Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
For the daughter of Winston Churchill, see Sarah Churchill (actress) |
Sarah Churchill |
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough,
née Sarah Jennings (
May 29,
1660 –
October 18,
1744), rose to be one of the most influential women in British history, largely as a result of her close friendship with
Queen Anne.
Sarah Jennings was born in Holywell,
Hertfordshire, England in 1660, the daughter of Richard Jennings and Frances Thornhurst. Sarah's friendship with Anne came about some time after
1673, when she and her sister
Frances joined the household of the Duke of York (later to be
King James II) and befriended his younger daughter; Anne was a few years Sarah's junior. They called one another by pet names, Sarah being "Mrs Freeman" and Anne "Mrs Morley".
On
October 1,
1678, Sarah married
John Churchill, later to be created Duke of Marlborough, and they made a glittering couple. Marlborough, though he had supported James, also had a role in bringing
William of Orange to the British throne. For his support of William, and in recognition of his skills as a military leader, Marlborough was rewarded with his earldom. Sarah basked in his reflected glory, but had political skills of her own as well.
Following Anne's accession to the throne, Sarah was made
Mistress of the Robes and
Keeper of the Privy Purse. She exercised great personal and political influence. However, with the introduction into Anne's household of a politically aware rival, Sarah's own cousin,
Abigail Masham, the relationship between the queen and her old friend deteriorated greatly. In
1711, both Sarah and her husband fell out of royal favor. Anne's death in
1714 restored their fortunes, but the Duke died in
1722 and never saw the completion of
Blenheim Palace, the house built for him by a grateful nation. It was left to Sarah to oversee the remaining work, and she was often in conflict with the architect,
Sir John Vanbrugh.
Close links with the Royal Family remained. Sarah sought to marry off her granddaughter
Lady Diana Spencer (1710-1735), to
Frederick, Prince of Wales. The Duchess remained friendly with the prince and his family, however, even after this plan had failed.
John and Sarah Churchill were
The First Churchills in the
BBC television series with that title.
Sarah and her husband Marlborough had seven children:
*Harriet Churchill (October 1679 - bef. 1698).
*
Henrietta Churchill, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough, (July 19, 1681 - October 24, 1733). Married
Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin.
*Anne Churchill (February 27, 1683 - April 15, 1716). Married
Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland.
*John Churchill,
Marquess of Blandford, (February 13, 1686 - February 20, 1703).
*Elizabeth Churchill (March 15, 1687 - March 22, 1714). Married
Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgwater.
*Mary Churchill (July 15, 1689 - May 14, 1751). Married
John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu.
*Charles Churchill (August 19, 1690 - May 22, 1692).
