Many people put Anne down as an ill-suited ruler but this is not the case at all. Once you realise the extent of what she suffered with and the demands she had placed on her there is no wonder why she struggled. Therefore, taking into account that Anne was most likely disabled this has to be realised in the discussion of her ability as a monarch.
Of course Queen Anne has not been the only disabled monarch in fact accross a multitude of historic societies there has been the existence of disabled monarchs. Though they are often forgotten or like Queen Anne until recently their disabilities have not been looked into. As disability is often seen in these periods as signs of weakness and this meands the legacy of the likes of Queen Anne is often affected by this. Even what Whig historians and contemporaries deemed as 'ill health' would have been made into a sign of weakness. This is conveyed by King Henry VI whose disability which was most likely a form of schizophenia impacted the House of Lancaster. Therefore, disability has to be reassessed and so do the achievements and lives of these monarchs such as Queen Anne. The fact that she was seen as ill-suited from both not expected to be Queen but also her health is something that needs to be picked apart.
Even when her siblings passed away which led to her being on the throne as a female monarch there was skepticism. Though the fact that she was not raised to be Queen is admirable as she managed to a greater extent than most fulfil the role. There was still turmoil as a result of the Glorious Revolution (1688) and the Commonwealth. This did not help the sentiment towards the Queen. For her it was important that she overcame this and for the most part she indeed did. She changed the course of the country but she is remembered for not being able to do a lot. Yet, she helped to set the landscape and politics up for the Georgian period.
Queen Anne is remembered for suffering from ill health during the end of her reign. This was often due to gout and other symptoms which left her bed bound or would struggle at length with her health. This highlights how Queen Anne was more likely to have lupus or a chronic illness which caused these flares.
The issue with chronic flares of gout meant that Queen Anne went lame and caused her difficulties when walking. Emson notes how Anne had a variety of arthritis including polyarthritis which all of these allude to lupus. Lupus is a chronic illness however in Stuart England there was not the scientific knowledge to recognise this. The lupus and the conditions that were associated with this would have impacted her ability to wear children. This meant that she was unable to produce a surviving heir. Therefore, this impacted her legacy and image in the wider context.
Though contemporaries were skeptical of her ability to rule as she was deemed as ill-suited to the throne. The historians that wrote about her were not kind about it either, the failure of her to produce an heir meant that she was put into history a failure. Though through revisionist interpretation there has to be the ability to take into account she had 17 pregnancies and was chronically ill but still able to run a country better than some of her male predecessors.
In addition to the fact that she had a chronic illness, she also had a health condition which affected her eyes. This was known as defluxion which made her eyes water which impacted her ability to rule. Though she suffered this earlier in her life this alluded to what would happen to her later on.
Unfortunately, to be a female monarch and more than likely disabled means that she has been highly criticised but as a disabled individual myself to rule a country with as many health conditions as Anne would be unfathomable. This is especially more impressive when there was not the research or knowledge about her conditions. Though she made mistakes so did many monarchs and to be fair to her she did the best she could with the resources and knowledge available.
Despite the chronic flare and doubt by her parliament and court it is still impressive that she managed to rule a country while being in these flares. It is rather impressive and I am sure other chronically ill individuals will agree with this. The fact that she was still able to aid with decisions in the Americas and also bring herself to parliament and meet with the very people that doubted her is impressive. This involved advising on the army and also finances as well as asserting authority in regards to the colonisation of America. Which through a post modern lens is bad for American history and the indigenous tribes of America. Though at the time of Queen Anne and in Stuart England would have been viewed as a success.
In her final weeks when her health rapidly declined doctors subjected her to the harshest treatments such as the use of hot irons. This would have burnt her skin and caused more pain and infections for her dying and weakening body. The way she was treated when she was dying highlights the limited knowledge even the top physicians held towards her condition. The fact that she was let down by the time she lived in hurts as knowing only a few hundred years ago there was no knowledge of these conditions that caused so many issues.
To summarise, the life of Anne as a chronically ill queen is one that needs to be taken into account when concluding her success as queen. As the impact that chronic illness has on the body is one that cannot be imagined. Therefore, the successes she had cannot and must not be compared to her able bodied counterparts.
Bibliography
Emson, H.E. "For the want of an heir: the obstetrical history of Queen Anne." British Medical Journal 304, no. 6838 (1992): 1365+. Gale Academic OneFile (accessed June 19, 2024). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A12456274/AONE?u=anon~995dd82&sid=googleScholar&xid=cb8b74e6.
Historic Royal Palaces. ‘Queen Anne the stoical Stuart who despite ill health and tragedy was a surprisingly successful monarch.’ https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/history-and-stories/queen-anne/#gs.b1kfzv Accessed 19/06/2024
Comments