Born St James's Palace. Reigned 1702 - 14. Married Prince George of Demark in 1683. From 17 pregnancies only 5 children lived long enough to be christened and the longest surviving died aged 11. Anne died of gout as the last monarch of the Stewart dynasty. And then the Georges began, with George I, who else?
Her husband was considered very dull. Lord Mulgrave said it was lucky that George's asthma made his breathing noisy or else people might think he was dead and bury him.
During her reign a need for many more churches in London was identified and in 1710 the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches was set up. Good to have targets, but in the event only 12 were built from scratch, known as Queen Anne churches. Seven others were substantially rebuilt or enlarged.
She owned 20% of the South Sea Company whose trade was slavery. She secured an exclusive thirty year contract to provide African slaves to the Spanish West Indies which was sold for £7.5 million by the British government to the South Sea Company.
