By the start of the 18th century, England had recovered from one of the most tumultuous periods in its history and was heading into the future with a new sense of unity. The civil wars were over, and despite some royals' unpopular tendency toward Catholicism and absolutism, the House of Stuart had survived the beheading of Charles I and the overthrow of James VII and II. William and Mary brought a period of reconciliation and stability, and following their deaths, the throne was inherited by Mary's sister, Anne. Under Anne, the Kingdoms of England and Scotland were formally united as a nation. The Acts of Union of 1707 created a single kingdom, that of Great Britain. At the same time, the "political union" also meant a union of the armed forces, and though both developments had been happening informally in the preceding years, they were now made official. Moving forward, there would be a British nation, and just as the nation was uniting, its armies came under the leadership of John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, one of the most outstanding generals in British history.