I feel a bit bad for Queen Anne. I never thought much about her odd place in the scheme of things, growing up. I never thought about her from a Scottish perspective. But then again, I suppose it was odd enough that a little American kid was thinking about Queen Anne at all.
But, as you know, I tend to steep myself in historical programming. But while watching my History of Scotland series, I learned quite about her. Her eighteen (!!!) pregnancies, only one of which survived past the age of two. You know that's got to take its toll. Not to mention, how it led to the arrival of the Hanovers. Her place within the whole Scotland/Stuart/Jacobite Rebellions is interesting.
More than just Queen Anne's Lace, (or was that for Anne of Denmark?) cool baroque architecture, and being mocked for being so overweight, a lot went down during her reign-- not the least of which was the Acts of Union. Odd how I just never really associated the unification of England and Scotland with Queen Anne, but there you have it. I knew the dates of the Acts of Union, and of her reign, and yet...sometimes, it's easier to catalogue facts as isolated bits of info, rather than see their place in the whole fabric.
Next, I'm off to watch The First Churchills, where Anne plays a key role, and the divine Susan Hampshire (oh, how I miss Monarch of the Glen!) plays the Duchess of Malbourough.
That is the right Queen Anne for Queen Anne's Lace. It is named for the lacey appearance of the flower and was popular in Europe during her Queendom. The root is an edible carrot and the seeds have been used as a contraception method, although I wouldn't test the carrot or the seeds for edible or other
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