh , Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg and Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh , one member of
23556-615: Was sent to France, where she lived with her paternal grandmother, Henrietta Maria of France , at the Château de Colombes near Paris. Following her grandmother's death in 1669, Anne lived with an aunt, Henrietta Anne, Duchess of Orléans . On the sudden death of her aunt in 1670, Anne returned to England. Her mother died the following year. As was traditional in the royal family, Anne and her sister were brought up separated from their father in their own establishment at Richmond in Surrey. On
23712-573: Was stabbed by a disgruntled French refugee, the Marquis de Guiscard , in March, and Anne wept at the thought he would die. He recovered slowly. Godolphin's death from natural causes in September 1712 reduced Anne to tears; she blamed their estrangement on the Marlboroughs. The elder brother of Archduke Charles, Emperor Joseph I , died in April 1711 and Charles succeeded him in Austria, Hungary and
23868-444: Was the Duke of York's mistress, and he was to be Anne's most important general. In 1673, James's conversion to Catholicism became public, and he married a Catholic princess, Mary of Modena , who was only six and a half years older than Anne. Charles II had no legitimate children, and so James was next in the line of succession, followed by his two surviving daughters from his first marriage, Mary and Anne—as long as he had no son. Over
24024-482: Was the senior Protestant one, therefore with a legitimate claim to the English throne; Parliament passed over her Roman Catholic siblings, namely her sister Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate , and their descendants, who included Elizabeth Charlotte, Duchess of Orléans ; Louis Otto, Prince of Salm , and his aunts; Anne Henriette, Princess of Condé , and Benedicta Henrietta, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg . Since
24180-443: Was uncomfortable with Marlborough and Godolphin's turn towards the Whigs. She also turned to Abigail Hill , a woman of the bedchamber whose influence grew as Anne's relationship with Sarah deteriorated. Abigail was related to both Harley and the Duchess, but was politically closer to Harley, and acted as an intermediary between him and the Queen. The division within the ministry came to a head on 8 February 1708, when Godolphin and
24336-523: Was unpopular in England. On Charles's instructions, Anne and her elder sister Mary were raised as Anglicans . Mary married their Dutch Protestant cousin, William III of Orange , in 1677, and Anne married the Lutheran Prince George of Denmark in 1683. On Charles's death in 1685, James succeeded to the throne, but just three years later he was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Mary and William became joint monarchs. Although
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