glory of having brought England safely through a great crisis, and of being the first sovereign, not only in England but in the world, to work a parliamentary government, in the modern sense of the term, with some approach to success.

CHAPTER VIII

ANNE: 1702-1714

Born 1665; married, 1683, Prince George of Denmark.

Character of Marlborough-The War of the Spanish Succession-Blenheim Ramillies, Oudenarde, and Malplaquet-The Union of England and Scotland -Ministerial Intrigues - Prosecution of Sacheverell and Fall of the WhigsThe Treaty of Utrecht-The Schism Act-Death of Anne.

Anne.

It is difficult to imagine a greater contrast than existed between the character of William and that of his successor. William had towered head and shoulders above most of the statesmen of his Character of time; he had been his own minister of foreign affairs and his own commander-in-chief; and his wishes had been the principal influence in determining the policy both of England and Holland. Anne, though not exactly what would be called deficient, was certainly not clever. She took her ideas from others; and from girlhood had been under the influence of her friend Sarah Jennings, who had married John Churchill, now earl of Marlborough, and was wholly devoted to the interests of her husband. Nevertheless, the character of Anne was not without its influence. With her accession, the personal popularity of the English sovereign was restored. Her domestic misfortunes ensured sympathy and consideration; her real piety and devotion to the interests of the church conciliated churchmen; plots against her life were unknown; and, at her accession, all parties set themselves to make her path easy instead of merely giving her the half-hearted support which was the most that William had been able to command, even from his friends. Above all, if William was entirely Dutch, and the Pretender entirely French, Anne, as she told parliament, was in heart 'entirely English',

Character of Marlborough,

and the insular prejudice against foreigners, which had been injurious to William, was now enlisted on the side of Anne. Except, however, in connection with the church, Anne took little active interest in the politics of the country. It was Marlborough, therefore, rather than the queen, who really succeeded William as ruler of England, and for a long time his was the guiding spirit both at home and abroad. John Churchill, earl of Marlborough, was now fifty-two years of age, and in full vigour both of mind and body. Though his character was marred by much insincerity and much meanness, he was, both in politics and in war, a great man. As a youth his fine presence and engaging manners had won him notice and admiration, and throughout his life he had turned all his gifts to the advancement of his personal ends. Though, hitherto, he had had no opportunity of displaying his talents on a great scale, he had always shown himself equal to the performance of everything which he had undertaken. In natural gifts he had indeed been fortunate. His health was uniformly good, and he was capable of enduring extreme fatigue; his temper was admirable; his courage undaunted; his nerve unshaken; and whether dealing with friends or foes, his manners were distinguished by a politeness that never varied. With these moral qualities he united intellectual gifts of a very high order. His views on current affairs were large, clear, and eminently practical. Though so badly equipped with book learning that 'he did not love writing,' his despatches and state papers were perspicuous and forcibly expressed. His parliamentary oratory was suited for its purpose; above all, he knew how to make everything he did subordinate to his main end. For example, though a general of such uniform success that he never fought a battle without winning it, or besieged a town without taking it, he kept fighting in its proper place as a means to an end, and is said never to have fought 'unless he saw great political results certain to arise out of a victory certain to be obtained.' His patience was inexhaustible; and he fortified himself against disappointment by a certain dash of fatalism. 'As I think,' he wrote, 'that most things are governed by destiny, having done all that is possible one should submit with patience.' Marlborough had always been a strong Tory, and he gave the chief places in the government to Tories. He himself was commander-in-chief and ambassador to Holland. Godolphin, who completely shared Ministry. his views, and whose interests had been allied to his own by the marriage of their children, took the chief charge of English affairs as lord treasurer. The high Tory Nottingham, whose solemn face and sententious manner had won him the sobriquet of 'Don Dismallo,' was

The

one secretary of state, and Sir Charles Hedges, another Tory, was the other. A place was even found for Jack Howe, who had been the most virulent of all the maligners of William. On the other hand, the names of Halifax, Orford, and Somers were omitted from the list of the new privy council. Tory, however, as the new ministers were, their policy was Whig. The Grand Alliance-composed of England, Holland, the Emperor, the new king of Prussia, the Elector Palatine, and the Elector of Hanover-was fully maintained; and parliament resolved that 'too much cannot be done for the encouragement of our allies, and to reduce the exorbitant power of France.' War was declared; and though in the general election which followed the accession of Anne the Tories won largely, 40,000 troops were voted for the land service, and 40,000 sailors and marines for the fleet.

At first the designs of the allies were somewhat indefinite, but eventually the Archduke Charles, the younger son of the Emperor Leopold, was set up as a claimant to the Spanish crown. The The War. war was carried on in the frontiers of the Netherlands-Rhine,

in north Italy, and in Spain itself. In the Netherlands Marlborough, who had been, through the influence of William's friend Heinsius, made commander-in-chief of the Dutch, as well as of the English, took the chief command; the Margrave Louis of Baden was on the Rhine; and Prince Eugene of Savoy was usually intrusted with the conduct of the war in Italy. Louis of Baden was brave, steady, but exceedingly slow and mechanical Eugene, who was the cousin of the Duke of Savoy, and who, being refused a commission by Louis XIV., had taken service under the emperor, was probably the best general the Austrians ever possessed, and also a man of excellent temper and of unselfish devotion to the cause which he had espoused.

lands.

The Spanish Netherlands, which were for a time the chief seat of the war, are in shape an irregular quadrilateral figure, of which the southern face was guarded by the great fortresses of Lille, Tournay, The NetherMons, and Charleroi ; the eastern by Namur and Liége; the northern by the Rhine; the western by the sea; and at the opening of the war the whole district was in the hands of the French. In 1702 Marlborough's great exploit was to capture Liége, for which he was made a duke, and received a pension of £5000 a year. In 1703 he made himself master of the lower part of the Rhine, on which Bonn is the chief fortress; and thus secured both an entry into the Netherlands and communication with his allies on the Rhine.

These successes, however, were neutralised by the defeat of Louis of Baden at Friedlingen, and by the action of the Elector of Bavaria, w

The Cam

Bavaria.

suddenly declared for Philip, and admitted a French force into his electorate. This opened to the French the valley of the Danube and the road to Vienna; and to aid the Elector Louis despatched paign in first Villars, then Marsin, and finally Tallard. It seemed clear that, unless vigorous steps were taken, the war would be brought to an abrupt conclusion by the capture of Vienna itself. In these circumstances Marlborough determined on a bold stroke. Leaving the Dutch frontier under a strong guard, he marched across country into Bavaria, uniting his forces with those of Louis of Baden, and arranged with Prince Eugene for a grand attack on the French. At Donauwerth, on July 2, 1704, Marlborough and Louis of Baden routed the Bavarians, who occupied a strong position on the Schellenberg, and thus secured

the passage of the Danube. The Elector, however, refused to come to terms; and Marlborough, though 'reluctantly, gave over Munich and the neighbourhood to fire and sword. Meanwhile, Tallard had joined the Bavarians; and Louis of Baden having withdrawn himself to the siege of Ingoldstadt, to the great content of Marlborough and Eugene, the two friends advanced up the Danube and attacked the French and Bavarians at Blenheim (Blindheim) on August 13.

Tallard, Marsin, and the elector of Bavaria had drawn up their forces on a low ridge of ground lying nearly at right angles to the north bank of the Danube-there about one hundred yards wide and unfordable. Their right was at Blenheim, their centre behind Unterglau, their left at Oberglau; and their whole line was defended by the marshy stream of the Nebel. Their force numbered

The Battle of Blenheim.