ABSTRACT
One of the most important historical problems of the reign of Queen Anne is to clarify how the crown coped with a new, emerging constitutional system, in which its powers were being gradually eroded. Queen Anne and her advisers retained enough influence to try to exercise power independent of party. Many of the increasing number of newspapers committed themselves to one of the two major political groups. A few newspapers published only for a London audience; the best example is the Daily Courant, the first daily newspaper in Britain, which began publication on 11 March 1702. Many, however, circulated widely in the provinces. The most notable feature of the War of the Spanish Succession is the contrast between Marlborough's and Eugene's victories north of the Pyrenees and the eventual failure of the allied forces in Spain.
