The first sovereign of Great Britain was Queen ANNE, who reigned from 1702 to 1714. She was the last monarch of the House of Stuart and the first of the House of Hanover. During her reign, she oversaw the union of England and Scotland in 1707, which created the Kingdom of Great Britain. She also saw the beginning of the War of Spanish Succession, which lasted until 1714. Queen ANNE was a popular monarch and is remembered for her patronage of the arts and sciences.