Why was Joseph Addison asked to write a poem about the Battle of Blenheim?

Following the Battle of Blenheim in August 1704, which marked a major victory for the Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession, the British public and government were electrified by the news.12

Joseph Addison was approached by government leaders to write a poem that would be worthy of this significant national achievement. The resulting work, titled The Campaign, was published in December 1704. It achieved immediate success by eschewing conventional classical imagery in favor of an effective portrayal of Marlborough’s military genius, perfectly capturing the spirit of the nation's victory.2