The Statute of Anne

Anne, Queen of Great Britain (England and Scotland) and Ireland, the last monarch of the Stuart Dynasty. Queen Anne was the only sister of Queen Mary II, both were daughters of James II of England (James VI of Scotland). Queen Anne succeeded her brother-in-law, William III of Orange-Nassau, who reigned together with his wife, Queen Mary I, after forcibly deposing James II of England (James VI of Scotland) in the Glorious Revolution. After the death of Queen Mary II, William III continued to reign in Great Britain and Ireland as a single monarch until his own death in 1702. Queen Anne succeeded him to the British and Irish Thrones, whereas his Stadtholdership in Holland passed to Johan Willem Friso, Princely Count of Nassau-Dietz, Stadtholder of Friesland, his agnatic cousin, also descendant of William I (William the Silent), Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau. William III's title Prince of Orange passed to (i) Johan Willem Friso (House of Orange-Nassau), descendant in agnatic line of William I's brother, and in cognatic line also of William I himself, stadtholder of Friesland, and his descendants and (ii) Frederik I of Prussia (House of Hohenzollern), a senior descendant in cognatic line from William the Silent, who ceded his claims to the lands of Orange to France in 1713, and his descendants. Louis de Mailly and Prince Louis Armand de Bourbon-Conti were appointed by the French Monarch to also hold the title. The title is hereditary, but the Sovereign Principality of Orange was dissolved and came under the sovereignty of the French Monarchy.

The Statute of Anne (short title: Copyright Act 1709 8 Anne c.19; long title: "An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or purchasers of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned") repealed the Statute of Mary and, as such, ended the monopoly granted by the Statute of Mary to the Stationers Company.

Read the entire Statute by clicking here.