#hellyeahbritishqueens

William of Orange, son of stadholder Frederick Henry, and Mary Henrietta Stuart, daughter of King Charles I of England, were married at Whitehall Palace on 2 May 1641. The Prince was fifteen at the time, while the Princess was just nine years old. In 1642, Mary Henrietta and her mother, Queen Henrietta Maria, left for the Dutch Republic, where she lived a public life as the daughter-in-law of the Stadholder. In 1647, William succeeded his father as Stadholder of the United Provinces, as William II. His reign was marked by the the end of the Eighty Years War with Spain and his quarrels with the Regents, which resulted in a failed attempt by the Prince to capture Amsterdam in 1650. Later that same year, William caught smallpox and died, aged only 24 years old. His death was the start of the first Stadholderless Period, when the Regents of Amsterdam ruled the country. Only a few days later, Mary and William’s only son, also named William, was born. Mary’s wish was for her son to be named after her father, who had been executed only a few years earlier, but her mother-in-law, Amalia von Solms-Braunfels, declined the request. Amalia and Frederich William of Brandenburg, were granted the guardianship over the prince.  Mary Henrietta was unpopular with the Dutch people, mostly because of her sympathies for her family, the Stuarts, and her desire to receive her exiled brothers, future Kings Charles I and James II, at court. Mary herself was not very fond of the country, the weather was bad and the people were unfriendly. Her relationship with the Dutch people weakened even further when she was accused of an affair with a member of her brother’s household. During his childhood, the future William III was unable to bond with his mother, mostly because of the distance between them. His grandmother send him away to live and study in Leiden, and Mary Henrietta spend most of her time in countries other than Holland. When her brother Charles was reinstated as King of England as King Charles II, Mary wished to return to her homeland. On 24 December 1660, Mary Henrietta died while visiting her brothers at Whitehall Palace. She was buried at Westminster Abbey.

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In loving memory of Anne Boleyn, Queen of England (insp.)

The four Marys were Mary, Queen of Scots’ ladies-in-waiting, all of who were named Mary. The girls were dutiful and devoted servants to their queen and were collectively her closest companion, starting from early childhood. 

“What do you know of how I spend my time?” Cromwell meets Anne Boleyn in Wolf Hall

“While [William] went abroad, as the arbiter of Europe, to wage a just war, [Mary] stayed at home to maintain peace and administer justice; he was to oppose and conquer enemies, she was to maintain and gain friends.” - Richard Price, An Incomparable Lady: Queen Mary II’s Share in the Government of England 

The reign of Mary II and William III marked the end of royal prerogative. Parliament, with the authority of the oligarchy, came into a position of prominence regarding the governing of England. William spent the greatest part of the reign embroiled in continental battles against Catholicism. Evelyn accurately assessed the characters of the king and queen: "She seems to be of a good nature, and that she takes nothing to heart; whilst the Prince her husband has a thoughtful countenance, is wonderfully serious and silent, and seems to treat all persons alike gravely, and to be very intent on affairs: Holland, Ireland, and France calling for his care." (x)

Mary died in 1694 and on William’s death in 1702 Anne succeeded the throne as Queen Anne. When she was crowned in April 1702 Anne was 37 years old and after her many pregnancies had poor health. She was shy and stubborn and very different from her outgoing sister Mary.  In the opinion of historians, traditional assessments of Anne as fat, constantly pregnant, under the influence of favourites, and lacking political astuteness or interest seem to be derived from male chauvinistic prejudices against women. Professor Edward Gregg concluded that in fact, Anne was quite often able to impose her will, even though though she was not only a woman in an age of male dominance, preoccupied by her health, nor despite the fact that the period of her reign was marked by an increase in the influence of ministers and a decrease in the influence of the Crown. Anne actually attended more cabinet meetings than any of her predecessors or successors, and presided over an age of artistic, literary, economic and political advancement that was all made possible by the stability and prosperity of her reign.