Sarah Churchill Biography:
The events of the Oscar-winning film “The Favourite” take place in England at the beginning of the 18th century, where the throne belongs to the sickly Queen Anne. One of the key characters in the film was Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, who at that time was the most influential person in the state and the very retinue that makes the king.
Childhood and youth of Sarah Churchill:
Sarah Jennings (this is the maiden name of the favorite) was born on June 5, 1660 in the family of a hereditary English politician, who lived in a small estate in Hertfordshire. The future pearl of the court grew up surrounded by her older sisters, Frances and Barbara, and her brother Ralph. The girl’s father was close to the royal family, and therefore his daughters were granted the positions of ladies-in-waiting.
As a companion to the Duchess of York, Sarah met the young Anne Stuart, who was five years younger than her. Since then, their long-term close friendship began, and although Jennings was inferior to her friend in titles, in age and strength of character she occupied a leading position and became an influential figure for the future queen.
Sarah did not have the brilliant beauty that her older sister Frances had, but she could outshine anyone with her intelligence, wit and determination. In addition, she was pretty, and her figure seemed developed and feminine for her age, and therefore Jennings was not threatened with the fate of being invisible at court. Sarah’s appearance is immortalized in portraits of her era.
Sarah Churchill’s personal life:
Sarah decided to become the creator of her own destiny in her youth, which is noticeable in an example from her personal life. Jennings fell in love with John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, a future outstanding military leader, when she was 15 years old. The officer was also impressed by the girl, but was planning to make a more advantageous marriage to improve the family’s financial situation, which was no good.
Churchill believed that the young beauty would be quite suitable for him as a mistress, but the girl was not happy with this fate, which she told her cavalier directly. By that time, the charmed John had already agreed to marry, and then the inheritance that Sarah received from her suddenly deceased brother came in handy. And although neither the Churchills nor the Jenningses approved of this union, the lovers ignored the opinion of their relatives and secretly got married.
For almost a year, the young couple hid their marital status from the court, until it became obvious that Sarah was expecting a child. In October 1678, they officially announced their marriage, and soon their daughter was born, who lived for a few hours. Subsequently, Lady Churchill gave birth to six more children. The favorite was her son John, who had a great future ahead of him, but the young man died at the age of 17, having contracted smallpox, which plunged his parents into deep grief.
After the death of the favorite’s husband in 1722, the ducal title was inherited by their eldest daughter Henrietta, but Sarah tried to fairly distribute the enormous fortune between the remaining children and grandchildren.
The Queen’s Favorite:
During the reign of James II Stuart, Churchill became the permanent maid of honor of his daughter Anne, being her confidant and closest person.
Sarah’s husband also faithfully served the monarch, for which he received the title of baron, after which his wife began to be called Lady Churchill.
While the future queen was indecisive, sensitive and even lazy, her maid of honor possessed assertiveness, prudence and foresight, and therefore always instructed the princess and kept her from rash actions. On Sarah’s initiative, a search began for a worthy match for the future queen, who eventually became the wife of George of Denmark.
Anne Stuart was generous to her companion and gave her gifts that she herself could not afford. When Anne’s older sister Mary and her husband William came to power in the kingdom, the princess continued to be friends with Lady Churchill and listen to her advice, which eventually led to discord with the queen, who did not favor Sarah.
Formally, the Churchills occupied a high position at court, but their influence was much less than under James II. The diplomatically gifted Sarah did her best to persuade members of the government to defend Anne’s interests and provide her with a living that would not make her dependent on her sister and her husband. Mary II and William III did not like this state of affairs.
When they were both gone and Anne Stuart finally became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1702, she naturally bestowed riches and titles on her faithful friend, granting her husband a dukedom, a knighthood and the rank of captain general of the army. Lady Churchill herself became the mistress of the Empress’s wardrobe, and women could not even dream of the highest position at that time. In addition, Sarah kept the royal treasury, which served as proof of the monarch’s trust.
Over the years, a cooling began between the queen and her companion. On the one hand, Anne lacked warmth and personal involvement from Sarah, who preferred the development of new estates to life at court. On the other hand, Lady Churchill was politically ambitious and put pressure on the Empress, promoting the liberal Whigs, in whom the queen felt a threat to her monarchical rights.
The estrangement between Anne and Sarah deepened after Abigail Masham, the Duchess of Marlborough’s cousin and protégé, became Anne’s favourite, eventually replacing her at court and in the queen’s heart.
Death:
Sarah lived a long life, during which she was one of the richest and most influential people in the kingdom. Having outlived her husband by 22 years, she continued to increase her wealth by investing her numerous savings in land. Lady Churchill’s residences included a number of castles, and in her favourite, Marlborough House, this famous woman ended her days on 18 October 1844.
She died at the age of 84, when it is no longer customary to look for the cause of death. It is known that in old age Sarah suffered from gout. Lady Churchill left no male heirs, and the family line was continued by the offspring of her daughters, who, with the exception of the youngest Mary, passed away before their mother.
In Culture:
- 1840 — Play “A Glass of Water.” Author Eugene Scribe
- 1933–1938 — Historical work “Marlborough: His Life and Deeds.” Author Winston Churchill
- 1957 — Film “A Glass of Water.” Actress Elena Gogoleva
- 1979 — Film “A Glass of Water.” Actress Alla Demidova
- 1969 — TV series “The First Churchills.” Actress Susan Hampshire
- 2018 — Film “The Favourite.” Actress Rachel Weisz
Interesting Facts:
- Sarah’s favorite granddaughter was Diana Spencer, born in 1710 to her daughter Anne. At home, the baby was affectionately called Lady Di, and she died prematurely at the age of 25, which was a tragedy for her grandmother who adored her. A descendant of Diana’s brother, 226 years later, would give birth to a girl who would receive the same name, partially repeat the biography of a distant relative, and become the Princess of Wales.
- In personal correspondence, Anne Stuart and Sarah Churchill called each other by the nicknames Morley and Freeman.
- The Duchess of Marlborough professed Protestantism, which in her youth jeopardized her advancement at court, where Catholics had a predominant influence.