The Life and Times of Brandy Nan

A while back, the lullaby "Rock-a-bye Baby" and its origin with the Stuart dynasty was our topic.  We also mentioned that James II had two daughters, Mary and Anne.  When William and Mary took the throne in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the assumption was that the Stuart line was still secure, but the couple would die without an heir.  This, then, brought Queen Anne into the equation.

The youngest daughter born to James and Anne Hyde. she assumed the throne in 1702 at the age of 37.  Don't think for a moment that she had been biding her time, wondering how things were going to work out.  This very active woman had already been married to Prince George of Denmark for almost 20 years.  She had spent a large part of her childhood in France with her grandmother and an aunt, even making trips to Holland and Scotland.  And when her sister died during a smallpox epidemic in 1694, the assumption was that Anne was next in line to inherit upon William's death.  He was an in-law and cousin, but had been only a co-ruler and was not a direct Stuart descendant.  There was an understanding of her position.

She had also become deeply involved in the two most significant relationships of her life, though some might argue that there were three.  The predominant person in her circle was her husband, with whom she obviously had a special bond.  Anne Stuart holds the record for the number of pregnancies for one monarch--at least sixteen, though many historians argue eighteen.  It would seem that this made for a lively household, but such was not the case.  Only five of the children survived their first days, and four of those died around the age of two.  The Duke of Gloucester, little William, provided the sole source of any real hope.  But there were rumors that he suffered from hydrocephalus, and the boy died at the age of eleven in 1700.  Say what you will, but this woman, whether standing or reclining with the consort, gave her all for her country. 

The other truly important person in the queen's life was her best friend, Sarah Churchill--Lady of the Bedchamber, wife of the great war hero John, Duke of Marlborough (created so by King William), and ancestor to both Winston Churchill and Princess Diana.  Her relationship with Anne was chronicled by witnesses and recorded in their letters.  So close were the pair that formalities were set aside.  Sarah was "Mrs. Freeman," as opposed to the Duchess, and Anne became "Mrs. Morley," not Your Majesty.  Seldom has a relationship between two women in such different stations existed.  Churchill kept secrets, soothed wounds, and offered advice.  Her lack of artifice could be disarming.  It was known that she believed the queen "meant well and was not a fool, but . . . [was not] wise, nor entertaining in conversation."  Sarah's heavy-handed meddling in the affairs of the queen, their numerous quarrels (including an accusation by Churchill that the ruler was a lesbian), and her lack of understanding at the loss of Prince George all led to the dissolution of the friendship, at Anne's instigation, in 1710.

The third attraction that drew much attention was that of the Stuart monarch to alcohol.  Friends and detractors alike referred to her as "Brandy Nan," in honor of her favorite drink, which she consumed prolifically.  In determining the possible reasons she failed to produce an heir, scholars discuss a myriad of options from lupus to diabetes to rhesus incompatability.  But what of fetal alcohol syndrome or the effect of the wine on diabetes if she was afflicted with the disease?  At any rate, brandy did not do for Nan what Nan did for it.

As the queen aged, her body became tremendously worn out--pregnancies, stress, and alcohol all did their part.  She developed a severe case of gout and grew extremely overweight.  Her last years were spent on a wheeled slant board, which served as a makeshift wheelchair because she could no longer move about on her own.

When she died of a stroke in 1714, Queen Anne was only 49 years old, but she was so large and depleted that the unwieldy body had to be placed in an especially large and rather misshapen coffin.  "Brandy Nan" had lived through the loss of all her immediate family members, including as many as 18 children.  She had travelled the world, been widowed, lost the comfort of her closest friend, and weathered wars and political storms.  Yet, despite her best efforts, there was no Stuart to continue the dynasty.  The British were forced, after a bit of a crisis, to turn to Germany.  There, they chose distant cousins, the Hanovers, to assume the throne.  George I became king that year.

A queen is a queen, but she is also a woman after all.  The political intrigue might have been manageable, but Anne Stuart, youngest daughter of the deposed James II, abused her body with alcohol and risked it with innumerable pregnancies.  The emotional and physical trauma she suffered was profound.  While James had believed he ruled by "Divine Right," it seems that his daughter survived so long only by the luck of the draw. 

Even her doctor said, "sleep was never more welcome to a weary traveller than death was to her."  She was interred in Westminter Abbey.  May she rest peacefully at last.

VK