The Accession of Anne

The reign of Queen Anne did little or nothing to improve the condition of the Irish people. When Anne succeeded there was a vague sense of relief and hope among the Irish Catholics. The Queen was at all events a Stuart Princess, and the severe rule of William III. had requickened Irish sympathy with the Stuart cause. But Anne had other interests to occupy her not very comprehensive intelligence, and she did not concern herself much with the affairs of Ireland. Her reign was one of almost incessant war on the Continent, and it saw some fierce struggles between antagonistic political parties and religious denominations at home.