The Favourite: Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough

Sarah Churchill's humble beginnings and rise to power were extraordinary. She was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne, including the keeping of the Royal Household's budget. A close intimate of the queen, she used her position to gain favors for herself, her family, and her friends. Her husband was away much of the time at war, but even so they had many children. His victories and her influence gained them a grant for a palace to commemorate his victories. This palace, Blenheim, is still magnificent and one wonders what it was like right after it was built. (Blenheim is most famous these days for being the birthplace of Winston Churchill.) Sarah was a product of the age and ahead of her time with her influence on politics and the country.

A fair bit of the text in this book went towards explaining why Sarah Churchill has been undervalued or unfairly treated in previous biographies. In certain sections this is helpful, in others it is very distracting. In some ways, I wish this biographer could have been a bit more objective about her subject; she made it seem as though Sarah's missteps in politics were completely out of her control, when in fact a healthy dose of tact and respect for other people's feelings (without betraying her own convictions, just with respect for others) might have won her more success in her endeavors. That said, for Sarah Jennings to rise from impoverished gentility to a wealthy and powerful duchess (not to mention founding a well-known and lasting dynasty) is not merely remarkable, but almost incredible. Overall, the biography was very good, although I wish it would have had a family tree showing how the Marlborough family grew, who all the granchildren were and when they were born (not to mention which of Sarah's daughters were their mothers) and even possibly a chronology, as the scope of Sarah's life and the breadth of her story made it sometimes difficult to put certain events into context.

Sarah Churchill, 1st Duchess of Marlborough gained notoriety through three things:1. She was a lady-in-waiting/best friend to Queen Anne of England. She took this position of power for granted, treating the Queen much like a dumb child. She felt it was her right to instruct the Queen on appropriate political decisions and appointments at court. When Sarah became too pushy and arrogant, the Queen severed the friendship, leading to a very public fall from favour.2. She was married to the military man John Churchill, who defeated Louis XIV's French army in the early 1700s (A big thing at the time - remember England and France were arch enemies). This victory led Queen Anne to give John and Sarah titles (Duke and Duchess of Marlborough) and a huge government grant to build a massive palace with - Blenheim, which still stands today outside of Oxford UK.3. Her direct descendents include Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales. Ophelia Field has written a biography which covers all these events, and also tells us objectively about the woman herself. She does not attempt to paint a rosy picture of Sarah, who could be stubborn and domineering. At the same time, she explains WHY Sarah did certain things (based on letters she wrote to family and friends - many excerpts included), and why her political views were as they were. Crucially, she discusses how Sarah's support of the Whig party, her deep rooted belief in their righteousness, developed into a fanatacism which led to her fall from the Queen's favour and high society. Queen Anne is also brought to life as a woman all her own, though her reign was short. This biography was informative, educational (about the political and aristocratic climate of the time 1680s-1720s), and fascinating. It portrayed a modern woman ahead of her time. I feel if I had met Sarah Churchill, I may not have liked her (she polarised people - you either loved or hated her), but I certainly would have respected and admired her.