The Duchess of Marlborough stands out in English history
as a woman of immense resilience and political savvy.
Born in 1660 during a tumultuous period, she navigated the complexities of royal
favour and court politics with aplomb,
securing a significant position of influence.
Her unique blend of courage, determination, and intelligence
allowed her to overcome the gender barriers of her time.
As Queen Anne's confidante,
she used her advantageous position to wield considerable political clout.
However, their bond deteriorated, resulting in her dismissal from the Court.
Undeterred, she remained a formidable
political figure, exhibiting extraordinary resilience and adaptability.
She was an astute estate manager and accumulated significant wealth,
including the impressive Blenheim Palace.
She, alongside her husband, John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough,
were key players in some of Britain's defining historical moments.
So join me now as we look into the remarkable life of Sarah Churchill.
Born in 1660, likely in Holywell House, Hertfordshire,
Sarah Jennings was the daughter of respected
MP Richard Jennings and Frances Thornhurst,
whose lineage was linked to Danish royalty.
Her paternal heritage included her naturalist Uncle Martin Lister.
A 1663 meeting between Sarah's father
and future King James II introduced the Jennings family to the Royal Court.
By 1664, Sarah's sister, Frances, served as a maid of honour to James’ wife,
Anne Hyde.
The family retained royal favour despite Frances
leaving the royal service due to her Catholic marriage, allowing Sarah
to become a maid of honour to James’ second wife, Mary of Modena, in 1673.
Around 1675, Sarah's friendship with Princess Anne strengthened.
At fifteen,
she attracted the attention of the debt-ridden
John Churchill, despite his past entanglements with King Charles
II’s mistress and his father's preference for his wealthy mistress,
Catherine Sedley.
Despite the whispers of her becoming Churchill's mistress, Sarah’s preserved
letters that revealed her firm refusal to accept such a role.
In 1677, Sarah Jennings and her sister Frances inherited their family's
wealthy estates in Hertfordshire and Kent upon their brother Ralph’s death.
Despite societal pressure, John Churchill wed Sarah in a secret winter ceremony
sometime between 1677-78, braving the Catholic-dominated Court as Protestants.
This clandestine
union, known only to the Duchess of York and a few friends,
allowed Sarah to maintain her esteemed position as Maid of Honour.
The Churchills announced their marriage to the world on October
1, 1678, due to Sarah's pregnancy, and she retired from Court.
Despite losing their first child, Harriet,
and the political turmoil surrounding the Duke of York's
self-exile to Scotland, they remained loyal supporters.
Charles II made him Baron Churchill of Eyemouth for John's steadfast loyalty, and Sarah
became Lady Churchill.
Sarah was later appointed Lady of the Bedchamber to Anne in 1683,
following the Duke of York's return to England after the religious unrest
had subsided.
In the reign’s
early years, Catholic James II surprisingly flourished
in Protestant England, helped by his Protestant daughter.
However, his push for religious reform and the birth of his Catholic son,
James Francis Edward, in 1688 stirred widespread unrest.
In response, a group known as the Immortal Seven
enlisted the help of James’s Protestant son-in-law, William of Orange,
to overthrow the King.
As word spread of this coup, James placed his daughter Anne and her confidante,
Lady Churchill, under house arrest at the Cockpit, Palace of Whitehall.
Interestingly, their husbands had already pledged allegiance to William.
While Lady Churchill's actions were seen as protective towards Princess Anne,
it's also plausible she aimed to secure her safety,
fearing execution if James triumphed over William.
However, James opted for flight over fight
and fled to France in December 1688, leaving the throne open for William.
During William and Mary's reign, Lady Churchill and her husband,
the newly-made Earl of Marlborough, lost much of their court influence.
The Queen's resentment grew towards Lady Churchill, knowing her influence
over Anne and her orchestration of governmental allies.
Despite Queen Mary's demand for Lady Churchill's dismissal, Anne refused,
causing a persistent strain between the sisters.
In 1689, Anne’s supporters, including Lady Churchill, secured a parliamentary
annuity of £50,000 for Anne, loosening William and Mary's fiscal control.
Queen Mary's frustrations peaked,
leading to Lady Churchill's eviction from her court lodgings.
Consequently, Anne left the Court, strengthening her bond
with Lady Churchill.
After Queen Mary died in 1694, William III reinstated Anne’s honours and
the Earl of Marlborough's position, providing them with accommodations at St.
James's Palace.
However, wary of Lady Churchill's influence,
he kept Anne from governmental matters,
limiting her involvement even as the heir apparent.
Upon William III’s
death in 1702, Anne ascended the throne and promptly bestowed
a dukedom on John Churchill,
making him and Sarah the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough.
Sarah, apprehensive of the financial burden of their new rank,
accepted after Anne guaranteed a substantial annual pension.
As Duchess, Sarah Churchill carried esteemed titles
such as Mistress of the Robes, Groom
of the Stool, Keeper of the Privy Purse, and Ranger of Windsor Great Park,
highlighting her unique and far-reaching influence in historical terms.
The Duke, meanwhile, served as Captain-General of the army.
During Anne’s
reign, the Duke's involvement in the War of the Spanish Succession often left Sarah
as the prominent female power in England.
She remained in touch with Anne through letters,
even as she busied herself developing the royal gift of Woodstock Manor, later
Blenheim Palace.
Known for her forthrightness, Sarah was the Queen's confidante
and business manager, holding substantial control over private and public matters.
Anne desired a close friendship with the Duchess of Marlborough,
but their relationship was strained
by the latter's insistence on political gain for her son-in-law, Charles Spencer.
The Duchess allied herself with the Whigs,
hoping to leverage her position as the Queen's confidante
to push her political agenda.
However, Anne,
wary of the Whigs’ potential threat to her royal
authority, was steadfast in her resistance.
The Duchess responded by manipulating her connections,
including her bond with Sidney Godolphin, to bypass the Queen's refusals.
Yet, her attempts to convert Anne
to Whig ideologies further strained their relationship.
By 1704, Anne confessed to Lord Godolphin her doubts
about the future of their friendship, feeling that the bond with the Duchess
was irreparably damaged.
Duchess of Marlborough's frankness, once appreciated by Anne, became viewed
as overbearing, even by her powerful allies,
including the Duke of Marlborough and the Earl of Godolphin.
Despite her charm and wit, her
dominating presence in politics and disregard for Anne's feelings led
to a growing rift.
The Duchess's consistent absence from Court, despite Anne's
pleas and their conflicting political ideologies, widened the gap between them.
Their final confrontation was marked
by the Duchess's
stern warning of divine retribution for Anne's perceived injustices.
In 1703, the death of her only son, John,
resulted in the Duchess withdrawing emotionally,
and her responses to Anne's letters became cold and formal.
When Anne's husband, Prince George of Denmark, died
in 1708, the Duchess’s insensitive insistence on Anne’s immediate relocation
to St James's Palace further damaged their bond.
It culminated in Anne calling upon Abigail Masham, marking a clear shift
in the Queen's circle of trust.
Moved by family obligation and empathy, the Duchess of Marlborough integrated
her financially distressed cousin, Abigail Hill,
into her household, ultimately elevating her to the role of Lady of the Bedchamber
to Queen Anne.
Contrasting the Duchess's domineering attitude,
Hill's discreet and pleasing manner
forged a bond with Anne, offering the affection
Anne had missed in her friendship with the Duchess.
This bond deepened, with Anne
even secretly attending Hill's wedding in 1707, unbeknown to the Duchess.
Initially oblivious to Anne's closeness with Hill (now Masham),
the Duchess was shocked to discover their frequent private meetings.
Her astonishment peaked upon learning
that not only had Anne attended Masham’s clandestine wedding,
but she also gifted Masham a dowry
from the Privy Purse - a fact the Duchess was kept unaware of,
despite her role as the Keeper of the Privy Purse.
This revelation served as irrefutable evidence of Anne’s deceit for the Duchess.
Following a significant victory at the Battle of Oudenarde in 1708,
a public disagreement over Queen Anne's choice of jewels and a political letter
from the Duke of Marlborough
sparked a significant rift between Anne and the Duchess of Marlborough.
The Duchess's
audacious demand for the Queen to “be quiet” only escalated the tension.
Despite the Duchess's apology, Anne’s resentment remained.
The Duchess
persistently championed the Whig cause, amplifying Anne’s sense of manipulation
and prompting her to seek comfort in Abigail Masham’s company.
Amidst this discord, the Duchess retained her posts to uphold
the Duke's authority until 1711, when their friendship conclusively ended.
Consumed by jealousy over Anne’s affection for Masham, the Duchess and Whig party
failed to force Masham’s dismissal.
A parliamentary demand to this end also fell through
as Anne appealed to politicians from both sides to reject the motion.
It led to a public consensus criticising the Marlboroughs for involving Parliament
in the Queen's matters.
Infuriated, the Duchess spread rumours of a scandalous relationship
between Anne and Masham.
Her disregard for mourning etiquette after Prince
George's death further strained their relationship.
In response to the public desire for peace and accusations of embezzlement,
Anne dismissed the Marlborough's, severing all ties.
In 1710, a final, unproductive encounter between the Duchess and Queen Anne
signalled the end of their friendship.
Resolute and distant, Anne provoked the Duchess into tears
by refusing to converse about their frayed bond.
The Duchess, uncharacteristically invoking divine judgement,
significantly impacted Anne.
Anticipating their dismissal, the Duke of Marlborough
unsuccessfully pleaded with the Queen for a delayed, dignified exit.
Anne demanded the immediate return of the golden key
symbolising the Duchess's royal authority, leading to the Duchess's replacement
by Elizabeth Seymour and Abigail Masham’s promotion.
The Marlboroughs’ state funding was cut,
halting the construction of their grand home, Blenheim Palace.
They were forced into European exile, and the Duke's
military achievements earned them respect, but the Duchess yearned for England.
Amid constant travel and deteriorating health,
she remained politically engaged via letters
and became fascinated with Catholicism.
On the day of Queen Anne's death in 1714, the Marlboroughs returned to England.
The Protestant succession under the Act of Settlement 1701 proclaimed Georg Ludwig,
Elector of Hanover, as the Whigs,
including the Marlboroughs, favoured King George I.
George I’s camaraderie with the Marlboroughs, due
to their alliance during the War of the Spanish Succession
and shared exile, resulted in the Duke's reinstatement
as the Captain-General of the Army.
The Duchess refocused
on arranging prosperous marital matches for her grandchildren,
starting with Lady Henrietta Godolphin.
However, the Duke's health decline in 1716 demanded her attention,
leading her to manage his correspondence to protect his recovery carefully.
Despite familial disagreements with three of her daughters,
the Duchess formed a strong bond with her daughter Anne.
After Anne's death, she adopted Anne's youngest child, Lady Diana, who became
her favourite grandchild.
Following the Duke of Marlborough's death in 1722,
the now Dowager Duchess managed the family estate
and wealth adeptly, purchasing and improving properties like Wimbledon manor.
She remained influential,
considering a royal match for her granddaughter, Lady Diana Spencer,
though Robert Walpole vetoed it.
A shrewd businesswoman, the Duchess was known for her
financial prudence and astute estate management.
She undertook significant renovations at Blenheim Palace
and managed other properties meticulously,
though her frugal behaviour saw exceptions in grand projects
like the Marlborough tomb and the Column of Victory.
However, she faced strained relations with the royal family and Court
due to her uncompromising nature,
leading to a loss of political influence and a Tory resurgence.
Despite a decline in popularity, she received several marriage proposals
but chose independence,
and her appeals against court-imposed financial obligations
were met with disapproval.
In 1742, she saw her adversary Walpole fall from power
and sought to restore her reputation through a biographical work.
The Dowager Duchess died in 1744 and was interred at Blenheim beside her husband.
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, left a lasting legacy beyond her death in 1744.
From Queen Anne’s confidante to a pariah, then an influential matriarch,
she showcased female resilience
amidst her time’s male-dominated society and political machinations.
Her tenacious spirit and financial understanding
led her to amass vast properties and ensure her family's future,
including the creation of Blenheim Palace, an enduring symbol of her influence.
Despite adversities, Sarah Churchill's life is a testament
to the triumphs and trials of a formidable woman in 17th and 18th century England.
Her enduring legacy lies in her courageous navigation of the convoluted
socio-political maze of 17th and 18th-century English high society,
a testament to her remarkable life, fraught with triumphs,
controversies, and enduring influence.