Queen Anne’s reign saw a constitutional change that reshaped the relationship between England and Scotland. The Act of Union 1707 joined the two kingdoms as Great Britain. Anne was the last monarch of the House of Stuart; when she died in 1714, the throne passed to the House of Hanover. Her years as queen also encompassed war in Europe, religious commitments and cultural developments.
A Stuart queen
Born on 6 February 1665, Anne was the second daughter of James II of England and VII of Scotland. She became queen in 1702. Her reign came after a period of religious and political conflict, and she was committed to the Church of England.
Anne’s years on the throne were also marked by ill health and the deaths of her children. The period saw developments in architecture, literature and science, and is associated with the growth of Baroque art and architecture. Anne is described as a patron of the arts, though the account of her reign gives no particular commissions or buildings to illustrate that role.
The making of Great Britain
The Act of Union 1707 joined the previously separate kingdoms of England and Scotland in a single sovereign state, Great Britain. Economic, strategic and political considerations formed part of the case for union. The legislation followed negotiations and concessions, and had to pass through both the English and Scottish parliaments.
Anne supported the measure and the union was enacted during her reign. Its passage was a parliamentary process as well as a royal-era milestone: the change depended on agreement in both legislatures. The resulting kingdom altered the political relationship between England and Scotland. The source account also presents the union as a step towards later imperial expansion and wider unity across the British Isles, but those broad consequences are not necessary to explain the constitutional change itself.
War and a change of royal house
The War of the Spanish Succession was another major event of Anne’s reign. England fought alongside European allies against France and Spain amid concern that the two crowns might be united. John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, was among the military leaders associated with the conflict. In the American colonies, the war was known as Queen Anne’s War.
Anne died in 1714, ending the Stuart line on the throne. The succession passed to the House of Hanover. Her reign is consequently linked to two important political transitions: the establishment of Great Britain in 1707 and the change of royal house in 1714.
Why Queen Anne deserves a place in British Legacy
Anne’s place in British history is closely connected to the union enacted during her reign. The 1707 settlement joined England and Scotland in a single kingdom, following negotiations and votes in both parliaments. Anne’s support was part of this process, but the union was not simply an act of royal will. Remembering the parliamentary work involved helps explain how the new state came about and avoids overstating the role of any one participant.
Her reign also marks a dynastic turning point. Anne was the last Stuart monarch, and her death in 1714 brought the Hanoverian succession. Together, the union and the succession connect her years on the throne to lasting changes in Britain’s political structure. These specific developments—not sweeping claims about national unity or later imperial power—provide a clear reason to remember Anne in British Legacy.