Queen Anne
Archived: 13 October 2026
William III’s death brought Queen Anne to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland, proclaimed in Dublin on 18 March. Her accession preserved a Protestant administration founded after Williamite war, while Catholics remained politically excluded and Jacobite legitimacy persisted. Ireland was governed by lords justices after Rochester’s departure, with Thomas Erle combining military and civil responsibilities amid War of Spanish Succession. Protestant elites resented Westminster’s resumption of forfeited estates and restrictions on woollen exports. December consultations at Dublin Castle addressed parliament, taxation and war costs without resolution. Michael Boyle died; Portarlington Huguenots gained lease security; Swift received his Trinity doctorate.