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Jan 9, 2019 · Portrait of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1744), c. 1700, by Charles Jervas. Soon, childhood fun and games had to be put aside as marriage was on the horizon. In 1677, the 15-year-old Mary was the first to be wedded, and she was given to her first cousin, William of Orange. Soon after, Sarah began attracting attention.
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- Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill Were Childhood Friends—But Grew Closer in Court
- Anne Becomes Queen and Is Soon Swayed by Sarah's Politics
- A New Favorite Rises: Abigail Masham
- A Jealous Sarah Spreads Word of “Dark Deeds at Night”
- A Bitter Split, and Its Aftermath
Anne was born in 1665, to James, then Duke of York, and his first wife, Anne Hyde. Though her father converted to Catholicism, Anne and her elder sister, Mary, were raised in the Anglican faith, thanks to the influence of their powerful uncle, King Charles II. Princess Anne was just eight years old when she first met her future aide, Sarah Jennings...
Anti-Catholicism ran rampant in England at the time, and in 1688 the Glorious Revolution pushed Anne’s father, King James II, off the throne in favor of William of Orange, Anne’s cousin and the husband of her sister, Mary. With William and Mary on the throne as co-regents, Anne was next in line to the throne, but was having a great deal of trouble ...
Even as Sarah and Anne began to grow apart over their differing political views, a rival for the Queen’s affection entered the scene. In 1704, Sarah had installed her cousin, Abigail Hill, as a woman of the bedchamber in Anne’s court. Abigail’s father had gone broke through speculation, then died, and Sarah sought to help her cousin out. While perf...
Losing her influence over the queen, Sarah took increasingly desperate measures, including spreading rumors that Anne and Abigail’s relationship was sexual. In mid-1708, she helped to circulate a ballad about Abigail, written by a fellow Whig, with such lyrics as: “Her secretary she was not / Because she could not write / But had the conduct and th...
Whatever her earlier feelings, Anne unceremoniously dumped Sarah in 1711, instructing Marlborough to tell his wife to vacate her rooms in St. James’ Palace and return the gold key of the royal bedchamber (the symbol of her former status). The Queen made Abigail keeper of the privy purse, and gave her husband a peerage, making him Baron Masham of Ot...
- Sarah Pruitt
Nov 25, 2018 · Sarah lived to be 84, after publishing her memoir, An Account of the Conduct of the Dowager Duchess of Marlborough, from her First Coming to Court to the Year 1710—in effect, getting the last ...
Jun 22, 2009 · The first Duchess of Marlborough has been recognized as a powerful figure in court politics under Queen Anne. Her patronage of artists, sculptors, and architects – Laguerre, Rysbrack, Talman, Wren, Vanbrugh – has been examined by scholars.
