 The British Act of Settlement 1701 designated the Electress Sophia and her descent as the royal family of England, once both King William III and his sister-in-law and successor, Queen Anne, were dead.Leibniz played a role in the initiatives and negotiations leading up to that Act, but not always an effective one.For example, something he published anonymously in England, thinking to promote the Brunswick cause, was formally censured by the British Parliament.