Sarah Churchill, first Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1744), was the glamourous and controversial subject of hundreds of satires, newspaper articles and publications both during her lifetime and after her death.
Tied to Queen Anne by an intimate friendship, Sarah hoped to wield power equal to that of a government minister. When their relationship soured, she blackmailed Anne with letters revealing their intimacy and accused her of perverting the course of national affairs by keeping lesbian favourites.
Politically, Sarah was most influential through her husband, one of England's greatest generals, and their mutual friend, the Treasurer Sidney Godolphin. After their deaths, she remained independently powerful thanks to the immense wealth she controlled and as the founder of several dynasties, including the Spencer-Churchills.
Sarah was a compulsive and compelling writer, narrating the major events of her day with herself often at centre-stage. This biography brings her own voice, passionate and intelligent, back to life, and casts a critical eye over images of the Duchess handed down through art, history, and literature.
