History of England, Reign of Queen Anne, Stanhope 1870. This two-volume set of books is titled “History Of England Comprising The Reign Of Queen Anne Until The Peace of Utrecht”, written by Earl Stanhope and published in Leipzig by Bernard Tauchnitz in 1870, and it is the Copyright Edition. Philip Henry Stanhope (1805 - 1875), the 5th Earl of Stanhope, was an English antiquarian and Tory politician who held office in the 1830’s and 1840’s, but is best remembered for his contributions to cultural causes and for his historical writings. (An antiquarian is someone who studies antiquities or things of the past.) Anne (1665 - 1714) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from March 8, 1702 until May 1, 1707. On May 1, under the Acts of Union, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united as a single sovereign state known as Great Britain. Anne continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death in 1714. Anne was born during the reign of her uncle, King Charles II; her father was Charles's younger brother James, and next in line to be king. James was a Roman Catholic, at a time when being Roman Catholic was unpopular in England. On Charles's instructions, Anne and her elder sister Mary were raised as Protestants, and their education was focused on the teachings of the Anglican church. Mary married her Dutch Protestant cousin, William III of Orange, in 1677, while Anne married Prince George of Denmark in 1683. On Charles's death in 1685, James succeeded to the throne, but just three years later he was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Mary and William became joint monarchs, and although the sisters had been close, disagreements over Anne's finances and status arose shortly after Mary became Queen, and the sisters became estranged. After Mary's death in 1694, William reigned alone until his own death in 1702, when Anne succeeded him. Anne was plagued by poor health throughout her life, and in her thirties she grew increasingly ill and obese. She endured 17 pregnancies, but died without any surviving children, and was the last monarch of the House of Stuart. The two books have five raised bands, six gilt-ruled compartments with red and black labels, gilt lettering, and gilt devices on the spines, double gilt-fillet borders on calf covers, marbled endpapers, half title and the title pages, marginalia printed by Tauchnitz, and all the edges are marbled. The first volume has a one-page list of Tauchnitz books followed by the title page, a four-page Preface, eight pages of Contents, and 326 pages of text. The second volume has a map of the Battle of Almenara on the front marbled flyleaf, eight pages of Contents, 326 pages of text, and an Index that runs to page 340. The book measure 6 1/4 x 4 1/2 in. wide, with clean pages and text, light toning on the edges of some of the pages, faded spines, rubbing and wear on the heel and crowns, along the edges of the spine, and on the edges of the boards, a small chip at the crown of Volume II, rubbing at the tips, stains on parts of the covers, a loose gutter in the back of the second volume, and a detailed account of the life and reign of Queen Anne. #192 #1562