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==Introduction==
The Favourite, a British made movie was one of the most critically acclaimed movies of 2018. It is a historical drama set in one of the key periods of British history. It focuses on the relationship of Queen Anne of Great Britain with two of the ladies in her court, Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough and Abigail Hill, between 1708 and 1712. The motion picture is a darkly comic one and is in many ways not a typical historical drama. It was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. Queen Anne was played by Olivia ColemanColman, who won an Academy Award for Best Actress, for he performance. Abigail Hill was played by Emma Stone. Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough was played by Rachel Weisz and her husband the Duke of Marlborough was played by Mark Gatis. This article will evaluate the historical accuracy of the acclaimed 2018 movie.
[[File: The Favourite 1.jpg|200px|thumb|left| A poster, showing the three stars of the movie]]
==Historical Context==
Set in the early 1700s the movie concentrates on the period of the War of the Spanish Succession (1700-1715). This was a struggle between France and Britain and their respective allies. In a series of victories, the Duke of Marlborough, a military genius, defeated the armies of the French. This war was to prove to be a key turning point in the history of Europe. As it marked the end of French expansion under Louis IV and the rise of the British Empire <ref>Coward, Barry. The Stuart Age: England, 1603-1714 (London, Routledge, 2014), p. 287</ref>. Despite the victories, the war was not popular in Britain, because it led to high taxes. There was a great deal of factionalism in the country and it was divided into political lines. The Tories were conservatives, who disliked the war and ideas of Empire, while the Whigs were imperialists and more liberal. Both sides sought to influence Queen Anne (1665 –1714), who had immense political power and who could appoint ministers and prorogue Parliament <ref>Coward, p 289</ref>. The movie captures very well the political passions of the time and how they led to a great deal of political in-fighting at court. However, the customs of the actors in the movies have been criticized as not being historically accurate. In the 2018 movie, Sarah (Rachel Weisz) is shown dressed in masculine attire, including breaches. This was not historically correct and if Sarah had dressed like this, it would have caused a scandal and would have resulted in her being immediately dismissed from Court.
