1 00:00:01,033 --> 00:00:02,166 {\an8}♪♪ 2 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:04,166 {\an7}-In the year 1707, 3 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:08,100 {\an1}a new global power was born. 4 00:00:08,133 --> 00:00:11,333 {\an1}The ancient kingdoms of Scotland and England 5 00:00:11,366 --> 00:00:15,533 {\an1}were united to create Great Britain, 6 00:00:15,566 --> 00:00:17,333 {\an1}a nation that would dominate the world 7 00:00:17,366 --> 00:00:20,500 {\an1}for the next 200 years. 8 00:00:20,533 --> 00:00:24,200 {\an1}But the monarch who forged the union, Queen Anne, 9 00:00:24,233 --> 00:00:26,366 {\an1}has been all but forgotten. 10 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:28,133 ♪♪ 11 00:00:28,166 --> 00:00:30,966 {\an1}This is the inside story of how gossip 12 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,266 {\an1}and salacious innuendo about Anne's love life 13 00:00:34,300 --> 00:00:37,900 {\an1}destroyed her legacy. 14 00:00:37,933 --> 00:00:41,866 Queen Anne ruled for 12 pivotal years, 15 00:00:41,900 --> 00:00:43,466 {\an1}years which saw the creation 16 00:00:43,500 --> 00:00:46,300 {\an1}of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. 17 00:00:46,333 --> 00:00:50,833 {\an1}But she's gone down in history as a feeble monarch, 18 00:00:50,866 --> 00:00:54,766 {\an1}someone who was fat and sickly and pushed around 19 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:57,100 {\an1}by her politicians, and above all, 20 00:00:57,133 --> 00:01:00,733 {\an1}her ladies-in-waiting, her favorites. 21 00:01:00,766 --> 00:01:04,800 {\an1}But was Anne really so weak and easily manipulated? 22 00:01:04,833 --> 00:01:07,433 {\an1}Or was that simply a myth? 23 00:01:07,466 --> 00:01:10,133 {\an1}-Whatever you have to say, 24 00:01:10,166 --> 00:01:12,366 {\an1}you may put in writing. 25 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:14,133 -Whew. 26 00:01:14,166 --> 00:01:17,233 {\an1}-Is Anne the secret mother figure 27 00:01:17,266 --> 00:01:19,866 {\an1}of the Great Britain we know today? 28 00:01:19,900 --> 00:01:23,100 {\an1}-Queen Anne herself was a very astute politician 29 00:01:23,133 --> 00:01:25,033 {\an1}-And why's she given no credit 30 00:01:25,066 --> 00:01:28,866 {\an1}for one of Britain's most significant military victories, 31 00:01:28,900 --> 00:01:31,500 {\an1}the defeat of a superpower? 32 00:01:31,533 --> 00:01:34,666 -A French army, the scourge of Europe, 33 00:01:34,700 --> 00:01:37,766 breaks and runs. 34 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:40,300 {\an1}-All of Anne's achievements and victories 35 00:01:40,333 --> 00:01:42,166 {\an1}seem to have been forgotten. 36 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,000 {\an1}So who started this character assassination? 37 00:01:46,033 --> 00:01:51,966 {\an1}And why has Anne's memory been blackened for centuries? 38 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,866 ♪♪ 39 00:02:01,866 --> 00:02:05,800 [ Bells tolling ] 40 00:02:05,833 --> 00:02:11,266 -Queen Anne's path to the throne begins in 1688. 41 00:02:11,300 --> 00:02:16,000 The upheavals of the Reformation were far from over. 42 00:02:16,033 --> 00:02:18,800 {\an1}France and Spain were still fighting 43 00:02:18,833 --> 00:02:22,700 to restore Catholicism in England. 44 00:02:22,733 --> 00:02:25,066 {\an1}And they had a royal ally. 45 00:02:25,100 --> 00:02:29,800 {\an1}Anne's father, King James II, had converted to the faith. 46 00:02:29,833 --> 00:02:32,533 ♪♪ 47 00:02:32,566 --> 00:02:33,833 [ Gunshot ] 48 00:02:33,866 --> 00:02:36,866 {\an1}The country's Protestants rose up, 49 00:02:36,900 --> 00:02:40,800 {\an1}and Anne had to make a hard choice. 50 00:02:40,833 --> 00:02:42,933 {\an7}Anne was brought up a Protestant. 51 00:02:42,966 --> 00:02:45,233 {\an8}So now she was in a terrible position. 52 00:02:45,266 --> 00:02:47,766 {\an8}She had to either abandon her religion 53 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:50,366 {\an7}or abandon her father. 54 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:52,866 {\an1}In this dilemma, though, she was supported 55 00:02:52,900 --> 00:02:55,333 {\an1}by her childhood best friend, 56 00:02:55,366 --> 00:02:59,200 {\an1}almost her soul mate, Sarah Churchill. 57 00:02:59,233 --> 00:03:03,600 {\an1}History remembers Queen Anneas a weak and dithering monarch. 58 00:03:03,633 --> 00:03:06,200 {\an1}But her bold decision to join the revolt 59 00:03:06,233 --> 00:03:10,466 {\an1}reveals this to be a myth right from the start. 60 00:03:10,500 --> 00:03:12,566 There's a sentry guarding the door. 61 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:14,266 {\an1}Anne is trapped in her rooms. 62 00:03:14,300 --> 00:03:18,333 But Sarah finds an unguarded back staircase, 63 00:03:18,366 --> 00:03:19,733 {\an1}and at the bottom of it, 64 00:03:19,766 --> 00:03:21,966 she's got a hackney carriage waiting. 65 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:23,900 They escape. 66 00:03:23,933 --> 00:03:26,866 {\an1}And Sarah Churchill would be by Anne's side 67 00:03:26,900 --> 00:03:30,100 {\an1}all the way to the throne. 68 00:03:30,133 --> 00:03:32,033 When James heard what had happened, 69 00:03:32,066 --> 00:03:35,300 {\an1}he burst into tears -- "God help me," he said. 70 00:03:35,333 --> 00:03:38,466 "My own children have forsaken me." 71 00:03:38,500 --> 00:03:40,300 One observer said that he felt 72 00:03:40,333 --> 00:03:44,400 {\an1}the loss of his daughter as badly as the loss of his army. 73 00:03:44,433 --> 00:03:50,200 {\an1}James now lost heart and he fled into exile in France. 74 00:03:50,233 --> 00:03:53,566 ♪♪ 75 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:57,266 {\an1}Anne's older sister Mary now took the throne, 76 00:03:57,300 --> 00:03:58,966 {\an1}with her protestant husband, 77 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,800 the Dutch William of Orange. 78 00:04:02,833 --> 00:04:04,633 {\an1}By joining the revolt, 79 00:04:04,666 --> 00:04:09,366 {\an1}Anne had also positioned herself to inherit the Stuart crown. 80 00:04:11,733 --> 00:04:15,900 {\an1}Sarah and Anne had made a sensational escape. 81 00:04:15,933 --> 00:04:17,966 {\an1}This was such a bold move. 82 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,200 And they were now more than friends. 83 00:04:20,233 --> 00:04:22,133 {\an1}They were partners in crime. 84 00:04:23,300 --> 00:04:26,033 ♪♪ 85 00:04:26,066 --> 00:04:31,666 {\an1}Queen Anne came to the throne 14 years later, in 1702. 86 00:04:31,700 --> 00:04:34,366 {\an1}The rule of her sister and her Dutch brother-in-law 87 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:37,433 {\an1}had been unpopular in England, 88 00:04:37,466 --> 00:04:41,900 {\an1}and Anne was committed to the nation's revival. 89 00:04:41,933 --> 00:04:43,533 As a young woman, 90 00:04:43,566 --> 00:04:48,333 {\an1}Anne had predicted that, "England will flourish again." 91 00:04:48,366 --> 00:04:52,200 And now she aimed to make good on that. 92 00:04:52,233 --> 00:04:55,366 {\an1}But the new Queen's reign was already being undermined 93 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:59,500 {\an8}by the prejudicesof her politicians and subjects. 94 00:04:59,533 --> 00:05:03,433 {\an1}Many were against her simply because she was a woman. 95 00:05:03,466 --> 00:05:07,466 {\an1}Despite 17 pregnancies, she and her husband, George, 96 00:05:07,500 --> 00:05:11,466 {\an1}had also failed to produce a Protestant heir. 97 00:05:11,500 --> 00:05:13,600 {\an1}And many believed she was too sick 98 00:05:13,633 --> 00:05:15,366 {\an1}to defend Protestant England 99 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:19,133 {\an8}against the might of Catholic France and Spain. 100 00:05:23,433 --> 00:05:27,033 {\an1}Anne's various illnesses seemed impossible to cure. 101 00:05:27,066 --> 00:05:30,866 {\an1}Her symptoms included a blotchy red face, 102 00:05:30,900 --> 00:05:32,066 sore legs, 103 00:05:32,100 --> 00:05:34,233 {\an1}horribly swollen feet. 104 00:05:34,266 --> 00:05:36,800 {\an1}Her doctors said all this was "gout." 105 00:05:36,833 --> 00:05:38,766 {\an1}And if the illnesses sound bad, 106 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,566 the treatments sound almost worse. 107 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:43,633 {\an1}There was blood-letting, 108 00:05:43,666 --> 00:05:46,500 {\an1}placing of hot irons on her skin, 109 00:05:46,533 --> 00:05:48,366 and blistering. 110 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:51,633 Add in arthritis, and the poor woman 111 00:05:51,666 --> 00:05:54,700 {\an1}really was a prisoner in her own body. 112 00:05:54,733 --> 00:05:59,300 ♪♪ 113 00:05:59,333 --> 00:06:02,533 {\an1}Back then, they said it was caused by gluttony 114 00:06:02,566 --> 00:06:04,533 {\an1}and excessive drinking. 115 00:06:07,100 --> 00:06:09,700 {\an1}But this is another myth. 116 00:06:09,733 --> 00:06:12,700 ♪♪ 117 00:06:12,733 --> 00:06:15,133 {\an1}The illnesses were real. 118 00:06:15,166 --> 00:06:17,333 {\an1}Modern doctors have diagnosed 119 00:06:17,366 --> 00:06:22,300 {\an1}the debilitating autoimmune disease lupus. 120 00:06:22,333 --> 00:06:26,533 {\an1}Anne's enemies saw it as a sign of moral weakness. 121 00:06:29,300 --> 00:06:32,166 A Scottish MP called Sir John Clerk 122 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:33,966 {\an1}once met Queen Anne, 123 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,666 and he said it was like meeting 124 00:06:36,700 --> 00:06:40,866 {\an1}"the most despicable mortal in the world." 125 00:06:40,900 --> 00:06:43,400 He said she had a blotted countenance 126 00:06:43,433 --> 00:06:48,500 {\an1}and she was surrounded with plasters and dirty-like rags. 127 00:06:48,533 --> 00:06:51,300 Now, personally, I think it's impressive 128 00:06:51,333 --> 00:06:53,566 that Queen Anne did the job of being Queen 129 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,433 despite her physical condition. 130 00:06:56,466 --> 00:07:00,200 {\an1}And I suspect that the negative views of her reign 131 00:07:00,233 --> 00:07:02,200 {\an1}that will last for 300 years 132 00:07:02,233 --> 00:07:06,700 {\an1}have been shaped by this and other juicy quotations 133 00:07:06,733 --> 00:07:09,866 {\an1}about the imperfections of her body. 134 00:07:09,900 --> 00:07:14,200 ♪♪ 135 00:07:14,233 --> 00:07:16,233 -At this period, the monarch is 136 00:07:16,266 --> 00:07:17,933 {\an1}not just a figurehead. 137 00:07:17,966 --> 00:07:21,600 {\an1}So if the monarch is chronically unwell, 138 00:07:21,633 --> 00:07:26,166 {\an7}that really puts the nation, 139 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:31,333 {\an7}politics, Parliament, the state in peril. 140 00:07:31,366 --> 00:07:33,600 With Anne, I think this is accentuated 141 00:07:33,633 --> 00:07:35,500 {\an1}because she is a woman. 142 00:07:35,533 --> 00:07:38,833 {\an1}If there's one long-term purpose of a queen, 143 00:07:38,866 --> 00:07:42,700 {\an1}it's create the next generation, the next monarch. 144 00:07:42,733 --> 00:07:44,600 So Anne's health, 145 00:07:44,633 --> 00:07:46,966 and in particular her fertility, 146 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,933 {\an1}is a subject of intense scrutiny throughout her reign. 147 00:07:50,966 --> 00:07:55,533 {\an1}And of course it's an area where she experiences great tragedy 148 00:07:55,566 --> 00:07:58,200 and sadness, and ultimately, she fails. 149 00:07:58,233 --> 00:08:02,533 ♪♪ 150 00:08:02,566 --> 00:08:05,133 -One of Anne's first tasks as Queen 151 00:08:05,166 --> 00:08:08,866 {\an1}was to address a speech to Parliament. 152 00:08:08,900 --> 00:08:11,500 {\an1}Once again, expectations were low. 153 00:08:11,533 --> 00:08:12,900 ♪♪ 154 00:08:12,933 --> 00:08:15,333 [ Men shouting ] 155 00:08:15,366 --> 00:08:20,966 {\an1}In the early 18th century, Parliament was a brutal place. 156 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,400 {\an1}There were two factions who despised each other. 157 00:08:24,433 --> 00:08:27,733 {\an1}[ Shouting continues ] 158 00:08:27,766 --> 00:08:30,033 {\an1}The Whigs were a party of business, 159 00:08:30,066 --> 00:08:32,300 {\an1}the metropolitan elite. 160 00:08:32,333 --> 00:08:34,766 {\an1}They wanted to restore England's glory 161 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:38,166 by going to war with Catholic France. 162 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:40,333 And they believed Parliament should curtail 163 00:08:40,366 --> 00:08:42,000 {\an1}the power of the monarch. 164 00:08:42,033 --> 00:08:44,433 {\an1}[ Shouting continues ] 165 00:08:44,466 --> 00:08:48,766 {\an1}The Tories were landed gentry -- country squires. 166 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:50,566 {\an1}They resisted going to war with France 167 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:54,166 {\an1}because it would lead to an increase in land tax. 168 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:56,066 {\an1}They were committed monarchists. 169 00:08:56,100 --> 00:09:00,900 {\an1}Tory values could be summed up as "God, Queen and country." 170 00:09:00,933 --> 00:09:04,800 {\an1}[ Shouting continues ] 171 00:09:04,833 --> 00:09:10,066 {\an1}Anne dreaded entering this bear pit. 172 00:09:10,100 --> 00:09:13,133 {\an1}To make matters worse, one of her ministers said 173 00:09:13,166 --> 00:09:16,766 that she was "too unwieldy and lame' 174 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:19,666 {\an1}even to appear before Parliament. 175 00:09:19,700 --> 00:09:21,833 {\an1}It looked like it was going to be a disaster. 176 00:09:21,866 --> 00:09:25,300 {\an1}But Anne had a secret weapon. 177 00:09:25,333 --> 00:09:30,666 ♪♪ 178 00:09:30,700 --> 00:09:34,133 {\an1}Sarah Churchill had ensured that her friend 179 00:09:34,166 --> 00:09:37,333 {\an1}was immaculately dressed, perfectly prepped, 180 00:09:37,366 --> 00:09:40,166 {\an1}and stunningly regal. 181 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:44,500 {\an1}Sarah had also arranged for Anne to be carried into Parliament. 182 00:09:44,533 --> 00:09:52,500 ♪♪ 183 00:09:52,533 --> 00:10:00,200 ♪♪ 184 00:10:00,233 --> 00:10:03,066 {\an1}She learned her speech off by heart. 185 00:10:03,100 --> 00:10:07,533 {\an1}People noticed she gave it "without book" -- no notes. 186 00:10:07,566 --> 00:10:09,933 And she said, "There is nothing 187 00:10:09,966 --> 00:10:13,266 you could expect or desire me to do 188 00:10:13,300 --> 00:10:15,000 {\an1}that I wouldn't do 189 00:10:15,033 --> 00:10:20,666 for the happiness and prosperity of England." 190 00:10:20,700 --> 00:10:22,500 {\an1}But it was another line of the speech 191 00:10:22,533 --> 00:10:24,000 {\an1}which became a sort of a meme 192 00:10:24,033 --> 00:10:26,033 and got relayed around the country. 193 00:10:26,066 --> 00:10:32,700 {\an1}She said, "I know my own heart to be entirely English." 194 00:10:32,733 --> 00:10:34,900 {\an1}And this was a dig at her predecessor, 195 00:10:34,933 --> 00:10:38,033 the unpopular Dutch King William III. 196 00:10:38,066 --> 00:10:40,466 {\an1}It went down a storm. 197 00:10:40,500 --> 00:10:43,500 {\an1}Many of the doubts about her reign 198 00:10:43,533 --> 00:10:46,566 {\an1}were beginning to melt away. 199 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:50,500 {\an1}"Her Majesty charmed both houses on Wednesday," 200 00:10:50,533 --> 00:10:52,500 {\an1}reported one observer. 201 00:10:52,533 --> 00:10:58,066 {\an1}"Never any woman spoke more audibly or with better grace." 202 00:10:58,100 --> 00:11:00,333 {\an1}The Earl of Sunderland gushed, 203 00:11:00,366 --> 00:11:05,900 {\an1}"If she acts as she speaks, shewill be safe, happy and adored." 204 00:11:05,933 --> 00:11:08,533 {\an1}♪♪ 205 00:11:08,566 --> 00:11:11,300 {\an1}Anne had done brilliantly. 206 00:11:12,900 --> 00:11:15,500 {\an1}-Queen Anne herself was a very astute politician, 207 00:11:15,533 --> 00:11:18,700 {\an7}and she was a very shrewd manipulator 208 00:11:18,733 --> 00:11:23,133 {\an7}of political actors to her own ends. 209 00:11:23,166 --> 00:11:28,133 {\an1}-But Anne's cleverly planned debut would soon be forgotten 210 00:11:28,166 --> 00:11:32,166 {\an1}due to the machinations of her political enemies. 211 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:33,800 {\an1}In the early 18th century, 212 00:11:33,833 --> 00:11:38,366 {\an1}the position of Prime Minister hadn't yet been established. 213 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:44,900 {\an1}The monarch selected MPs for the top jobs and approved policy. 214 00:11:44,933 --> 00:11:47,266 {\an1}Anne was often caught in the crossfire 215 00:11:47,300 --> 00:11:52,600 {\an1}between what she called the "merciless men." 216 00:11:52,633 --> 00:11:55,733 {\an1}But the standard story of her reign 217 00:11:55,766 --> 00:11:58,766 {\an1}diverts our attention away from Parliament 218 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:02,366 {\an1}and on to intrigues at court. 219 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:06,500 {\an1}History and Hollywood have often painted Queen Anne 220 00:12:06,533 --> 00:12:10,766 {\an1}as a woman under the thumbof other women -- her favorites. 221 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:14,866 {\an1}They controlled access to the Queen for political purposes. 222 00:12:14,900 --> 00:12:16,600 {\an1}Now, like all myths, 223 00:12:16,633 --> 00:12:19,066 {\an1}there's a grain of truth at the heart of this, 224 00:12:19,100 --> 00:12:22,433 {\an1}but really, it's very much of an exaggeration. 225 00:12:22,466 --> 00:12:24,200 ♪♪ 226 00:12:24,233 --> 00:12:26,666 {\an1}An undoubted favorite of Anne's 227 00:12:26,700 --> 00:12:29,566 {\an1}was her old childhood friend Sarah, 228 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:31,666 {\an1}who'd helped her escape St. James' Palace 229 00:12:31,700 --> 00:12:33,200 {\an1}all those years ago. 230 00:12:33,233 --> 00:12:34,933 ♪♪ 231 00:12:34,966 --> 00:12:37,500 {\an1}Sarah Churchill was married to John Churchill, 232 00:12:37,533 --> 00:12:39,366 {\an1}the Earl of Marlborough, 233 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:42,366 {\an1}an ambitious army general and statesman. 234 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:44,166 ♪♪ 235 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:47,533 {\an1}Politically, Sarah supported the Whig Party, 236 00:12:47,566 --> 00:12:51,200 {\an1}and rival Tory ministers were deeply suspicious 237 00:12:51,233 --> 00:12:53,700 {\an1}of her influence over the Queen. 238 00:12:53,733 --> 00:12:56,866 ♪♪ 239 00:12:56,900 --> 00:13:00,666 {\an1}It is true that Sarah's massively influential. 240 00:13:00,700 --> 00:13:03,733 She's the Queen's Mistress of the Robes, 241 00:13:03,766 --> 00:13:07,566 {\an1}her Keeper of the Privy Purse, and her Groom of the Stole, 242 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:11,666 {\an1}as symbolized by her golden key of office. 243 00:13:11,700 --> 00:13:15,233 {\an1}This means that Sarah controls Anne's clothes, 244 00:13:15,266 --> 00:13:18,500 her social life, and her money. 245 00:13:18,533 --> 00:13:22,500 ♪♪ 246 00:13:22,533 --> 00:13:25,833 {\an1}But stories depicting the Queen as Sarah's puppet 247 00:13:25,866 --> 00:13:28,300 {\an1}were often motivated by jealousy 248 00:13:28,333 --> 00:13:31,200 {\an1}of her Sarah's power and privileges. 249 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,333 {\an1}-Lady Sarah Churchill had one of the most important apartments 250 00:13:39,366 --> 00:13:40,766 at Hampton Court. 251 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:43,300 -And this was her little closet, 252 00:13:43,333 --> 00:13:44,500 {\an1}dressing room area? 253 00:13:44,533 --> 00:13:46,000 {\an1}-This was her closet or dressing room. 254 00:13:46,033 --> 00:13:47,300 {\an1}-How does it compare to other rooms 255 00:13:47,333 --> 00:13:49,033 the courtiers had in the palace? 256 00:13:49,066 --> 00:13:51,333 {\an7}-It is as richly decorated 257 00:13:51,366 --> 00:13:53,600 {\an7}as the monarch's apartment. 258 00:13:53,633 --> 00:13:56,933 {\an7}-So it's a very, very cushy little room she's got here. 259 00:13:56,966 --> 00:13:59,100 {\an1}-It is the best place in the palace 260 00:13:59,133 --> 00:14:03,466 {\an1}if you're a courtier, because it is so close 261 00:14:03,500 --> 00:14:06,700 {\an1}to the most private spaces of the monarch. 262 00:14:06,733 --> 00:14:08,666 -Mm. -Queen Anne would have slept 263 00:14:08,700 --> 00:14:11,300 right next door. -Oh, yes. 264 00:14:11,333 --> 00:14:14,466 {\an1}-Very cozy arrangement. 265 00:14:14,500 --> 00:14:16,866 {\an1}-Well, if you're the Queen, you don't want to be 266 00:14:16,900 --> 00:14:19,666 {\an1}sleeping in the grand chambers upstairs. 267 00:14:19,700 --> 00:14:21,766 {\an1}They're cold and not very comfortable. 268 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:25,300 A room like this is much more homely, 269 00:14:25,333 --> 00:14:26,500 much more cozy. 270 00:14:26,533 --> 00:14:29,100 {\an1}You have to imagine it once had a bed in it. 271 00:14:29,133 --> 00:14:31,800 {\an1}-A bed in it, yes. That's a big part of her life 272 00:14:31,833 --> 00:14:33,500 {\an1}being surrounded by women in these 273 00:14:33,533 --> 00:14:36,033 {\an1}funny little downstairs rooms. 274 00:14:36,066 --> 00:14:40,100 {\an1}-Yes, but because women are there, 275 00:14:40,133 --> 00:14:44,233 {\an1}they can also talk politics with the Queen. 276 00:14:44,266 --> 00:14:46,400 {\an1}-There's no escape, is there, if you're the Queen? 277 00:14:46,433 --> 00:14:48,700 {\an1}-Monarchs can't have normal relationships 278 00:14:48,733 --> 00:14:52,933 {\an1}because everybody wants something from them. 279 00:14:52,966 --> 00:14:54,866 ♪♪ 280 00:14:54,900 --> 00:14:56,433 {\an1}-At Hampton Court, 281 00:14:56,466 --> 00:14:58,933 {\an1}any politician hoping to influence the Queen 282 00:14:58,966 --> 00:15:00,766 {\an1}in the early years of her reign 283 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:04,033 needed access to her private study. 284 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:11,500 The Queen was both extremely ill and extremely shy. 285 00:15:11,533 --> 00:15:13,600 {\an1}She kept away from high society. 286 00:15:13,633 --> 00:15:15,433 {\an1}She kept herself to herself, 287 00:15:15,466 --> 00:15:18,233 {\an1}mainly in the company of her ladies. 288 00:15:18,266 --> 00:15:21,666 So if you were an ambitious politician, 289 00:15:21,700 --> 00:15:26,400 {\an1}how would you get access to Her reclusive Majesty? 290 00:15:26,433 --> 00:15:28,233 ♪♪ 291 00:15:28,266 --> 00:15:31,033 {\an1}Well, there are two routes. 292 00:15:31,066 --> 00:15:33,533 {\an1}Here's the official way... 293 00:15:33,566 --> 00:15:38,500 {\an1}Firstly, you'd come up this epically grand staircase 294 00:15:38,533 --> 00:15:41,500 {\an1}with its magnificent murals. 295 00:15:41,533 --> 00:15:48,533 ♪♪ 296 00:15:48,566 --> 00:15:52,566 {\an1}Right down at the other end there is Queen Anne's study. 297 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:54,733 {\an1}It seems an awfully long way away. 298 00:15:54,766 --> 00:15:56,566 {\an1}And between us and it, 299 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:58,500 there all these different rooms, 300 00:15:58,533 --> 00:16:01,400 {\an1}each with its own door and its own lock 301 00:16:01,433 --> 00:16:03,566 {\an1}and its own guard. 302 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,333 {\an1}These rooms form a hierarchy. 303 00:16:06,366 --> 00:16:08,700 {\an1}And the more important you are, 304 00:16:08,733 --> 00:16:11,900 {\an1}the deeper you're allowed to penetrate into the palace. 305 00:16:11,933 --> 00:16:14,866 {\an1}But ultimately, it was the Queen's favorite 306 00:16:14,900 --> 00:16:17,166 {\an1}who'd decide whether you were allowed into 307 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:20,200 {\an1}the Royal presence or not. 308 00:16:20,233 --> 00:16:24,433 ♪♪ 309 00:16:24,466 --> 00:16:27,833 {\an1}But this isn't the only way in to see the Queen. 310 00:16:29,966 --> 00:16:32,600 {\an1}These are the backstairs. 311 00:16:32,633 --> 00:16:34,600 {\an1}It's a working part of the palace. 312 00:16:34,633 --> 00:16:37,200 {\an1}This is where servants would bring things up 313 00:16:37,233 --> 00:16:39,233 {\an1}to the Queen's study. 314 00:16:39,266 --> 00:16:42,133 {\an1}The only people who are supposed to use these stairs 315 00:16:42,166 --> 00:16:43,866 {\an1}are servants themselves, 316 00:16:43,900 --> 00:16:46,600 and of course, the Queen's favorite. 317 00:16:46,633 --> 00:16:48,766 ♪♪ 318 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:51,300 {\an1}And it was the Queen's number one favorite, 319 00:16:51,333 --> 00:16:53,533 Sarah Churchill, who controlled 320 00:16:53,566 --> 00:16:56,766 that backstairs access to Anne. 321 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,200 {\an1}Clever politicians knew that they had to go through her 322 00:17:00,233 --> 00:17:02,533 for an audience with their monarch. 323 00:17:02,566 --> 00:17:04,700 {\an1}The power-hungry Sarah 324 00:17:04,733 --> 00:17:08,033 {\an1}now had even more influence. 325 00:17:08,066 --> 00:17:10,033 {\an1}One of the Queen's first appointments 326 00:17:10,066 --> 00:17:13,533 {\an1}was Sarah Churchill's husband, Lord Marlborough. 327 00:17:13,566 --> 00:17:15,900 {\an1}He was keen to go to war with France 328 00:17:15,933 --> 00:17:18,333 {\an1}to crush the Catholic threat. 329 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:24,366 He would lead the Queen's army. 330 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:27,366 {\an1}For many historians, this looks like a blatant favor 331 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:29,533 {\an1}to Sarah and the Whigs. 332 00:17:32,500 --> 00:17:35,066 {\an1}But it's a myth that Anne was a mere puppet 333 00:17:35,100 --> 00:17:37,700 {\an1}whose strings were pulled by politicians. 334 00:17:37,733 --> 00:17:40,566 {\an1}Look closer, and you'll see the Queen played 335 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:45,066 {\an1}a significant role in political affairs. 336 00:17:45,100 --> 00:17:47,800 {\an1}Anne is clever enough to take advice. 337 00:17:47,833 --> 00:17:52,400 {\an1}But she's also put both Whigs and Tories into her cabinet. 338 00:17:52,433 --> 00:17:54,200 {\an1}She's no pushover. 339 00:17:55,833 --> 00:17:58,866 {\an1}-If any of the Whigs think I am to be frightened 340 00:17:58,900 --> 00:18:01,300 {\an1}or hectored into compliance 341 00:18:01,333 --> 00:18:03,100 {\an1}because I am a woman, 342 00:18:03,133 --> 00:18:07,166 they are mightily mistaken in me. 343 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:08,866 {\an1}-Bravo, Your Majesty. 344 00:18:08,900 --> 00:18:12,700 ♪♪ 345 00:18:12,733 --> 00:18:15,300 {\an1}-Anne was holding her own. 346 00:18:15,333 --> 00:18:19,900 {\an1}But her tragic lack of children was still a problem. 347 00:18:19,933 --> 00:18:23,500 {\an1}England's stability as a Protestant nation was at stake. 348 00:18:25,533 --> 00:18:28,600 {\an7}Scouring the family tree for a Protestant heir 349 00:18:28,633 --> 00:18:33,700 {\an7}meant skipping over no fewer than 50 eligible Catholics. 350 00:18:33,733 --> 00:18:37,466 {\an7}The next contender was a German called Sophia of Hanover. 351 00:18:39,366 --> 00:18:41,133 {\an7}And Anne would do everything in her power 352 00:18:41,166 --> 00:18:44,100 {\an8}to fix this Protestant succession. 353 00:18:45,933 --> 00:18:48,766 ♪♪ 354 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:51,033 {\an1}But the Catholic threat was growing. 355 00:18:52,900 --> 00:18:55,066 {\an1}A royal crisis in Spain 356 00:18:55,100 --> 00:18:57,933 {\an1}was taking England to the brink of war. 357 00:18:59,666 --> 00:19:03,533 {\an1}Charles II of Spain was also childless. 358 00:19:03,566 --> 00:19:06,066 {\an1}On his death, Spain and its colonies 359 00:19:06,100 --> 00:19:10,633 {\an1}would pass to the grandson of the King of France. 360 00:19:10,666 --> 00:19:14,633 {\an1}This would create a Catholic mega-empire 361 00:19:14,666 --> 00:19:16,933 {\an1}intent on restoring a Catholic king 362 00:19:16,966 --> 00:19:19,433 {\an1}to the English throne. 363 00:19:19,466 --> 00:19:24,900 {\an1}The War of the Spanish Succession was brewing. 364 00:19:24,933 --> 00:19:27,866 {\an1}This was one of the greatest tests for Queen Anne 365 00:19:27,900 --> 00:19:30,633 {\an1}and her Protestant allies in Europe. 366 00:19:30,666 --> 00:19:34,966 ♪♪ 367 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,433 {\an1}-This war determined the future of Europe, 368 00:19:37,466 --> 00:19:40,333 {\an1}and in many ways the future of world civilization. 369 00:19:40,366 --> 00:19:42,333 {\an7}There's no question that the consequences 370 00:19:42,366 --> 00:19:43,733 {\an7}are world consequences. 371 00:19:43,766 --> 00:19:47,833 {\an7}If Louis XIV controls the wealth of the Spanish Empire, 372 00:19:47,866 --> 00:19:51,600 {\an1}essentially that's a global empire for him. 373 00:19:51,633 --> 00:19:55,566 {\an1}-Why does Louis threaten Queen Anne quite so much? 374 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:57,700 {\an1}-Well, he would remove her from the throne. 375 00:19:57,733 --> 00:20:00,966 The fear was that they would impose Catholicism 376 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:02,866 {\an1}on the nation, so actually asking the nation 377 00:20:02,900 --> 00:20:05,000 to change its religion yet again. 378 00:20:05,033 --> 00:20:07,600 {\an1}Imagine the bloodshed. 379 00:20:07,633 --> 00:20:11,233 {\an1}-Queen Anne's military legacy tends to be forgotten. 380 00:20:11,266 --> 00:20:14,366 {\an1}But in 1704, she overruled the Tories 381 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:18,266 {\an1}and backed the hawkish Duke of Marlborough. 382 00:20:18,300 --> 00:20:20,966 {\an1}Anne's shrewd choice of military commander 383 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,566 {\an1}was about to pay dividends. 384 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:26,766 {\an1}-Marlborough definitely wants to take the war to Louis XIV, 385 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:28,066 {\an1}but he's got these allies. 386 00:20:28,100 --> 00:20:30,266 {\an1}He has the Dutch allies, and quite frankly, 387 00:20:30,300 --> 00:20:33,366 {\an1}they're frightened of the reputation of Louis XIV. 388 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:35,533 {\an1}France's armies had dominated the continent 389 00:20:35,566 --> 00:20:37,300 {\an1}for over half a century. 390 00:20:37,333 --> 00:20:39,900 {\an1}Louis the XIV was unbeatable, unstoppable. 391 00:20:39,933 --> 00:20:42,600 {\an1}There's a real sense -- 'We can't really beat him. 392 00:20:42,633 --> 00:20:44,700 {\an1}Why are we even trying?" 393 00:20:44,733 --> 00:20:47,666 {\an1}In 1704, the French give actually Marlborough 394 00:20:47,700 --> 00:20:49,733 his opportunity. 395 00:20:49,766 --> 00:20:52,266 {\an1}Basically, a French army in conjunction 396 00:20:52,300 --> 00:20:55,133 {\an1}with a Bavarian army is driving to towards Vienna. 397 00:20:55,166 --> 00:20:57,466 {\an1}-So Louis is marching on Vienna. 398 00:20:57,500 --> 00:20:59,666 {\an1}What's Marlborough going to do about that? 399 00:20:59,700 --> 00:21:03,700 {\an1}-So he works out a plan with Prince Eugene of Savoy, 400 00:21:03,733 --> 00:21:05,700 {\an1}the allied commander in the South, 401 00:21:05,733 --> 00:21:08,100 {\an1}that what they're going to do is Savoy is going to march north, 402 00:21:08,133 --> 00:21:10,033 {\an1}Marlborough is going to march south, 403 00:21:10,066 --> 00:21:12,933 {\an1}and they will meet and cut the French forces off 404 00:21:12,966 --> 00:21:14,933 {\an1}before they reach Vienna. 405 00:21:14,966 --> 00:21:19,066 {\an1}Now to do this, it's a major logistical undertaking. 406 00:21:19,100 --> 00:21:21,766 {\an1}Marlborough actually has to set out shoes 407 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:23,766 {\an1}and boots along the route 408 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:27,466 {\an1}because he is going to march his troops so far and so fast 409 00:21:27,500 --> 00:21:29,833 {\an1}that they are going to wear out their footwear. 410 00:21:29,866 --> 00:21:31,966 ♪♪ 411 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:35,966 {\an1}The two armies meet on the way to Vienna. 412 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:37,600 {\an1}What happens at the battle 413 00:21:37,633 --> 00:21:41,100 {\an1}is that Marlborough proves himself a tactical genius. 414 00:21:41,133 --> 00:21:43,066 He makes a feint early in the morning 415 00:21:43,100 --> 00:21:45,100 {\an1}towards the village of Blindheim. 416 00:21:45,133 --> 00:21:47,966 {\an1}He draws the French forces off from the river. 417 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:50,933 {\an1}He saves his cavalry till the afternoon. 418 00:21:50,966 --> 00:21:53,000 {\an1}When he sends into the 81 squadrons of cavalry, 419 00:21:53,033 --> 00:21:55,533 they smash through the French lines, 420 00:21:55,566 --> 00:21:58,233 {\an1}and people see something they haven't seen in a century -- 421 00:21:58,266 --> 00:21:59,800 a French army. 422 00:21:59,833 --> 00:22:04,266 {\an1}The scourge of Europe breaks and runs for the river. 423 00:22:04,300 --> 00:22:07,166 {\an1}At the end of the day, Marlborough is exhausted. 424 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:08,933 He's on horseback 425 00:22:08,966 --> 00:22:10,766 He writes a note to his wife, 426 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:12,433 Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough. 427 00:22:12,466 --> 00:22:13,633 "Quickly, give me a piece of paper." 428 00:22:13,666 --> 00:22:15,666 {\an7}He writes on the back of a tavern bill, 429 00:22:15,700 --> 00:22:19,233 {\an7}"Please tell the Queen her army has won a glorious victory." 430 00:22:19,266 --> 00:22:22,266 {\an7}And that message is in fact the announcement 431 00:22:22,300 --> 00:22:26,133 {\an8}of England's arrival on the world stage. 432 00:22:26,166 --> 00:22:28,066 {\an1}-You're making me feel quite proud to be English. 433 00:22:28,100 --> 00:22:30,366 [ Both laugh ] -Well... 434 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:31,700 {\an1}-Queen's Anne's army 435 00:22:31,733 --> 00:22:33,600 had won the most crushing victory 436 00:22:33,633 --> 00:22:38,100 {\an1}against the French since Agincourt. 437 00:22:38,133 --> 00:22:41,633 {\an1}On hearing the news, Anne said it gave her more joy 438 00:22:41,666 --> 00:22:45,066 than she had ever received in her life. 439 00:22:45,100 --> 00:22:47,833 {\an1}Not bad at all for a Queen who'd go down in history 440 00:22:47,866 --> 00:22:49,333 as a disaster. 441 00:22:49,366 --> 00:22:50,966 ♪♪ 442 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:54,833 {\an1}Queen Anne's army had shattered French morale. 443 00:22:54,866 --> 00:22:57,500 {\an1}It had stopped Austria from being invaded. 444 00:22:57,533 --> 00:23:00,533 {\an1}It had won one of the most decisive victories 445 00:23:00,566 --> 00:23:01,866 {\an1}in European history. 446 00:23:01,900 --> 00:23:04,100 England was now in the ascendant. 447 00:23:04,133 --> 00:23:06,400 {\an1}And here was the Duke of Marlborough's 448 00:23:06,433 --> 00:23:08,266 {\an1}reward from his Queen -- 449 00:23:08,300 --> 00:23:10,233 {\an1}the Palace of Blindheim, 450 00:23:10,266 --> 00:23:12,966 {\an1}or in plain English, Blenheim. 451 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:16,866 ♪♪ 452 00:23:16,900 --> 00:23:18,566 Historians have presented this 453 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:20,900 as purely Marlborough's victory. 454 00:23:20,933 --> 00:23:23,200 {\an1}The usual story rarely acknowledges 455 00:23:23,233 --> 00:23:25,666 {\an1}that it was the Queen who appointed him. 456 00:23:27,633 --> 00:23:31,533 {\an1}Elizabeth I gets remembered for beating the Spanish Armada. 457 00:23:31,566 --> 00:23:34,533 {\an1}Mrs. Thatcher gets remembered for winning the Falklands War. 458 00:23:34,566 --> 00:23:36,433 {\an1}Why doesn't Queen Anne get remembered? 459 00:23:36,466 --> 00:23:38,433 {\an1}-Queen Anne was fully the equal 460 00:23:38,466 --> 00:23:41,033 of any of her Tudor predecessors, 461 00:23:41,066 --> 00:23:44,566 {\an1}but she lacked the star quality of Queen Elizabeth 462 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:46,266 {\an1}and other people who've sat on the British throne. 463 00:23:46,300 --> 00:23:49,366 She was quiet, she was shy, 464 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:52,566 {\an1}she was significantly overweight. 465 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:55,400 {\an1}And I think people then and people today 466 00:23:55,433 --> 00:23:57,533 {\an1}still draw conclusions about that 467 00:23:57,566 --> 00:23:59,533 {\an1}which amount to mere prejudice. 468 00:23:59,566 --> 00:24:01,966 You never hear "fat and competent," 469 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:03,666 {\an1}"fat and politically astute," 470 00:24:03,700 --> 00:24:06,000 {\an1}and yet that's exactly what Anne was. 471 00:24:06,033 --> 00:24:10,366 {\an1}She knew who she was, and was exactly the queen that England 472 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:13,366 {\an1}and then later Great Britain needed during her reign. 473 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:18,433 ♪♪ 474 00:24:18,466 --> 00:24:21,633 {\an1}-The war with France continued. 475 00:24:21,666 --> 00:24:25,200 {\an1}And it was getting closer to home. 476 00:24:25,233 --> 00:24:29,800 {\an1}Louis XIV was eyeing upa French alliance with Scotland. 477 00:24:29,833 --> 00:24:33,800 {\an1}Together, they could perhaps crush England. 478 00:24:33,833 --> 00:24:36,033 But the Queen had a solution. 479 00:24:36,066 --> 00:24:39,866 {\an1}And it would also help secure the Protestant succession. 480 00:24:39,900 --> 00:24:45,366 ♪♪ 481 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:49,600 {\an1}England and Scotland shared one monarch, 482 00:24:49,633 --> 00:24:52,833 but had two separate Parliaments. 483 00:24:52,866 --> 00:24:54,266 {\an1}Anne was urging Scotland 484 00:24:54,300 --> 00:24:56,633 {\an7}to join a united Parliament in London 485 00:24:56,666 --> 00:25:00,000 {\an7}in return for economic rewards. 486 00:25:00,033 --> 00:25:01,233 {\an7}This would shut the door 487 00:25:01,266 --> 00:25:02,233 {\an7}on a French alliance 488 00:25:02,266 --> 00:25:03,500 {\an8}with Scotland 489 00:25:03,533 --> 00:25:05,000 {\an7}and secure the Protestant 490 00:25:05,033 --> 00:25:06,933 {\an7}Hanoverian succession. 491 00:25:09,433 --> 00:25:10,966 {\an8}Great Britain 492 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:13,833 {\an7}was about to be born. 493 00:25:13,866 --> 00:25:16,100 {\an1}The story of how the union came about 494 00:25:16,133 --> 00:25:18,900 {\an1}usually goes something like this -- 495 00:25:18,933 --> 00:25:21,400 {\an1}England said to Scotland, "How about it? 496 00:25:21,433 --> 00:25:23,133 {\an1}Shall we get together?" 497 00:25:23,166 --> 00:25:26,800 {\an1}The Scottish nobles thought about it, debated it, 498 00:25:26,833 --> 00:25:29,266 {\an1}and eventually decided, yes. 499 00:25:29,300 --> 00:25:31,733 {\an1}The only people who thought that this was a bad idea 500 00:25:31,766 --> 00:25:34,733 were a small rabble of dissenters. 501 00:25:34,766 --> 00:25:37,900 {\an1}Most people in England and Scotland thought it was great. 502 00:25:37,933 --> 00:25:39,600 What a triumph! 503 00:25:40,733 --> 00:25:42,700 {\an1}But this version of the story 504 00:25:42,733 --> 00:25:45,533 {\an1}is one of the biggest myths in British history. 505 00:25:45,566 --> 00:25:48,633 {\an1}Scotland's archives reveal the truth 506 00:25:48,666 --> 00:25:50,366 {\an1}about the people's response 507 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:54,133 {\an1}to the idea of a union with England. 508 00:25:54,166 --> 00:25:57,333 {\an1}What do you think that people generally in Scotland 509 00:25:57,366 --> 00:26:00,500 {\an1}felt about the union when it was proposed? 510 00:26:00,533 --> 00:26:02,033 {\an7}-If you had an opinion, 511 00:26:02,066 --> 00:26:03,866 {\an7}I think contemporaries would have said most Scots 512 00:26:03,900 --> 00:26:05,233 {\an8}were against it. 513 00:26:05,266 --> 00:26:07,933 {\an1}-We've got here a copy of a petition 514 00:26:07,966 --> 00:26:09,900 from the Scottish National Archives 515 00:26:09,933 --> 00:26:12,400 which is saying, "We don't want the union." 516 00:26:12,433 --> 00:26:15,033 {\an1}-So this is a petition from the inhabitants 517 00:26:15,066 --> 00:26:17,800 {\an1}and the trades and merchants of the borough of Aire. 518 00:26:17,833 --> 00:26:19,400 {\an1}It's signed by over a thousand people, 519 00:26:19,433 --> 00:26:21,766 {\an1}which is very large for this time. 520 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:24,600 {\an1}So it's signed by officers of the trade guilds, 521 00:26:24,633 --> 00:26:26,666 senior merchants, and then as it goes down, 522 00:26:26,700 --> 00:26:28,033 {\an1}you get more ordinary people. 523 00:26:28,066 --> 00:26:29,933 {\an1}We can see the initials of people 524 00:26:29,966 --> 00:26:31,433 {\an1}who are not actually literate enough 525 00:26:31,466 --> 00:26:33,233 {\an1}to sign their full signature. 526 00:26:33,266 --> 00:26:34,933 {\an1}-And -- well, there are lots of these petitions. 527 00:26:34,966 --> 00:26:36,933 {\an1}And what about the pro-union petitions? 528 00:26:36,966 --> 00:26:38,366 Where are they? 529 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:40,500 {\an1}-There's only one petition that we can call pro-union, 530 00:26:40,533 --> 00:26:42,333 {\an1}and it's from the borough council of Aire, 531 00:26:42,366 --> 00:26:46,400 {\an1}and they say, "We're okay with this union in principle, 532 00:26:46,433 --> 00:26:49,633 {\an1}but could you please amend some of the articles of the treaty?" 533 00:26:49,666 --> 00:26:52,900 {\an1}-How many petitions were there against the union that survive? 534 00:26:52,933 --> 00:26:56,533 {\an1}-There are about 80 petitions, and they're signed 535 00:26:56,566 --> 00:27:01,100 {\an1}by approximately 20,000 people, which for the time is a lot. 536 00:27:01,133 --> 00:27:04,566 {\an1}-And there was one pro-union petition? 537 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:05,733 -Yes. At the time, there was 538 00:27:05,766 --> 00:27:07,466 {\an1}a very strong sense of national identity. 539 00:27:07,500 --> 00:27:09,600 {\an1}People saw Scotland as an ancient kingdom 540 00:27:09,633 --> 00:27:11,066 {\an1}that had been around -- 541 00:27:11,100 --> 00:27:13,233 {\an1}according to history of the time -- 542 00:27:13,266 --> 00:27:15,466 for 2,000 years. 543 00:27:15,500 --> 00:27:19,166 {\an1}And it was seen as really dishonorable to give that up. 544 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:23,400 {\an7}-The real story of the union involved the bribery 545 00:27:23,433 --> 00:27:25,033 {\an1}of Scottish politicians 546 00:27:25,066 --> 00:27:28,233 with the promise of titles and riches. 547 00:27:28,266 --> 00:27:32,100 ♪♪ 548 00:27:32,133 --> 00:27:37,933 {\an1}The Duke of Hamilton was a Scottish anti-unionist hero. 549 00:27:37,966 --> 00:27:41,233 {\an1}But late one September night in 1705, 550 00:27:41,266 --> 00:27:44,833 {\an1}he abruptly changed his tune. [ Bells tolling ] 551 00:27:44,866 --> 00:27:46,800 {\an1}The Scottish Parliament was debating 552 00:27:46,833 --> 00:27:50,466 {\an1}how to choose commissioners to negotiate for Scotland 553 00:27:50,500 --> 00:27:52,800 {\an1}over the suggested union. 554 00:27:52,833 --> 00:27:57,400 [ Bells tolling ] 555 00:27:57,433 --> 00:28:01,733 {\an1}The Duke of Hamilton suddenly did a very surprising thing. 556 00:28:01,766 --> 00:28:03,633 {\an1}He announced that he thought that the Queen 557 00:28:03,666 --> 00:28:06,700 {\an1}ought to pick her own commissioners. 558 00:28:06,733 --> 00:28:10,366 {\an1}This was inexplicable to the rest of the opposition. 559 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:12,766 {\an1}They were confused. They were dismayed. 560 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:15,200 {\an1}They walked out of the chamber. 561 00:28:15,233 --> 00:28:19,100 {\an1}And this allowed the motion to slip through 562 00:28:19,133 --> 00:28:21,533 {\an1}by just eight votes. 563 00:28:21,566 --> 00:28:23,133 ♪♪ 564 00:28:23,166 --> 00:28:25,333 {\an1}Hamilton had been bribed. 565 00:28:25,366 --> 00:28:30,000 {\an1}He would later become the first British Ambassador to France. 566 00:28:30,033 --> 00:28:32,933 {\an1}His U-turn allowed Anne to select 567 00:28:32,966 --> 00:28:35,000 Scotland's own negotiators. 568 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:39,900 {\an1}Anne was getting exactly what she wanted. 569 00:28:39,933 --> 00:28:44,600 {\an1}Not exactly the action of a politically naive pushover. 570 00:28:44,633 --> 00:28:48,233 ♪♪ 571 00:28:48,266 --> 00:28:51,466 {\an1}This corridor behind 10 Downing Street 572 00:28:51,500 --> 00:28:55,033 {\an1}once led to once Henry VIII's cockfighting pit. 573 00:28:55,066 --> 00:28:57,800 {\an1}And it was here that the Queen's ruthless battle 574 00:28:57,833 --> 00:29:00,133 {\an1}for the union was won. 575 00:29:00,166 --> 00:29:02,866 ♪♪ 576 00:29:02,900 --> 00:29:05,000 {\an1}The two teams of commissioners were kept apart 577 00:29:05,033 --> 00:29:08,133 from each other in separate locked rooms, 578 00:29:08,166 --> 00:29:10,233 {\an1}and written messages were exchanged. 579 00:29:10,266 --> 00:29:11,933 So 300 years ago, 580 00:29:11,966 --> 00:29:13,966 this corridor was where it was all at 581 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:15,933 with messages going up and down. 582 00:29:15,966 --> 00:29:19,500 Scotland's future was at stake here. 583 00:29:19,533 --> 00:29:23,266 And yet the Scottish negotiating team had been neutered. 584 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:28,033 {\an1}The deal was struck in just three days. 585 00:29:28,066 --> 00:29:30,733 {\an1}The two Parliaments would be united in London 586 00:29:30,766 --> 00:29:34,500 {\an1}as Her Majesty's Parliament of Great Britain. 587 00:29:34,533 --> 00:29:39,733 {\an1}Scotland would be free to trade with England's colonies. 588 00:29:39,766 --> 00:29:43,100 {\an1}And the Protestant Hanoverians would succeed Queen Anne 589 00:29:43,133 --> 00:29:46,366 {\an1}to both the Scottish and English thrones. 590 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:48,400 ♪♪ 591 00:29:48,433 --> 00:29:50,600 {\an1}Now Anne's deal went back to be approved 592 00:29:50,633 --> 00:29:53,033 {\an1}by the Scottish Parliament. 593 00:29:53,066 --> 00:29:57,700 {\an1}Once again, Anne's ministers manipulated the outcome. 594 00:29:57,733 --> 00:29:59,900 {\an1}20,000 pounds worth of English gold -- 595 00:29:59,933 --> 00:30:01,833 {\an1}about 5 million today -- 596 00:30:01,866 --> 00:30:07,033 {\an1}was used to "persuade" Scots MPs to vote for union. 597 00:30:07,066 --> 00:30:10,233 Here in the hall of the Scottish Parliament, 598 00:30:10,266 --> 00:30:14,366 MPs voted their independence away. 599 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:17,233 {\an1}Scotland's national poet, Rabbie Burns, 600 00:30:17,266 --> 00:30:21,700 was appalled by the corruption and lies. 601 00:30:23,866 --> 00:30:26,333 {\an8}-[ Singing ] 602 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:58,166 -So the last line we heard there was, 603 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:00,133 {\an1}"Such a parcel of rogues 604 00:31:00,166 --> 00:31:01,533 in a nation!" 605 00:31:01,566 --> 00:31:05,500 {\an1}Why is Robert Burns so cross with the Scottish people? 606 00:31:05,533 --> 00:31:07,866 {\an1}-So he's reflecting the notion that the union was made 607 00:31:07,900 --> 00:31:09,966 {\an1}with a degree of corruption. 608 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:11,466 {\an1}It is a marriage of convenience. 609 00:31:11,500 --> 00:31:14,500 {\an1}It is created because there is no successor to Anne. 610 00:31:14,533 --> 00:31:16,766 And that problem needs to be solved. 611 00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:18,800 If Anne had had a surviving child, 612 00:31:18,833 --> 00:31:21,233 {\an1}it probably would not have happened at that point in time. 613 00:31:21,266 --> 00:31:23,700 {\an1}-So amazingly, the union really came down 614 00:31:23,733 --> 00:31:26,033 {\an1}to the womb of one woman. 615 00:31:26,066 --> 00:31:27,366 -Mm-hmm, yep. 616 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:31,600 Queen Anne's lack of a successor is what drives the union. 617 00:31:31,633 --> 00:31:34,166 {\an1}-It's an incredible thought. 618 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:36,300 By May 1707, 619 00:31:36,333 --> 00:31:39,566 Anne had secured a Protestant succession, 620 00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:42,500 {\an1}foiled the French alliance with Scotland, 621 00:31:42,533 --> 00:31:45,966 {\an1}and created Great Britain into the bargain. 622 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,066 {\an1}Next on the Queen's to-do list -- 623 00:31:48,100 --> 00:31:51,466 {\an1}bringing the bloody war with France to an end. 624 00:31:51,500 --> 00:31:54,866 {\an1}But Anne wasn't just making political decisions. 625 00:31:54,900 --> 00:31:57,600 {\an1}She was making changes in her personal life, too. 626 00:31:57,633 --> 00:32:01,900 {\an1}And Sarah Churchill, for so long the Queen's closest confidant, 627 00:32:01,933 --> 00:32:04,866 {\an1}was about to find herself out in the cold. 628 00:32:04,900 --> 00:32:06,866 ♪♪ 629 00:32:06,900 --> 00:32:08,566 Anne's attention had been caught 630 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:11,100 {\an1}by a new addition to the household staff, 631 00:32:11,133 --> 00:32:15,100 Sarah's cousin, Abigail Masham. 632 00:32:15,133 --> 00:32:17,066 {\an1}And in no time at all, 633 00:32:17,100 --> 00:32:21,133 {\an1}Abigail was on the most intimate terms with the Queen. 634 00:32:21,166 --> 00:32:23,866 ♪♪ 635 00:32:23,900 --> 00:32:26,400 The Queen now has a new favorite. 636 00:32:26,433 --> 00:32:31,366 {\an1}It's Abigail who attends to her day and night. 637 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:34,033 {\an1}But just how close is the relationship 638 00:32:34,066 --> 00:32:36,000 {\an1}between Abigail and Anne? 639 00:32:36,033 --> 00:32:41,333 {\an1}That's a matter that remains shrouded in mystery. 640 00:32:41,366 --> 00:32:48,133 ♪♪ 641 00:32:48,166 --> 00:32:51,666 {\an1}Abigail Masham was the cousin of the Tory leader 642 00:32:51,700 --> 00:32:53,733 Robert Harley. 643 00:32:53,766 --> 00:32:58,266 {\an1}And she gave him special access to the Queen. 644 00:32:58,300 --> 00:33:03,266 {\an1}And Harley was the finest political schemer of his age. 645 00:33:03,300 --> 00:33:06,600 -His nickname is "the Backstairs Dragon." 646 00:33:06,633 --> 00:33:08,166 He's called the Backstairs Dragon 647 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:11,066 {\an1}because he's always thought to have some Machiavellian plan. 648 00:33:11,100 --> 00:33:13,666 {\an1}He's always playing both sides against the middle. 649 00:33:13,700 --> 00:33:16,133 {\an1}This is a man who always has three or four plots 650 00:33:16,166 --> 00:33:18,533 going at once. 651 00:33:18,566 --> 00:33:22,566 {\an1}-The Queen worked with Harley on secret plans 652 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:24,933 {\an1}to make a peace treaty with France. 653 00:33:24,966 --> 00:33:26,766 ♪♪ 654 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:30,266 {\an1}Sarah and the Whigs were utterly furious. 655 00:33:30,300 --> 00:33:32,966 ♪♪ 656 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:37,200 {\an1}Speculation about Abigail's relationship with the Queen 657 00:33:37,233 --> 00:33:39,133 {\an1}has diverted attention 658 00:33:39,166 --> 00:33:44,300 {\an1}from Anne's shrewd political tactics ever since. 659 00:33:44,333 --> 00:33:47,633 {\an1}A popular song began spreading a rumor 660 00:33:47,666 --> 00:33:49,366 {\an1}originating from Sarah 661 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:52,900 {\an1}which would destroy the Queen's reputation. 662 00:33:52,933 --> 00:33:57,233 ♪♪ 663 00:33:57,266 --> 00:34:03,666 ♪♪ 664 00:34:03,700 --> 00:34:05,633 {\an1}-Ballads had already been very popular 665 00:34:05,666 --> 00:34:08,400 {\an1}right from Shakespeare's day, and they were 666 00:34:08,433 --> 00:34:11,033 {\an1}the way that people enjoyed themselves singing. 667 00:34:11,066 --> 00:34:13,233 It was very much a part of oral culture 668 00:34:13,266 --> 00:34:15,766 {\an1}in ale houses and inns and taverns... 669 00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:18,233 -Nice. -...to sing popular songs. 670 00:34:18,266 --> 00:34:20,166 {\an1}-[ Speaks indistinctly ] 671 00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:22,366 -In this period, it becomes a way 672 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:25,466 {\an7}of expressing political satire. 673 00:34:25,500 --> 00:34:27,966 {\an7}And so you can have a ballad about a king and a pauper 674 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:31,700 {\an7}without naming the king ornaming the individuals involved. 675 00:34:31,733 --> 00:34:34,933 {\an1}And you could satirize what was going on in politics 676 00:34:34,966 --> 00:34:37,100 without ending up in the Tower of London. 677 00:34:37,133 --> 00:34:40,233 {\an1}So they have to have a thinly disguised satire 678 00:34:40,266 --> 00:34:43,233 {\an1}on what's going on in high places. 679 00:34:43,266 --> 00:34:47,766 {\an1}When as Q-U... A... 680 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:50,000 {\an1}-That's Queen Anne. -Well, we can recognize 681 00:34:50,033 --> 00:34:53,000 {\an1}immediately it's Queen Anne,and so would people at the time. 682 00:34:53,033 --> 00:34:54,866 {\an1}"When as Queen Anne of great Renown, 683 00:34:54,900 --> 00:34:56,800 {\an1}Great Britain's Scepter sway'd 684 00:34:56,833 --> 00:34:59,833 {\an1}Besides the Church, she dearly lov'd 685 00:34:59,866 --> 00:35:02,333 {\an1}A Dirty Chamber-Maid." -Oh! 686 00:35:02,366 --> 00:35:05,533 -"O, Abby... that was her Name." 687 00:35:05,566 --> 00:35:06,933 {\an1}-That's Abigail Masham, isn't it? 688 00:35:06,966 --> 00:35:08,466 {\an1}-This is about Abigail. 689 00:35:08,500 --> 00:35:10,966 "She and starch'd and stitch'd full well, 690 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:13,266 {\an1}But how she pierc'd this Royal Heart, 691 00:35:13,300 --> 00:35:15,200 {\an1}No Mortal Man can tell." 692 00:35:15,233 --> 00:35:17,133 {\an1}-She "pierc'd this Royal Heart." 693 00:35:17,166 --> 00:35:19,366 {\an1}That is romance then. 694 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:22,066 {\an1}It's cross-class romance. 695 00:35:22,100 --> 00:35:25,800 {\an1}-Whoever's written the ballad is causing mischief 696 00:35:25,833 --> 00:35:28,400 {\an1}and really kind of putting Abigail down. 697 00:35:28,433 --> 00:35:31,000 {\an1}She's being positioned as an ignorant low-born woman 698 00:35:31,033 --> 00:35:32,766 {\an1}who is illiterate, 699 00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:34,533 {\an1}but had the conduct and the care 700 00:35:34,566 --> 00:35:37,233 {\an1}of some dark deeds at night. 701 00:35:37,266 --> 00:35:39,333 {\an1}-Dark deeds at night. 702 00:35:39,366 --> 00:35:41,933 {\an1}Well, that's got to be girl-on-girl action. 703 00:35:41,966 --> 00:35:43,600 {\an1}It's a trivial thing on one level, 704 00:35:43,633 --> 00:35:45,500 {\an1}but it's been really influential, hasn't it, 705 00:35:45,533 --> 00:35:47,300 {\an1}in shaping our view of Queen Anne? 706 00:35:47,333 --> 00:35:49,866 {\an1}-It's like a pop song that's also spreading gossip 707 00:35:49,900 --> 00:35:52,200 and rumor and political intrigue. 708 00:35:52,233 --> 00:35:53,866 {\an1}-Well, even if there's no smoking gun 709 00:35:53,900 --> 00:35:55,200 {\an1}proving it was Sarah, 710 00:35:55,233 --> 00:35:56,800 you'd also think, "Who else could it have been?" 711 00:35:56,833 --> 00:35:58,833 {\an1}It must have been her. -It must have been her. 712 00:35:58,866 --> 00:36:02,133 {\an1}And I think definitely Sarah is playing with fire here. 713 00:36:02,166 --> 00:36:04,833 She's engaging in an open propaganda wars. 714 00:36:04,866 --> 00:36:05,833 -Hmm. 715 00:36:05,866 --> 00:36:09,500 ♪♪ 716 00:36:09,533 --> 00:36:12,666 {\an1}Great Britain was now alive with rumors 717 00:36:12,700 --> 00:36:17,833 {\an1}that Abigail and Anne were lovers. 718 00:36:17,866 --> 00:36:20,533 {\an1}Do you think that dark deeds actually happened 719 00:36:20,566 --> 00:36:22,333 {\an1}in the night in this room? 720 00:36:22,366 --> 00:36:24,033 {\an7}-We will never know for sure. 721 00:36:24,066 --> 00:36:27,866 {\an7}If we could make these walls talk, we might know. 722 00:36:27,900 --> 00:36:31,366 {\an1}But there's no reason just because of who Anne was, 723 00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:33,233 the position she had in society, 724 00:36:33,266 --> 00:36:34,700 {\an1}and the time she lived in 725 00:36:34,733 --> 00:36:39,000 {\an1}that she might not have felt same-sex love and desire. 726 00:36:39,033 --> 00:36:41,066 {\an1}-What kind of evidence would you expect anyway? 727 00:36:41,100 --> 00:36:43,166 {\an1}It's not really going to exist, is it? 728 00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:46,966 {\an1}-Very often, evidence doesn't survive because it was taboo. 729 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:49,400 {\an1}Who would write this down,and why would you write it down? 730 00:36:49,433 --> 00:36:52,133 {\an1}If you're whispering intimate secrets to somebody, 731 00:36:52,166 --> 00:36:54,533 you don't need to write them a letter. 732 00:36:54,566 --> 00:36:57,100 Sarah knew Anne better than anyone else. 733 00:36:57,133 --> 00:36:59,066 {\an1}Sarah would have known 734 00:36:59,100 --> 00:37:03,033 {\an1}that there could have been a grain of truth in her rumors. 735 00:37:03,066 --> 00:37:05,366 {\an1}But the unintended consequence of that 736 00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:08,733 {\an1}is that people assume that not only Abigail 737 00:37:08,766 --> 00:37:10,866 {\an1}was having an intimate relationship with the Queen, 738 00:37:10,900 --> 00:37:12,866 {\an1}but that Sarah had as well. 739 00:37:12,900 --> 00:37:14,933 ♪♪ 740 00:37:14,966 --> 00:37:17,866 {\an1}-Sarah's relationship with Anne was by now 741 00:37:17,900 --> 00:37:20,566 {\an1}spiraling downwards. 742 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:23,066 {\an1}At St. Paul's Cathedral in 1708, 743 00:37:23,100 --> 00:37:25,400 {\an1}Queen Anne and Sarah were attending 744 00:37:25,433 --> 00:37:26,966 {\an1}a service of thanks 745 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:30,400 {\an1}for another Marlborough victory over the French. 746 00:37:30,433 --> 00:37:35,000 {\an1}Sarah had laid out spectacular jewels for Anne to wear. 747 00:37:35,033 --> 00:37:36,866 {\an1}But on the way to St Paul's, 748 00:37:36,900 --> 00:37:40,533 {\an1}she noticed that Anne hadn't put them on. 749 00:37:40,566 --> 00:37:43,000 To Sarah, the message was clear. 750 00:37:43,033 --> 00:37:46,600 {\an1}The Queen didn't value Sarah's husband's victory 751 00:37:46,633 --> 00:37:49,233 {\an1}enough to be bothered to wear the jewels to the ceremony 752 00:37:49,266 --> 00:37:50,966 to celebrate it. 753 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:53,666 {\an1}And Sarah also thought that she could detect 754 00:37:53,700 --> 00:37:56,000 {\an1}the influence of Abigail here. 755 00:37:56,033 --> 00:37:59,933 {\an1}And if Abigail was in, then Sarah was out. 756 00:37:59,966 --> 00:38:02,366 {\an1}In the coach, they argued, 757 00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:04,400 {\an1}and it all grew to a head 758 00:38:04,433 --> 00:38:06,333 {\an1}as they arrived here at the cathedral, 759 00:38:06,366 --> 00:38:08,766 {\an1}where Sarah's feelings boiled over 760 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:11,200 {\an1}as they were going up the steps. 761 00:38:11,233 --> 00:38:14,000 {\an1}[ Crowd cheering ] Crowds were all around them 762 00:38:14,033 --> 00:38:16,500 {\an1}as the argument continued. 763 00:38:16,533 --> 00:38:18,466 {\an1}There were lots of people here at the entrance 764 00:38:18,500 --> 00:38:21,066 {\an1}to the cathedral, and as the Queen came in, 765 00:38:21,100 --> 00:38:23,866 {\an1}they all heard Sarah saying to her, 766 00:38:23,900 --> 00:38:25,700 "Be quiet!" 767 00:38:25,733 --> 00:38:29,566 {\an1}Everybody heard Sarah telling the Queen to shut up. 768 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:31,166 {\an1}This was terrible. 769 00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:33,266 {\an1}This was still an age when queens were 770 00:38:33,300 --> 00:38:35,633 {\an1}considered to be semi-divine, 771 00:38:35,666 --> 00:38:38,500 and here was Anne being humiliated in public 772 00:38:38,533 --> 00:38:40,700 {\an1}by her own servant. 773 00:38:40,733 --> 00:38:44,366 This time, Sarah had gone too far. 774 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:47,000 ♪♪ 775 00:38:47,033 --> 00:38:50,100 {\an1}The Queen who's been remembered as a feeble puppet 776 00:38:50,133 --> 00:38:55,833 {\an1}was in fact now readyto dismiss her life-long friend. 777 00:38:55,866 --> 00:38:59,300 {\an1}Sarah resorted to blackmail. 778 00:38:59,333 --> 00:39:02,733 {\an1}To back up the rumors about Anne's sexuality, 779 00:39:02,766 --> 00:39:05,700 {\an1}she said she'd publish intimate letters 780 00:39:05,733 --> 00:39:08,166 {\an1}the Queen had sent her over the years. 781 00:39:09,900 --> 00:39:14,866 {\an1}So what is the truth about Anne's sexuality? 782 00:39:14,900 --> 00:39:18,666 {\an1}These letters are often taken as so-called "evidence" 783 00:39:18,700 --> 00:39:22,600 that Queen Anne was our lesbian queen. 784 00:39:22,633 --> 00:39:25,933 {\an1}What's your take on the letters as support for that or not? 785 00:39:25,966 --> 00:39:27,966 {\an7}-Well, I mean, you know, the letters obviously 786 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:29,966 {\an8}don't contain anything that explicit 787 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:32,666 {\an7}about some carnal relationship, so I think the only thing 788 00:39:32,700 --> 00:39:35,433 {\an1}we do know for which there is evidence in the letters 789 00:39:35,466 --> 00:39:38,433 {\an1}is the emotional intensity of their relationship, 790 00:39:38,466 --> 00:39:40,833 {\an1}especially on Anne's part. 791 00:39:40,866 --> 00:39:44,066 {\an1}-Sarah said that Anne's letters were sometimes full of flames 792 00:39:44,100 --> 00:39:45,633 {\an1}of extravagant passion. 793 00:39:45,666 --> 00:39:48,066 {\an1}What sort of thing was she referring to? 794 00:39:48,100 --> 00:39:50,400 {\an1}-She was referring to letters like this one. 795 00:39:50,433 --> 00:39:52,866 {\an1}"I have been in expectation of you a long time 796 00:39:52,900 --> 00:39:55,866 {\an1}but can stay no longer without desiring to know 797 00:39:55,900 --> 00:39:57,766 what you intend to do with me, 798 00:39:57,800 --> 00:39:59,566 {\an1}for it is most certain I can't go to bed 799 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:01,000 {\an1}without seeing you. 800 00:40:01,033 --> 00:40:02,233 {\an1}Could you see my heart, 801 00:40:02,266 --> 00:40:04,100 you would find I have not one thought 802 00:40:04,133 --> 00:40:07,500 {\an1}but what I ought to of the dear woman who my soul loves." 803 00:40:07,533 --> 00:40:10,200 -"The dear woman who my soul loves." 804 00:40:10,233 --> 00:40:12,400 -Mm-hmm. -It's such a special feeling 805 00:40:12,433 --> 00:40:14,800 to read such an intimate letter. -Yeah. 806 00:40:14,833 --> 00:40:17,166 {\an1}-I truly feel that if you were a royal woman, as well, 807 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:19,266 {\an1}you would be married off at a young age 808 00:40:19,300 --> 00:40:20,533 {\an1}to an arranged match 809 00:40:20,566 --> 00:40:22,100 {\an1}that was all about producing the kids, really. 810 00:40:22,133 --> 00:40:24,500 {\an1}So you would naturally seek emotional fulfillment, 811 00:40:24,533 --> 00:40:25,966 wouldn't you? -Yeah, I mean, 812 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:27,733 {\an1}Anne did, I think -- 813 00:40:27,766 --> 00:40:30,233 {\an1}she did really like/love her husband, 814 00:40:30,266 --> 00:40:32,200 {\an1}but there's certainly no correspondence like this 815 00:40:32,233 --> 00:40:33,433 {\an1}between her and George. 816 00:40:33,466 --> 00:40:35,466 I mean, the suggestion that there is 817 00:40:35,500 --> 00:40:38,700 {\an1}something unnatural about Anne's feelings for other women 818 00:40:38,733 --> 00:40:42,366 really originates from Sarah herself. 819 00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:45,600 {\an1}So here we have Sarah writing to Anne 820 00:40:45,633 --> 00:40:48,433 about Anne having "no inclination 821 00:40:48,466 --> 00:40:50,966 {\an1}for any but of one's own sex." 822 00:40:53,100 --> 00:40:56,366 {\an1}-So the evidence for Anne being what we might call gay 823 00:40:56,400 --> 00:40:58,233 is shaky. 824 00:40:58,266 --> 00:41:00,733 {\an1}But after Sarah's threat of blackmail, 825 00:41:00,766 --> 00:41:04,033 {\an1}the relationship between the once-close friends 826 00:41:04,066 --> 00:41:06,466 {\an1}broke down completely. 827 00:41:06,500 --> 00:41:09,200 ♪♪ 828 00:41:09,233 --> 00:41:11,266 {\an1}Sarah knows she's gone too far, 829 00:41:11,300 --> 00:41:13,400 {\an1}and she tries to patch things up. 830 00:41:13,433 --> 00:41:15,633 {\an1}But for Anne -- whew -- 831 00:41:15,666 --> 00:41:18,266 {\an1}too little, too late. 832 00:41:18,300 --> 00:41:22,133 {\an1}-You are my friend and my Queen. 833 00:41:22,166 --> 00:41:26,200 {\an1}-Whatever you have to say, you may put in writing. 834 00:41:26,233 --> 00:41:29,700 {\an1}-Why have you forsaken me for her? 835 00:41:29,733 --> 00:41:33,366 {\an1}-You said you desired no answer, and I will give you none. 836 00:41:34,433 --> 00:41:35,466 -Whew. 837 00:41:36,700 --> 00:41:38,433 {\an1}-If I tormented you, 838 00:41:38,466 --> 00:41:40,666 or did not behave with decency -- 839 00:41:40,700 --> 00:41:45,433 {\an1}-Whatever you have to say, you may put in writing. 840 00:41:46,933 --> 00:41:48,800 {\an1}-Dearest Anne, why? 841 00:41:48,833 --> 00:41:51,700 {\an1}-You said you desired no answer, 842 00:41:51,733 --> 00:41:53,333 {\an1}and I will give you none. 843 00:41:53,366 --> 00:41:58,766 ♪♪ 844 00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:01,266 {\an1}-The Queen's best friend forever 845 00:42:01,300 --> 00:42:05,033 {\an1}has just been de-friended. 846 00:42:05,066 --> 00:42:08,333 {\an1}Queen Anne dismissed Sarah from her court. 847 00:42:10,500 --> 00:42:13,366 {\an1}When she moved out, Sarah asked if she could store 848 00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:16,266 her belongings at St. James' Palace. 849 00:42:16,300 --> 00:42:20,533 {\an1}Anne agreed, but the rent would be ten shillings a week. 850 00:42:21,900 --> 00:42:24,400 {\an1}Sarah was spitting with rage. 851 00:42:24,433 --> 00:42:26,100 {\an1}So she took with her all sorts of things 852 00:42:26,133 --> 00:42:27,600 {\an1}that she shouldn't have done, 853 00:42:27,633 --> 00:42:30,766 {\an1}like the mantelpieces and the doorknobs. 854 00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:33,366 If it moved, Sarah swiped it. 855 00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:35,466 {\an1}So Anne retaliated. 856 00:42:35,500 --> 00:42:38,200 {\an1}She stopped the building works here at Blenheim. 857 00:42:38,233 --> 00:42:40,600 {\an1}She said, "I'm not going to build a house for the Duke 858 00:42:40,633 --> 00:42:43,866 {\an1}if his Duchess is taking my house to pieces." 859 00:42:43,900 --> 00:42:47,100 {\an1}What had been a beautiful friendship had become 860 00:42:47,133 --> 00:42:48,900 a furious feud, 861 00:42:48,933 --> 00:42:51,866 {\an1}and the Queen hadn't finished yet. 862 00:42:51,900 --> 00:42:54,733 This would become battle royal. 863 00:42:56,166 --> 00:42:58,100 In January 1711, 864 00:42:58,133 --> 00:43:02,866 {\an1}Sarah was forced to return that golden key of office. 865 00:43:02,900 --> 00:43:06,500 {\an1}She and her husband were also advised to leave England 866 00:43:06,533 --> 00:43:09,266 {\an1}to avoid further trouble. 867 00:43:09,300 --> 00:43:11,666 {\an1}Harley's Tories had won election, 868 00:43:11,700 --> 00:43:13,833 with the promise of signing a peace treaty 869 00:43:13,866 --> 00:43:16,766 {\an1}with France and Spain. 870 00:43:16,800 --> 00:43:20,233 {\an1}But the Whigs still wanted to fight on to victory. 871 00:43:20,266 --> 00:43:24,800 {\an1}And they outnumbered the Tories in the House of Lords. 872 00:43:24,833 --> 00:43:26,900 {\an1}The Queen was desperate to win. 873 00:43:26,933 --> 00:43:29,933 So she and Harley resorted to a strategy 874 00:43:29,966 --> 00:43:34,433 {\an1}that was described as a mighty stretch of her powers. 875 00:43:34,466 --> 00:43:36,966 {\an1}She knew that she didn't have enough Tory Lords 876 00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:38,466 to win the vote. 877 00:43:38,500 --> 00:43:40,533 {\an1}So before you could even say "dodgy," 878 00:43:40,566 --> 00:43:43,933 {\an1}she just created a dozen new ones. 879 00:43:49,833 --> 00:43:52,233 This was shocking to Parliament. 880 00:43:52,266 --> 00:43:54,700 {\an1}One observer said it was as stunning 881 00:43:54,733 --> 00:43:57,300 as if she'd burnt Magna Carta. 882 00:43:57,333 --> 00:43:59,300 ♪♪ 883 00:43:59,333 --> 00:44:02,000 {\an1}The Queen had won again. 884 00:44:02,033 --> 00:44:03,700 {\an7}And this peace treaty 885 00:44:03,733 --> 00:44:06,466 {\an7}would transform Britain. 886 00:44:06,500 --> 00:44:08,400 {\an7}History rarely even remembers 887 00:44:08,433 --> 00:44:10,966 {\an7}Anne's Treaty of Utrecht. 888 00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:13,300 {\an7}But it changed the world. 889 00:44:13,333 --> 00:44:14,366 {\an8}It marked the end 890 00:44:14,400 --> 00:44:16,366 {\an7}of French dominance in Europe. 891 00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:17,833 {\an7}And it landed some massive 892 00:44:17,866 --> 00:44:20,200 {\an7}trade deals for Britain. 893 00:44:20,233 --> 00:44:22,866 {\an1}One of the most lucrative was with Spain. 894 00:44:22,900 --> 00:44:25,733 {\an1}It was called the Assiento. 895 00:44:25,766 --> 00:44:28,900 {\an1}It gave Britain a 30-year monopoly in a trade 896 00:44:28,933 --> 00:44:32,366 {\an1}that would turn us into theworld's greatest economic power, 897 00:44:32,400 --> 00:44:35,233 {\an1}a trade in slaves. 898 00:44:35,266 --> 00:44:37,733 {\an1}How do you feel about narratives that still exist 899 00:44:37,766 --> 00:44:41,933 {\an1}that present Queen Anne's reign as the epic beginnings 900 00:44:41,966 --> 00:44:45,300 {\an7}of this fantastic thing, the British Empire? 901 00:44:45,333 --> 00:44:47,533 {\an7}-There's some truth in that, 902 00:44:47,566 --> 00:44:50,433 {\an8}in the sense that all the conditions 903 00:44:50,466 --> 00:44:53,700 are being created for this take-off 904 00:44:53,733 --> 00:44:57,866 {\an1}when Britain was able to dominate world politics, 905 00:44:57,900 --> 00:45:01,500 {\an1}and all of that is facilitated 906 00:45:01,533 --> 00:45:04,266 {\an1}by the human trafficking of African men, 907 00:45:04,300 --> 00:45:06,466 {\an1}women, and children in their... 908 00:45:06,500 --> 00:45:07,900 {\an1}not just tens of thousands 909 00:45:07,933 --> 00:45:10,633 {\an1}or hundreds of thousands, but millions. 910 00:45:10,666 --> 00:45:12,966 {\an1}-How essential was the slave trade 911 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:15,266 {\an1}to Britain's 18th century economy? 912 00:45:15,300 --> 00:45:17,633 {\an1}Well, you can't think of Britain's economy 913 00:45:17,666 --> 00:45:21,466 {\an1}in the 18th century without what's called the slave trade. 914 00:45:21,500 --> 00:45:23,500 {\an1}You're stimulating ship building 915 00:45:23,533 --> 00:45:28,933 {\an1}because you need the ships, rope building, sail making, 916 00:45:28,966 --> 00:45:32,400 {\an1}everything connected with weapons, 917 00:45:32,433 --> 00:45:36,033 {\an1}alcohol, metal industries. 918 00:45:36,066 --> 00:45:38,566 {\an1}So if we look at all the kind of major cities 919 00:45:38,600 --> 00:45:41,633 {\an1}of this period, something like a city like Manchester 920 00:45:41,666 --> 00:45:44,066 developed based on this trade. 921 00:45:44,100 --> 00:45:48,933 {\an1}The Bank of England, the British Museum, the -- 922 00:45:48,966 --> 00:45:50,133 everything. 923 00:45:50,166 --> 00:45:52,633 {\an1}All the stately homes in the country. 924 00:45:52,666 --> 00:45:54,800 {\an1}All the wealth of this period is connected 925 00:45:54,833 --> 00:45:56,333 {\an1}with colonial trade. 926 00:45:56,366 --> 00:45:58,900 ♪♪ 927 00:45:58,933 --> 00:46:01,966 {\an1}-Queen Anne's deal is shocking today. 928 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:04,600 But the Assiento and the Treaty of Utrecht 929 00:46:04,633 --> 00:46:06,600 {\an1}launched an Empire 930 00:46:06,633 --> 00:46:09,600 {\an1}of which the Tudors could only dream. 931 00:46:09,633 --> 00:46:11,633 ♪♪ 932 00:46:11,666 --> 00:46:15,233 {\an1}Elizabeth I was Anne's much-admired heroine, 933 00:46:15,266 --> 00:46:18,066 a she'd held a thanksgiving at St. Paul's 934 00:46:18,100 --> 00:46:21,066 after seeing off the Spanish Armada. 935 00:46:21,100 --> 00:46:24,266 {\an1}Now Anne was going to go one better. 936 00:46:24,300 --> 00:46:26,433 {\an1}There was planned -- also at St. Paul's -- 937 00:46:26,466 --> 00:46:29,466 {\an1}a procession of 4,000 children. 938 00:46:29,500 --> 00:46:31,566 {\an1}They were going to sing hymns to God 939 00:46:31,600 --> 00:46:35,700 {\an1}thanking Him for Her Majesty and for the gift of peace. 940 00:46:35,733 --> 00:46:38,233 For the music of the thanksgiving, 941 00:46:38,266 --> 00:46:40,366 {\an1}Anne included a sneaky bit of support 942 00:46:40,400 --> 00:46:42,533 {\an1}for the Hanoverian succession. 943 00:46:42,566 --> 00:46:44,533 ♪♪ 944 00:46:44,566 --> 00:46:49,400 {\an1}The English composer Purcell was out... 945 00:46:49,433 --> 00:46:52,466 {\an1}and the German composer Handel was in. 946 00:46:52,500 --> 00:46:54,900 ♪♪ 947 00:46:54,933 --> 00:46:58,600 {\an1}Handel's previous patron had been the Hanoverian court. 948 00:46:58,633 --> 00:47:02,000 ♪♪ 949 00:47:02,033 --> 00:47:06,166 {\an1}But once again, Anne's body was to let her down. 950 00:47:06,200 --> 00:47:09,700 {\an1}This was supposed to be her moment of glory -- 951 00:47:09,733 --> 00:47:13,633 {\an1}but she was too ill to attend. 952 00:47:13,666 --> 00:47:15,600 ♪♪ 953 00:47:17,600 --> 00:47:22,600 ♪♪ 954 00:47:22,633 --> 00:47:28,766 {\an1}The Queen would also miss the unveiling of this statue. 955 00:47:28,800 --> 00:47:32,666 {\an1}Anne had shown the courage by using military force 956 00:47:32,700 --> 00:47:34,200 {\an1}at crucial moments. 957 00:47:34,233 --> 00:47:37,233 {\an1}But she'd also shown wisdom by making peace 958 00:47:37,266 --> 00:47:39,100 {\an1}when she had the chance. 959 00:47:39,133 --> 00:47:41,400 {\an1}Sounds like exactly what you'd hope for 960 00:47:41,433 --> 00:47:43,966 {\an1}in a natural-born leader, doesn't it? 961 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:48,366 {\an1}Like her heroine Elizabeth I, Anne had been victorious. 962 00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:52,566 {\an1}And she'd helped create the Europe that we know today. 963 00:47:55,566 --> 00:47:59,333 ♪♪ 964 00:47:59,366 --> 00:48:02,766 {\an1}After a lifetime beset by illness, 965 00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:07,300 {\an1}on 1st of August 1714, at the age of 49, 966 00:48:07,333 --> 00:48:10,233 Queen Anne died. 967 00:48:10,266 --> 00:48:14,466 {\an1}Today's she's been all but forgotten. 968 00:48:14,500 --> 00:48:18,100 {\an1}But in just 12 years, England had been transformed 969 00:48:18,133 --> 00:48:22,933 {\an1}into a new world power -- the mighty Great Britain. 970 00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:26,900 And despite her fertility problems, 971 00:48:26,933 --> 00:48:30,066 {\an1}Anne had also fixed the smooth succession 972 00:48:30,100 --> 00:48:32,666 of a new Protestant dynasty. 973 00:48:34,633 --> 00:48:38,000 On the 18th of September 1714, 974 00:48:38,033 --> 00:48:40,900 {\an1}a man called Georg Ludwig 975 00:48:40,933 --> 00:48:42,900 {\an1}landed here at Greenwich. 976 00:48:42,933 --> 00:48:46,400 He'd just arrived from Hanover in Germany. 977 00:48:46,433 --> 00:48:48,033 Now, his English wasn't that great, 978 00:48:48,066 --> 00:48:50,400 {\an1}and certainly today he would have struggled 979 00:48:50,433 --> 00:48:52,100 {\an1}with the citizenship test. 980 00:48:52,133 --> 00:48:56,066 {\an1}But pretty soon, he would be crowned King George I. 981 00:48:57,133 --> 00:48:58,733 {\an1}Sarah Churchill, though, 982 00:48:58,766 --> 00:49:01,000 {\an1}had used her time in exile 983 00:49:01,033 --> 00:49:05,900 {\an1}spreading her myths to blacken Anne's reputation in Europe. 984 00:49:05,933 --> 00:49:07,900 {\an1}Despite all her victories, 985 00:49:07,933 --> 00:49:11,466 {\an1}the Queen's legacy was undermined. 986 00:49:12,766 --> 00:49:14,433 {\an1}This statue is supposed to celebrate 987 00:49:14,466 --> 00:49:16,433 {\an1}Anne's military success, 988 00:49:16,466 --> 00:49:20,533 {\an1}but pretty soon after it got put up, it was graffitied. 989 00:49:20,566 --> 00:49:25,700 {\an1}A disrespectful rhyme appeared calling her "Brandy Nan." 990 00:49:25,733 --> 00:49:28,500 {\an1}"Brandy Nan," it went, "left in the lurch, 991 00:49:28,533 --> 00:49:32,400 {\an1}face to the gin shop, back to the church." 992 00:49:32,433 --> 00:49:34,333 {\an1}She didn't even have the respect 993 00:49:34,366 --> 00:49:36,733 {\an1}of Georgian street urchins. 994 00:49:36,766 --> 00:49:40,233 ♪♪ 995 00:49:40,266 --> 00:49:43,000 {\an1}Sarah's final act of revenge for the Whigs 996 00:49:43,033 --> 00:49:47,500 {\an1}came nearly 30 years after Anne's death. 997 00:49:47,533 --> 00:49:51,200 {\an1}She scandalized Britain with a treacherous account 998 00:49:51,233 --> 00:49:54,700 of her time in the Queen's service. 999 00:49:54,733 --> 00:49:57,966 {\an1}What kind of a Queen Anne emerges from Sarah's 1000 00:49:58,000 --> 00:49:59,566 {\an1}kiss-and-tell memoir? 1001 00:49:59,600 --> 00:50:01,466 {\an1}-Anne mainly comes out of this book as seeming 1002 00:50:01,500 --> 00:50:04,933 {\an1}just very boring and insipid and quite weak. 1003 00:50:04,966 --> 00:50:09,266 {\an1}So that image of Anne as not being as intelligent 1004 00:50:09,300 --> 00:50:13,033 {\an1}or as in control of the course of events, really, 1005 00:50:13,066 --> 00:50:16,466 {\an1}is reinforced by the way she's depicted in this memoir. 1006 00:50:16,500 --> 00:50:20,800 {\an1}Sarah really just treats Anneas quite an infantile character. 1007 00:50:20,833 --> 00:50:23,833 {\an1}-So this little book -- it's just a little book, 1008 00:50:23,866 --> 00:50:27,433 {\an1}but it has torpedoed Anne's reputation in history. 1009 00:50:27,466 --> 00:50:32,666 ♪♪ 1010 00:50:32,700 --> 00:50:37,100 {\an1}Sarah wasn't the last Churchill to re-write Anne's story. 1011 00:50:37,133 --> 00:50:38,966 ♪♪ 1012 00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:42,533 {\an1}In 1874, another Churchill, Winston, 1013 00:50:42,566 --> 00:50:44,800 {\an1}was born at Blenheim Palace. 1014 00:50:44,833 --> 00:50:47,466 ♪♪ 1015 00:50:47,500 --> 00:50:50,166 As he grew up, he was fascinated by his ancestor, 1016 00:50:50,200 --> 00:50:51,566 {\an1}the Duke of Marlborough. 1017 00:50:51,600 --> 00:50:53,733 {\an1}He dubbed him "John Duke." 1018 00:50:55,633 --> 00:50:58,466 {\an1}The great 19th century historian Thomas Macaulay 1019 00:50:58,500 --> 00:51:02,066 had cast a shadow over his memory -- 1020 00:51:02,100 --> 00:51:05,066 {\an1}"The splendid qualities of John Churchill 1021 00:51:05,100 --> 00:51:08,600 {\an1}were mingled with alloy of the most sordid kind," 1022 00:51:08,633 --> 00:51:10,400 he'd said. 1023 00:51:10,433 --> 00:51:12,766 {\an1}But Winston Churchill wasn't going to take 1024 00:51:12,800 --> 00:51:15,233 {\an1}that slur on his family name. 1025 00:51:17,100 --> 00:51:19,666 As a backbench MP in the 1930s, 1026 00:51:19,700 --> 00:51:23,433 {\an1}he began writing a biography of his famous ancestor. 1027 00:51:25,900 --> 00:51:27,800 By the time he'd finished his book, 1028 00:51:27,833 --> 00:51:30,766 Winston Churchill had fought and re-fought 1029 00:51:30,800 --> 00:51:33,000 {\an1}the Duke of Marlborough's world war 1030 00:51:33,033 --> 00:51:35,833 {\an1}over and over again in his mind. 1031 00:51:35,866 --> 00:51:38,933 {\an1}He was using history to prepare himself 1032 00:51:38,966 --> 00:51:41,666 {\an1}for his own World War. 1033 00:51:41,700 --> 00:51:44,300 {\an1}"The longer you can look back," he said, 1034 00:51:44,333 --> 00:51:46,866 {\an1}"the farther you can look forward." 1035 00:51:48,366 --> 00:51:50,733 One of Winston's own biographers 1036 00:51:50,766 --> 00:51:52,333 {\an1}said that the great showman 1037 00:51:52,366 --> 00:51:56,766 {\an1}aimed to "blast Macaulay out of the water." 1038 00:51:56,800 --> 00:51:59,200 {\an1}In Winston Churchill's colorful prose, 1039 00:51:59,233 --> 00:52:01,466 {\an1}the Duke of Marlborough, John Duke, 1040 00:52:01,500 --> 00:52:04,200 gets a dramatic rehabilitation. 1041 00:52:04,233 --> 00:52:05,533 How about this? 1042 00:52:05,566 --> 00:52:07,166 {\an1}"Behind Queen Anne, 1043 00:52:07,200 --> 00:52:09,666 {\an1}ever faithful in her service, 1044 00:52:09,700 --> 00:52:12,366 {\an1}lay the pervading genius of Marlborough 1045 00:52:12,400 --> 00:52:15,133 {\an1}with his enchanted sword." 1046 00:52:15,166 --> 00:52:19,233 {\an1}In trumpeting Marlborough as this great hero, 1047 00:52:19,266 --> 00:52:23,566 {\an1}he relegated Queen Anne to bit-part player, 1048 00:52:23,600 --> 00:52:28,800 {\an1}sidelined, infantilized, and misrepresented. 1049 00:52:28,833 --> 00:52:30,300 ♪♪ 1050 00:52:30,333 --> 00:52:32,566 {\an1}Winston Churchill wrote that, 1051 00:52:32,600 --> 00:52:35,233 {\an1}"Marlborough was not only the chief 1052 00:52:35,266 --> 00:52:37,766 {\an1}but the sole guide of the Queen, 1053 00:52:37,800 --> 00:52:40,333 {\an1}and the decisions to which he obtained her assent 1054 00:52:40,366 --> 00:52:42,000 {\an1}shaped the future. 1055 00:52:42,033 --> 00:52:44,733 {\an1}Anne relied on Marlborough." 1056 00:52:44,766 --> 00:52:47,366 {\an1}-[ Woman singing ] 1057 00:52:47,400 --> 00:52:49,633 {\an1}-Churchill was patronizing to Queen Anne 1058 00:52:49,666 --> 00:52:51,266 {\an1}in order to rescue the reputation 1059 00:52:51,300 --> 00:52:54,766 {\an1}of his beloved John Duke. 1060 00:52:54,800 --> 00:52:56,400 {\an1}But it's Sarah Churchill's fibs 1061 00:52:56,433 --> 00:52:58,700 that have most distorted her memory. 1062 00:52:58,733 --> 00:53:01,200 {\an1}-[ Woman singing ] 1063 00:53:01,233 --> 00:53:02,866 {\an1}-Sarah Churchill's version of the story 1064 00:53:02,900 --> 00:53:08,333 {\an1}has had 250 years now to stew and to spread. 1065 00:53:08,366 --> 00:53:12,566 {\an1}And her juicy titbits about "dark deeds done at night" 1066 00:53:12,600 --> 00:53:15,733 {\an1}are so powerful that they've pushed all the other stories 1067 00:53:15,766 --> 00:53:19,400 {\an1}that could have been told about Queen Anne out of our minds. 1068 00:53:19,433 --> 00:53:23,866 ♪♪ 1069 00:53:23,900 --> 00:53:27,366 {\an1}Queen Anne's story shows just how dangerous 1070 00:53:27,400 --> 00:53:31,166 royal history's myths and secrets can be. 1071 00:53:31,200 --> 00:53:32,900 ♪♪ 1072 00:53:32,933 --> 00:53:35,566 {\an1}We should set aside the poisonous tone 1073 00:53:35,600 --> 00:53:40,433 {\an1}of Sarah Churchill's memoirs to reveal the real Queen Anne. 1074 00:53:40,466 --> 00:53:42,366 {\an1}She was significant. 1075 00:53:42,400 --> 00:53:44,366 {\an1}She gave the world Great Britain, 1076 00:53:44,400 --> 00:53:45,833 {\an1}for better or for worse. 1077 00:53:45,866 --> 00:53:48,700 {\an1}She saved the nation from the French. 1078 00:53:48,733 --> 00:53:51,700 {\an1}We need to rescue Anne from the mythology 1079 00:53:51,733 --> 00:53:54,233 {\an1}and restore her to her rightful place 1080 00:53:54,266 --> 00:53:55,966 in royal history. 1081 00:53:57,800 --> 00:53:59,366 {\an8}♪♪ 1082 00:53:59,400 --> 00:54:01,033 {\an8}-Next time -- 1083 00:54:01,066 --> 00:54:04,433 {\an8}Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution. 1084 00:54:04,466 --> 00:54:06,566 {\an7}[ Flame whooshes ] 1085 00:54:06,600 --> 00:54:10,366 {\an7}Was Marie Antoinette truly the cause of all the trouble? 1086 00:54:10,400 --> 00:54:12,433 {\an7}Let them eat cake! 1087 00:54:12,466 --> 00:54:16,033 {\an7}Was the revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre 1088 00:54:16,066 --> 00:54:18,166 {\an7}really a bloodthirsty villain? 1089 00:54:18,200 --> 00:54:19,766 {\an8}♪♪ 1090 00:54:19,800 --> 00:54:22,466 {\an7}And were the peasants the real driving force 1091 00:54:22,500 --> 00:54:25,600 {\an7}behind this people's revolt? 1092 00:54:25,633 --> 00:54:28,133 {\an7}-It's surprising that the revolution was started 1093 00:54:28,166 --> 00:54:30,000 {\an7}by people who were bourgeois.