The Last Stuart Coronation

This chapter challenges enduring assumptions about the insignificance of the coronation of Queen Anne in 1702: the last Stuart coronation. Contrary to those assumptions, Anne’s coronation was a carefully orchestrated propaganda display. Drawing on hitherto overlooked or unknown archival sources, this chapter suggests that Anne’s coronation triggered debates about her legitimacy more than it resolved them. It explores how the coronation adapted Elizabethan and classical iconography for Anne, examines new evidence about Isaac Newton’s role in designing coronation medals, and how this imagery was used to diplomatic ends.