Anne
Anne, the name of a number of European queens. Only one of these, Queen Anne of Great Britain, was a ruling sovereign. Among the most important historically are the following:
Great BritainAnne(1665-1714), queen of England, 1702-07, and---after the union of England and Scotland---queen of Great Britain, 1707-14. She was also queen of Ireland. Queen Anne was the last British sovereign of the Stuart line. During her reign military triumphs made Britain dominant among the European powers, and such writers as Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, Joseph Addison, and Daniel Defoe were making England a center of literary brilliance.
Queen Anne was deeply religious, a faithful wife and mother, and a popular sovereign. But she was also meek and limited intellectually. Throughout her life, Anne was dominated by others. As queen, she was greatly influenced in matters of policy by the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough.
Anne was born in London, the daughter of the Duke of York (later King James II) by his first wife, Lady Anne Hyde. Like her mother but unlike her father, she was a Protestant. In 1683 she married Prince George of Denmark. They had 17 children, of whom 16 died in infancy; the other lived only to the age of 11.
During the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Anne supported her sister Mary, wife of William, Prince of Orange, rather than her father. When James was deposed, William and Mary became joint rulers of Britain, 1689. Mary died in 1694, and upon William's death in 1702 Anne succeeded to the throne.
EnglandAnne of Bohemia(1366-1394), wife of Richard II. Anne, the eldest daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, married Richard in 1382. An intelligent woman of considerable learning, she brought with her to London a group of notable scholars. Through them, particularly Jerome of Prague, the religious doctrines of John Wycliffe were transmitted to Bohemia, where they influenced greatly the Czech reformer John Huss. In 1392, largely through Anne's influence, Richard restored to London the ancient rights and privileges he had earlier withdrawn.
Anne of Cleves(1515-1557), fourth wife of Henry VIII. She was the daughter of the Duke or Cleves, a leader of the Protestants in Germany. Henry's marriage to Anne in 1540 was intended to bring about an alliance with the German Protestants. However, the king found Anne unattractive, and, the need for a political alliance having disappeared, within six months he had the marriage annulled by Parliament.
Anne of Denmark(1574-1619), wife of James I. She was the daughter of Frederick II of Denmark and Norway. Although an intelligent woman, Anne was little interested in matters of state. She preferred to spend her time on lavish court entertainments and was noted for her extravagant tastes in jewelry and clothing. Among her friends were the Duke of Buckingham and Sir Walter Raleigh.
FranceAnne of France Or Anne De Beaujeu,(1460-1522), the eldest daughter of Louis XI. She was regent of France during the minority of her brother Charles VIII, 1483-91. With the aid of her husband, Pierre de Beaujeu, she governed wisely and firmly.
Anne of Brittany(1477-1514), wife of Charles VIII and, after his death, of Louis XII, his cousin and successor. She was the duchess of autonomous Brittany at the time of her marriage to Charles. Brittany remained independent while she was queen of France. However, the duchy was eventually united with France through the marriage in 1514 of Anne's daughter (by Louis XII) to Francis of Angoul?me, who later became King Francis I. Anne's first husband was Maximilian I of Austria, to whom she was married by proxy in 1490. This brief union was arranged to get military aid when Brittany was invaded by France.
Anne of Austria(1601-1666), daughter of Philip III of Spain, married Louis XIII in 1615. After his death in 1643, Anne was queen regent (1643-61) for her son, Louis XIV. The real power, however, was wielded, with Anne's consent, by her devoted friend Cardinal Mazarin, the prime minister.