Hi my name's Jon and welcome to another edition of History Roadshow.
Anne of Denmark was the first Danish
Queen of England, but surprisingly she also has three other firsts to her name.
Witches apparently attacked her,
she would convert to another religion against her husband's wishes, and finally,
she started as a queen of one realm and ended up ruling two.
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so you never miss any of our videos and with that said let's begin todays story.
But don't be fooled by everything you hear!
Anne was said to lack character, intelligence and drive.
In fact, she had very little influence on anyone.
She has been described as a rather negative figure in history
who had resolve but didn't understand how to implement it.
Anne was born on 12 December 1574; her father was Frederick II of Denmark and Norway.
Her mother was Sophia, the daughter of the Duke of Mecklenburg.
Anne was brought up in a kingdom of turbulent upheaval, her father was a tyrannical leader,
and Anne grew up knowing, that the only way to rule was by an absolute monarchy.
When Anne reached the
age of 14, her father died, her brother would now take the reigns, Christian IV.
The following year 1589,
she was betrothed and married by proxy to James VI of Scotland, who was 23 at the time.
It was James was so anxious to get this marriage over the line.
Anne would set out for Scotland, but her party were driven
back by unusual stormy waters on their crossing.
James declared this was the work of Scottish witches.
Francis Stewart,
5th Earl of Bothwell was one accused of intending to kill James bride.
The accusations started the infamous witch hunts across Scotland.
James was obsessed with them, even to the point of writing books concerning how
you should treat such a person with the mind of a devil.
He was merciless in his actions, and many women suffered from violent outcomes.
However, nothing would stop his wedding to Anne.
Instead, James set off for Norway; I guess he thought, well,
if Anne won't come to the mountain, then, well, you know the rest.
The couple were married in Oslo on 20 November 1589.
After their honeymoon, they both returned to Scotland, landing in Edinburgh on 1 May 1590.
More surprises were in store for Anne after her coronation.
She discovered that James was actually bisexual, something she couldn't have known
or even fully understood.
According to Lord Macaulay, James was a complex man, witty, well-read but also a drivelling idiot.
It was known before he met Anne, James had nothing to do with any woman; it just wasn't his thing.
His mother, Mary Stuart, who was accused of murdering his father, Lord Darnley, was
never in the picture of his growth from child to young adult, so he was left to his own devices.
He was brought up by regents, they were not interested in what the young man
should and would need in the way of education to take him to the next level.
It all tells quite a sad story of the boy who would be king
one day, but his perpetual state of nervousness and ongoing suspicion never helped his cause.
Yet with more than a bit of determination, James somehow managed to gain the upper hand
and took the reigns of power in what was then a highly turbulent period for Scotland.
James had a string of gents who were more than close friends.
He would lavish gifts and much affection, but as they all fell by the wayside over time,
his persona was viewed as a man who knew what he wanted, which was good enough for the majority.
This kingly behaviour did nothing for Anne, and she must have wondered what was going off.
Scottish Calvinists were constantly questioning her
because she was catholic and had an affectionate leaning towards the religion.
After five years on the throne, Anne had still not produced an heir, but what could she do?
Most of her time was spent playing cards, dancing and singing, all considered cardinal sins!
Let's jump to 1594.
Anne finally gave birth, and it was a son, Henry.
This new little man
did nothing to enhance her marriage; however, Anne as a mother was beyond reproach.
She was a very loving and caring mother.
But James didn't like this and removed the boy to be raised by John Erskine, Earl of Mar.
It must have been devastating for the Queen,
but she rallied, and further children would be born over the following years.
Elizabeth was next born in 1596, Charles in 1600.
Anne went on to have eight children, but sadly only the first three born would survive childhood.
In 1603 James and Anne's life changed forever.
Elizabeth I of England was dying, and the only feasible Tudor heir who remained
despite Henry VIII's orders was James with his double dose of Tudor
blood running through his veins.
His mother, Mary, was the granddaughter of Margaret Tudor and James IV and his father,
Lord Darnley being the grandson of Margaret Tudor's second marriage to Earl of Angus.
Robert Cecil clearly knew what type of character James was and how to deal with him.
He sent Henry Howard, who you could say was also a man of men.
To make arrangements and to ensure an easy transition of power.
After Elizabeth's death, James left for England in 1603.
For Anne, this was great news; her husband now out of the picture.
It would allow her to attempt to gain back her son.
She set out for Stirling castle, but she was given a big 'no, no' from the earl upon arrival.
So upset by the news, Anne miscarried a child she was carrying at the time,
and one in which she almost paid with her life.
James heard the news and relented slightly, asking the earl to release the boy into his wife's hands.
Anne was clearly delighted and travelled south to her new home of Windsor castle.
Yet more strain would descend on the royal couple when at the coronation at Westminster Abbey
in July 1603.
Anne, in her wisdom, decided not to accept communion at what was an Anglican service.
James was seething; how could she do this as James was now the head of the Anglican church.
But both parties suffered in the future; the culture shock of now living in England
was far different from their life in Scotland.
The biggest bugbear was their knowledge of how to be constitutional monarchs.
As we have heard, both James and Anne were raised believing in kings and queens'
must have absolute power and divine right.
Unfortunately, both would come to regret this, and their children would find out the hard way.
For Anne, her idea of taking the divine right was to spend spend spend,
and mostly on anything she wanted, from pearls to palaces.
Although she was having a great time, James was constantly battling with parliament,
especially when considering who held the purse strings.
Anne continued, nothing could stop her even her religion was being questioned.
Anne always leaned towards the Catholic faith,
but this would prove a terrible mistake in Anglican England.
James juggled both countries the best he could.
Scotland had controlling heads of the clans with whom James would send orders,
and they would eventually trickle down the pyramid.
In England, James's battles with parliament left him feeling uneasy and in disarray at what to do.
Although he attempted to continue his meetings
with young favourites to try and get them to offer support, it all literally backfired.
His problems would be even more significant for the future Stuart hierarchy.
Anne was more pleasing on the English eye, even given her spending sprees.
A graceful and tactile lady who made a good public impression.
But James being James continued, he wasn't well-liked from the start,
a man who had a weird taste in the eyes of many, from his extra padded clothing to help
in case of assassination attempts, to his odd vision, head twitches and overall demeanour.
Having a broad, solid Scottish accent and speech impediment didn't help his cause.
Finally, his romantic dealings didn't resonate well with the court.
Anne finally had enough of James, and separation had to happen,
especially when her husband was clearly involved with his new favourite, Robert Carr.
Anne despised Carr, but the break went well and remained amicable, although now both parties
would share the same palace but have entirely different living quarters.
Anne had no influence and was more a figurehead in this time, yet her lavish lifestyle
and ways, at least kept a court very entertained and considered "a merry place."
Anne's limitations in understanding anything political, her views generally swept under the Stuart carpet.
Even when she tried to save
Sir Walter Raleigh from execution, The King ignored her words and advice.
James could cope with Annes appeals, but he would quickly snub his Queen on big issues.
Anne's words became nothing more than idle gossip.
When George Villiers came to the king's notice,
Anne supported him much more than she did Carr, her husband's last protege.
George was pro catholic yet would become a more dangerous man than his predecessor.
Anne's preconceptions would be passed onto her son Charles;
he was heir to the throne and, unfortunately, the least gifted out of all them.
In 1618 Anne fell ill; breast cancer was thought to be the reason for her fall.
The disease would finally take her life on 2 March 1619.
True to form, her husband James did not go anywhere near his wife in those last
few months; being fearful of any illness, he was not at her bedside when she passed away.
Anne was buried at Westminster
abbey, mourned more so by her English subjects than by her husband of 29 years.
England owes Anne a debt; after all, we have heard she was a fantastic patron of the arts.
She encouraged Inigo Jones to come to England, creating a new style of Jacobean architecture.
Anne supported William Shakespeare and Ben Johnson, who wrote for the court.
Sadly the one thing she really needed was a strength of character,
a will to learn, a need to think more clearly.
We cannot criticise her parenting skills, but her overall reluctance to take the reins was
something that would cause her to be at the thin end of the wedge, throughout much of her life.