«Kings shall be thy nursing Fathers, and Queens thy nursing Mothers»: How Queen Anne’s Resilience Shaped Her Queenship

This chapter analyses how Queen Anne’s personal resilience shaped both the image and the practice of her queenship during her reign (1702–1714). Starting from the symbolic representation of the monarch as the “nursing mother” of her people and of the Church of England -- an image explicitly invoked at her coronation -- the chapter explores the relationship between Anne’s private experiences and her political conduct. Despite chronic illness, repeated personal losses, and the absence of an heir, Anne consistently sought to pursue what she perceived as the “true interest” of the kingdom. By examining key episodes of her reign, the chapter shows how this rhetoric of maternal care and disinterested rule informed her commitment to moderation and to maintaining independence from party factions. The resulting tensions with leading political figures reveal a monarch determined to preserve authority and control over government.