Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, was an English courtier who became one of the most influential women of her time through her close relationship with Anne, Queen of Great Britain. Churchill's influence on Anne was widely known, and leading public figures often turned their attentions to her, hoping to attain favour from the queen.
Churchill enjoyed a "long and devoted" relationship with her husband of more than 40 years, the general John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. After Anne's father, King James II, was deposed during the Glorious Revolution, Churchill acted as Anne's agent, promoting her interests during the reigns of William III and Mary II. When Anne came into power after William's death in 1702, John Churchill and Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, rose to head the government, partly owing to the Duchess.
While John Churchill was fighting in the War of the Spanish Succession, the Duchess kept him informed of court intrigues and conveyed his requests and political advice to the Queen. The Duchess campaigned tirelessly on behalf of the Whigs, while also devoting herself to building projects such as Blenheim Palace. However, her political ambitions strained her relationship with the Queen; their relationship ended in 1711, and the Duke and Duchess were dismissed from court. Later, Churchill had famous disagreements with many important people, including her daughter Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough; the architect of Blenheim Palace, John Vanbrugh; Prime Minister Robert Walpole; King George II; and his wife, Queen Caroline. The money she inherited from the Marlborough trust left her one of the richest women in Europe, and she possessed 27 estates at the time of her death. She died in 1744, aged 84, and was buried at Blenheim.
Early life
Sarah Jennings was born into an impoverished gentry family on 5 June 1660, probably at Holywell House in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Her father was Richard Jennings, a Member of Parliament; her mother was Frances Thornhurst, a daughter of Susanna Temple. Her paternal grandfather was Sir John Jennings, and her uncle Martin Lister was a prominent naturalist. She did not receive a formal education, and was insecure about her handwriting even into old age.In 1664, Sarah's sister Frances was appointed a maid of honour to the Duke of York's first wife, Anne Hyde, the Duchess of York. However, James forced Frances to give up the post because of her marriage to a Catholic, George Hamilton, in 1665. In 1673, when Sarah was 13, she entered court as maid of honour to James's second wife: Mary of Modena. Sarah did not enjoy being at court, but she stayed at her post so that she could acquire the dowry customarily given to maids of honour when they finished their service. Additionally, she was only given an annual salary of £20; maintaining her position cost upwards of £500 annually, as she had to follow the court from place to place, keep a personal maid, and buy new clothing for events. Sarah first became friends with the young Princess Anne, the daughter of the Duke of York, in 1674.
Marriage
In late 1675, when she was fifteen, she met John Churchill, 10 years her senior, and the two fell in love. Churchill had previously been a lover of Charles II's mistress Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, and his estates were deeply in debt. Sarah had a rival for Churchill in Catherine Sedley, a wealthy mistress of James II and the choice of Churchill's father, Sir Winston Churchill, who was anxious to restore the family's fortune. John Churchill may have hoped to take Sarah as a mistress in place of the Duchess of Cleveland, who had recently departed for France, but surviving letters from Jennings to Churchill show her unwillingness to assume that role.In 1677, Sarah's brother Ralph died, and she and her sisters Frances and Barbara became co-heirs of the family estates in Hertfordshire and Kent. Her sudden acquisition of wealth lessened the Churchills' opposition to the match, and John Churchill eventually chose Sarah over Catherine Sedley. Although no date was recorded, the couple married secretly in the winter of 1677–78. The marriage was announced only to the Duchess of York and a small circle of friends so that Sarah could keep her court position as maid of honour. Eventually her marriage was publicly announced on 1 October 1678 when she became pregnant.
Voluntary exile
In March 1679, the Duke of York, a Catholic and heir presumptive, went into self-imposed exile in Brussels as a result of the furore surrounding the Popish Plot. John accompanied him, and brought a pregnant Sarah to Brussels in late August after the first Parliament was dissolved without reaching an agreement on the Exclusion Crisis. She had barely settled in Brussels when the Duke and his entourage, including the Churchills, moved to Edinburgh. Shortly thereafter, Sarah gave birth to her first daughter Henrietta, nicknamed Harriet.The Churchills were allowed to return to London in February 1680. Henrietta died in June, but Sarah gave birth to another daughter, also named Henrietta, in July. She then returned to Edinburgh in September, leaving the newborn in the care of a nurse. In Scotland, Sarah was able to renew her childhood friendship with Anne, who was visiting her father. When the couple returned to London for the final time, John's loyalty was awarded by being named Lord Churchill of Eyemouth in Scotland, and Sarah became Lady Churchill. Upon Anne's marriage Prince George of Denmark in 1683, Sarah was appointed her Lady of the Bedchamber.
The Churchills had five children who survived to adulthood. They were Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough, born in 1681; Anne Spencer, Countess of Sunderland, born in 1683 or 1684; John Churchill, Marquess of Blandford, born in 1686; Elizabeth Churchill, Countess of Bridgewater, born in 1687; and Mary Montagu, Duchess of Montagu, born in 1689.
Reign of James II
The Duke of York came into power following the death of Charles II in 1685, and was crowned King James II. His early reign was relatively successful; it was not expected that a Catholic king could assert control in a fiercely Protestant, anti-Catholic country. During this time, Anne and Sarah continued to share a strong friendship; after Lady Claredon was forced to resign her post, Anne promoted Sarah to Groom of the Stole, therefore increasing her influence and salary from £200 to £400. The two women invented pet names for themselves around this time, so that they could speak to each other as equals without the limitations of rank; Sarah was called "Mrs Freeman," and Anne was called "Mrs Morley."File:The Marlborough Family.jpeg|thumb|290x290px|Portrait of the 1st Duke and Duchess of Marlborough with their family in 1697. From left to right: The Duke of Marlborough, Elizabeth, Mary, The Duchess of Marlborough, Henrietta, Anne and John.
In this post, Sarah appears to have had a virtual monopoly over Anne, as references to her character and immense influence over the Princess began to appear in foreign envoy's dispatches afterwards. However, Sarah was experiencing a growing discontent, and in a letter complained to the Princess that she had no time to do anything for herself. Additionally, Sarah began facing scrutiny from Anne's sister Mary, who believed she was too lax when it came to religion; Anne sided with her sister, and recommended that Sarah go to church more often.
When James attempted to reform the national religion, popular discontent against him and his government became widespread. James was beginning to become suspicious of the Churchills, and their influence over Anne, and the King's Catholic advisors began to press him to dismiss Sarah. In response, Sarah retreated from the public eye, using her pregnancy as an excuse. The level of alarm increased when Queen Mary of Modena gave birth to a son on 10 June 1688, Prince James Francis Edward, who would be raised Roman Catholic. A group of politicians known as the Immortal Seven invited Prince William III of Orange, the Protestant husband of James' daughter Mary, to invade England and remove James from power, a plan that became public knowledge very quickly. As John and Prince George participated in the scheme, Sarah was aware of it beforehand and fully supported her husband.
James still retained some influence, and he ordered that both Sarah and Anne be placed under house arrest at the Cockpit in the Palace of Whitehall. However, the pair escaped at night, and fled to Nottingham. Although Sarah implied that she had encouraged the escape for Anne's safety, it is more likely that she was protecting herself and her husband. If James had succeeded in defeating William, he might have imprisoned or even executed the Churchills for treason, but it was unlikely he would have condemned his daughter to a similar fate. James fled to France in December 1688, which allowed William and Mary to take the throne.
Reign of William III and Mary II
During the reign of King William III and Queen Mary II, John Churchill was awarded the title Earl of Marlborough. However, the new earl and countess enjoyed considerably less favour than they had during the reign of James II. John Churchill had supported the now exiled James, and by this time, Sarah's influence on Anne, and her cultivation of high members of the government to promote Anne's interests, was widely known.Other problems also emerged. In 1689, Anne's supporters— including the Marlboroughs and the Duke of Somerset— demanded that she be granted a parliamentary annuity of £50,000, a sum that would end her dependence on William and Mary. Sarah was seen as the driving force behind this bill, creating further ill-feeling towards her at court. Mary sent Lady Barbara Fitzhardinge to threaten Sarah and her husband with ruin if she did not back down and side with the Queen, but Sarah refused. William responded to the demand by offering the same sum from the Privy Purse to keep Anne dependent on his generosity. However, Anne, through the Countess, refused, as a parliamentary grant would be more secure than charity from the Privy Purse. Eventually Anne received the grant from Parliament and felt she owed this to Sarah's efforts; as a reward, Sarah's income was increased from £400 to £1,400.
Anne's disagreements over her income with William and Mary drove a wedge between the sisters that lasted over a year. Mary claimed that she would have tried to apologize and reconcile with Anne, but that Anne "was so absolutly governed by Lady Marlborough that it was to no purpose." Sarah was aware that she had damaged her reputation at court, and she retired to their home in St Albans after giving birth to her second son, Charles, in August. There, she took a new interest in literature, and built a large library.