Last week I wrote a bit about Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough who was an unusual woman for her day. For one thing, she was very intelligent and politically savvy though she had never received a formal education. Her friendship with Queen Anne began when Anne was a Princess. Sarah’s family were undistinguished and she secretly married the handsome John Churchill against the wishes of his parents who were hoping for a more lucrative alliance. But by the time Anne became Queen of England in 1702 the Churchills were already rising to power and influence. Anne created the duchy of Marlborough and as I mentioned in my last blog gave the Marlboroughs land and money to build Blenheim Palace.
After John Churchill died in 1721, Sarah became Duchess in her own right. The early deaths of her two sons meant that she was now head of the family. Under her care and prudent investments, some 30 estates were added to the family possessions. She became obsessed with the completion of Blenheim Palace as a lasting memorial to her beloved husband. As it was later written about her, “Her outspoken nature and scathing pen earned her more than a few enemies, but her power and influence were unequalled by any other 18th-century woman.”
