ANNE, queen of Great Britain, second daughter of
King James II. by his first wife, Anne Hyde, was born
in 1664. In 1683, she married George, prince of
Denmark, by whom she had several children, but none
of them arrived at the age of maturity. On the death
of King William, she ascended the throne, A. D. 1702,
and her reign comprehends one of the most illustrious
periods of English history. Possessed, however, of a
very feeble character, which did not permit her to act for
herself, this period is the reign of her counsellors, and
favourites; and she exhibited no decided inclination
which could influence state affairs, except a strong de-
sire for tory principles, both in church and state. In
the commencement of her reign, being entirely governed
by the duchess of Marlborough, she was induced
to follow out the premeditated designs of her prede-
cessors with respect to Louis XIV. king of France, and
for many years repeated success attended her armies
with glory. These were at length, after a fruitless pro-
traction of hostilities, terminated by the peace of Utrecht,
in 1713. This peace was chiefly owing to the acquired
influence of a female favourite of the opposite party.
By an act of the legislature in the year 1706, the union of
the English and Scottish nations was formed, which event
contributed more than the former towards the prosper-
ity of the kingdom. Yet these successful events prevented
not the contention of parties which prevailed during
the greatest part of her reign. And about the close of
it, when this spirit was just on the eve of breaking into
a flame, the queen manifested an ardent desire, that the
exiled part of her family should succeed to the throne,
and so conducted towards the superiority of the tories, as
that they were inclined to push to the utmost extremity
their plans, with respect to the government both of
the church and state. The death of Queen Anne in
August 1714, of a dropsy, in the fiftieth year of her
age, and thirteenth of her reign, was therefore equally
to the disappointment of the one, and to the triumph of
the other. In her private station she supported the
character of an amiable woman, and not devoid of un-
derstanding, although her indolence and yielding temper
prevented her from exerting it. She was generally well
beloved by her subjects, whose prejudices coincided with
her own, and the title of the Good Queen Anne best ex-
presses their sentiments. Although her own dispositions
and accomplishments had no share in the honour,
yet this age was rendered a sort of Augustan age of Bri-
tish literature, on account of the several eminent writers
who flourished under her reign (Gen. Biog.).