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List of English monarchs
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This article is about English monarchs until 1707. For British monarchs since the Union of England and Scotland in 1707, see List of British monarchs.
Royal Coat of arms of the Kings of England, 1399–1603
This list of kings and queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, one of the petty kingdoms to rule a portion of modern England. Alfred styled himself King of the Anglo-Saxons and while he was not the first king to lay claim to rule all of the English, his rule represents the first unbroken line of Kings to rule the whole of England, the House of Wessex.[1] The last monarch of a distinct kingdom of England was Queen Anne, who became Queen of Great Britain when England merged with Scotland to form a union in 1707. For monarchs after Queen Anne, see List of British monarchs.
Family tree of monarchs of England and Great Britain since the Norman Conquest
Arguments are made for a few different kings deemed to control enough of the ancient kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxons to be deemed the first King of England. For example, Offa, king of Mercia, and Egbert, king of Wessex, are sometimes described as kings of England by popular writers, but not by all historians.[citation needed] In the late eighth century Offa achieved a dominance over southern England that did not survive his death in 796. In 829 Egbert conquered Mercia, but he soon lost control of it. By the late ninth century Wessex was the dominant Anglo-Saxon kingdom. Its king, Alfred the Great, was overlord of western Mercia and used the title King of the Angles and Saxons, but he never ruled eastern and northern England, which was then the Danelaw. His son Edward the Elder conquered the eastern Danelaw, but Edward's son Æthelstan became the first king to rule the whole of England when he conquered Northumbria in 927, and he is regarded by some modern historians as the first king of England.[2][3]
The Principality of Wales was incorporated into the Kingdom of England under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284, and in 1301 King Edward I invested his eldest son, the future King Edward II, as Prince of Wales. Since that time, except for King Edward III, the eldest sons of all English monarchs have borne this title. After the death of Queen Elizabeth I without issue, in 1603, the crowns of England and Scotland were joined in personal union under King James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England. By royal proclamation, James styled himself "King of Great Britain", but no such kingdom was created until 1707, when England underwent legislative union with Scotland to form the new Kingdom of Great Britain, during the reign of Queen Anne.[4]
Contents
[hide]
1 House of Wessex
2 House of Denmark
3 House of Wessex (restored, first time)
4 House of Denmark (restored)
5 House of Wessex (restored, second time)
6 House of Normandy
7 House of Blois
8 House of Anjou
9 House of Plantagenet
9.1 House of Lancaster
9.2 House of York
9.3 House of Lancaster (restored)
9.4 House of York (restored)
10 House of Tudor
11 House of Stuart
11.1 Interregnum
11.2 House of Stuart (restored)
12 Acts of Union
13 Timeline of English monarchs
14 Titles
15 See also
16 Notes
17 External links
House of Wessex[edit]
For earlier monarchs of Wessex, see List of monarchs of Wessex.
Name
Portrait
Birth
Marriages
Death
Claim
Alfred the Great
871[5]
–
26 October 899[6] 849

Son of Æthelwulf (king of Wessex)
and Osburh Ealhswith
868
five children 26 October 899
Aged about 50 Son of Æthelwulf (king of Wessex) / Treaty of Wedmore
Edward the Elder
26 October 899
–
17 July 924 c. 874

Son of Alfred
and Ealhswith (1) Ecgwynn
two children
(2) Ælfflæd
eight children
(3) Eadgifu
four children 17 July 924
Aged about 50 Son of Alfred the Great
Disputed claimant
There is some evidence that Ælfweard of Wessex may have been king for up to four weeks in 924 (timing itself is unclear, as he died 16 days, not 28 days, after his father), between his father Edward the Elder and his brother Æthelstan, although he was not crowned.[7] However, this is not accepted by all historians. Also, it is unclear whether Ælfweard was declared king of the whole kingdom or of Wessex only: there is evidence that when Edward died, Ælfweard was declared king in Wessex and Æthelstan in Mercia.[8]
Name
Portrait
Birth
Marriages
Death
Claim
Ælfweard
July 924
–
3 August 924[9] c. 901[10]

Son of Edward the Elder
and Ælfflæd[10] Unmarried?
No children 3 August 924[8]
Aged about 23
Buried at Winchester[11] Son of Edward the Elder
Name
Portrait
Birth
Marriages
Death
Claim
Æthelstan
924
–
27 October 939[12]
King of the Anglo-Saxons 924–927
King of the English 927–939 894

Son of Edward the Elder
and Ecgwynn Unmarried[12] 27 October 939
Aged about 45[12] Son of Edward the Elder
Edmund I
27 October 939
–
26 May 946[13] c. 921

Son of Edward the Elder
and Eadgifu of Kent[13] (1) Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury
two children
(2) Æthelflæd of Damerham
No children[14] 26 May 946
Pucklechurch
Aged about 25
(Killed in a brawl)[13] Son of Edward the Elder
Eadred
26 May 946
–
23 November 955[15] c. 923

Son of Edward the Elder
and Eadgifu of Kent Unmarried 23 November 955
Frome
Aged about 32[16] Son of Edward the Elder
Eadwig
23 November 955
–
1 October 959[17] c. 940

Son of Edmund I
and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury[18] Ælfgifu[17] 1 October 959
Aged about 19[17] Son of Edmund I
Edgar the Peaceful
1 October 959
–
8 July 975[19] c. 943
Wessex

Son of Edmund I
and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury (1) Æthelflæd
c. 960
1 son
(2) Ælfthryth
c. 964
2 sons 8 July 975
Winchester
Aged 31[20] Son of Edmund I
Edward the Martyr
8 July 975
–
18 March 978[21] c. 962

Son of Edgar the Peaceful
and Æthelflæd Unmarried 18 March 978
Corfe Castle
Aged about 16
(Assassinated)[21] Son of Edgar the Peaceful
Æthelred the Unready
18 March 978
–
1013 (first reign)[22] c. 968

Son of Edgar the Peaceful
and Ælfthryth (1) Ælfgifu of York
991
nine children
(2) Emma of Normandy
1002
three children[23] 23 April 1016
London
Aged about 48[22] Son of Edgar the Peaceful
House of Denmark[edit]
Main article: House of Knýtlinga
England came under the control of Sweyn Forkbeard, a Danish king, after an invasion in 1013, during which Æthelred abandoned the throne and went into exile in Normandy.
Name
Portrait
Birth
Marriages
Death
Claim
Sweyn Forkbeard
25 December[24] 1013
–
3 February 1014 [25] c. 960
Denmark

Son of Harald Bluetooth
and Gyrid Olafsdottir (1) Gunhild of Wenden
c. 990
seven children
(2) Sigrid the Haughty
c. 1000
1 daughter 3 February 1014
Gainsborough
Aged about 54 Right of conquest
House of Wessex (restored, first time)[edit]
Following the death of Sweyn Forkbeard, Æthelred the Unready returned from exile and was again proclaimed king on 3 February 1014. His son succeeded him after being chosen king by the citizens of London and a part of the Witan,[26] despite ongoing Danish efforts in wresting the crown from the West Saxons.
Name
Portrait
Birth
Marriages
Death
Claim
Æthelred the Unready
3 February 1014
–
23 April 1016
(second reign)[22] c. 968

Son of Edgar the Peaceful
and Ælfthryth (1) Ælfgifu of York
991
nine children
(2) Emma of Normandy
1002
three children[23] 23 April 1016
London
Aged about 48[22] Son of Edgar the Peaceful
Edmund Ironside
23 April 1016
–
30 November 1016[26] c. 990

Son of Æthelred the Unready
and Ælfgifu of York[26] Edith of East Anglia
two children[27] 30 November 1016
Glastonbury
Aged 26[26][27] Son of Æthelred the Unready
House of Denmark (restored)[edit]
Following the decisive Battle of Assandun on 18 October 1016, King Edmund signed a treaty with Cnut in which all of England except for Wessex would be controlled by Cnut.[28] Upon Edmund's death on 30 November, Cnut ruled the whole kingdom as its sole king.
Name
Portrait
Birth
Marriages
Death
Claim
Cnut the Great
18 October 1016
–
12 November 1035[29] c. 995

Son of Sweyn Forkbeard
and Gunhilda of Poland[29] (1) Aelfgifu of Northampton
two children
(2) Emma of Normandy
1017[29]
two children 12 November 1035
Shaftesbury
Aged about 40[29] Son of Sweyn Forkbeard (Treaty of Deerhurst)
Harold Harefoot
12 November 1035
–
17 March 1040[30] c. 1016

Son of Cnut
and Ælfgifu of Northampton[30] Ælfgifu?
1 son?[31] 17 March 1040
Oxford
Aged about 24 Son of Cnut the Great
Harthacnut
17 March 1040
–
8 June 1042[32] 1018

Son of Cnut
and Emma of Normandy[33] Unmarried 8 June 1042
Lambeth
Aged about 24[33]
(Stroke caused by excessive alcohol consumption) Son of Cnut the Great
House of Wessex (restored, second time)[edit]
After Harthacnut, there was a brief Saxon Restoration between 1042 and 1066.
Name
Portrait
Birth
Marriages
Death
Claim
Edward the Confessor
8 June 1042
–
5 January 1066 c. 1003
Islip, Oxfordshire

Son of Æthelred the Unready
and Emma of Normandy Edith of Wessex
23 January 1045
No children 5 January 1066
Westminster Palace
Aged about 63 Son of Æthelred the Unready
Harold Godwinson
6 January 1066
–
14 October 1066 c. 1022

Son of Godwin, Earl of Wessex
and Gytha Thorkelsdóttir (1) Edith Swannesha
five children
(2) Ealdgyth
c. 1064
two children 14 October 1066
Hastings
Aged 44
(Died in battle) Supposedly named heir by Edward the Confessor
Elected by the Witan
Edgar the Ætheling
15 October 1066
–
17 December 1066
Proclaimed, but never crowned[34] c. 1051
Hungary

Son of Edward the Exile
and Agatha Unmarried c. 1126
Aged about 75[34] Grandson of Edmund Ironside
House of Normandy[edit]
Main article: House of Normandy
In 1066, several rival claimants to the English throne emerged. Among them were Harold Godwinson, elected king by the Witenagemot after the death of Edward the Confessor, as well as Harald Hardrada, King of Norway who claimed to be the rightful heir of Harthacnut, and Duke William II of Normandy, descendant of Rollo, founder of the royal House of Normandy, vassal to the King of France, and first cousin once-removed of Edward the Confessor. Harald and William both invaded separately in 1066. Godwinson successfully repelled the invasion by Hardrada, but ultimately lost the throne of England in the Norman conquest of England. After the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror made permanent the recent removal of the capital from Winchester to London. Following the death of Harold Godwinson on 14 October, the Anglo-Saxon Witenagemot elected as king Edgar the Ætheling, the son of Edward the Exile and grandson of Edmund Ironside, but the young monarch was unable to resist the invaders and was never crowned. William was crowned King William I of England on Christmas Day 1066, in Westminster Abbey, and is today known as William the Conqueror, William the Bastard or William I.
Name
Reign
Portrait
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
William I
William the Bastard
William the Conqueror
25 December 1066
–
9 September 1087 c. 1028
Falaise Castle

Son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy
and Herleva Matilda of Flanders
Chapel Notre Dame of the castle in Eu, Normandy
1053
nine children 9 September 1087
Rouen
After wounding himself on the saddle when his horse stumbled. Buried at Saint Etienne Abbey (Abbaye aux Hommes) of Caen Supposedly named heir by Edward the Confessor in 1052
right of conquest
William II
William Rufus
9 September 1087
–
2 August 1100 c. 1056
Normandy

Son of William the Conqueror
and Matilda of Flanders Unmarried 2 August 1100
New Forest
Aged 44 when shot with an arrow, events still unclear. Son of William I
(appointment)
Henry I
Henry Beauclerc
2 August 1100
–
1 December 1135 September 1068
Selby

Son of William the Conqueror
and Matilda of Flanders (1) Matilda of Scotland
Westminster Abbey
11 November 1100
two children
(2) Adeliza of Louvain
Windsor Castle
29 January 1121
No children 1 December 1135
Castle of Lyons-la-Forêt (Saint-Denis-en-Lyons)
Aged 67 apparently from eating a surfeit of lampreys. Buried at Reading Abbey Son of William I
(seizure of the crown)
House of Blois[edit]
Main article: House of Blois
Henry I left no legitimate male heirs, his son William Adelin having died in the White Ship disaster. This ended the direct Norman line of kings in England. Henry named his eldest daughter, the dowager Empress Matilda as his heir. Before naming Matilda as heir, however, he had been in negotiations to name his nephew Stephen of Blois as his heir. When Henry died, Stephen invaded England, and in a coup d'etat had himself crowned instead of Matilda. The period which followed is known as The Anarchy, as parties supporting each side fought in open warfare on both Britain and on the continent for the better part of two decades.
Name
Reign
Portrait
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Stephen
Stephen of Blois
22 December 1135
–
25 October 1154[35] c. 1096
Blois

Son of Stephen, Count of Blois
and Adela of Normandy Matilda of Boulogne
Westminster
1125
six children 25 October 1154
Dover Castle
Aged about 58 Grandson of William I
(appointment/ usurpation)
Disputed claimants
Empress Matilda was declared heir presumptive by her father, Henry I, after the death of her brother on the White Ship, and acknowledged as such by the barons. However, upon Henry I's death, the throne was seized by Matilda's cousin, Stephen of Blois. During the ensuing Anarchy, Matilda controlled England for a few months in 1141 — the first woman so to do — but was never crowned and is rarely listed as a monarch of England.[36]
Name
Reign
Portrait
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Matilda
Empress Matilda
7 April 1141
–
1 November 1141
Title disputed 7 February 1102
Sutton Courtenay

Daughter of Henry I
and Edith of Scotland[37] (1) Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
Mainz
6 January 1114
No children
(2) Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou
Le Mans Cathedral
22 May 1128
three children 10 September 1167
Notre Dame du Pré in Rouen
Aged 65 Daughter of Henry I
(seizure of the crown)
Count Eustace IV of Boulogne (c. 1130 – 17 August 1153) was appointed co-king of England by his father, King Stephen, on 6 April 1152, in order to guarantee his succession to the throne (as was the custom in France, but not in England). However, the Pope and the Church would not agree to this, and Eustace was not crowned. Eustace died the next year aged 23, during his father's lifetime, and so never became king in his own right.[38]
House of Anjou[edit]
Main article: Angevin kings of England
Stephen came to an agreement with Matilda in November 1153 with the signing of the Treaty of Wallingford, where Stephen recognised Prince Henry, son of Matilda and her second husband Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, as the heir-apparent to the throne in lieu of his own son, who had died that August. The royal house descended from Matilda and Geoffrey is widely known by two names, the House of Anjou (after Geoffrey's title as Count of Anjou) or the House of Plantagenet, after his sobriquet. Some historians prefer to group the subsequent kings into two groups, before and after the loss of the bulk of their French possessions, although they are not different royal houses.
The Angevins ruled over the Angevin Empire during the 12th and 13th centuries, an area stretching from the Pyrenees to Ireland. They did not regard England as their primary home until most of their continental domains were lost by John. Though the Angevin dynasty was short-lived, their male line descendants included the House of Plantagenet, the House of Lancaster and the House of York.
The Angevins formulated England's royal coat of arms, which usually showed other kingdoms held or claimed by them or their successors, although without representation of Ireland for quite some time. Dieu et mon droit has generally been used as the motto of English monarchs since being adopted by Edward III,[39] but it was first used as a battle cry by Richard I in 1198 at the Battle of Gisors, when he defeated the forces of Philip II of France, after which, he made it his motto.[39][40]
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Henry II
Henry Curtmantle
25 October 1154
–
6 July 1189 5 March 1133
Le Mans

Son of Geoffrey V of Anjou
and Matilda, daughter of Henry I Eleanor of Aquitaine
Bordeaux Cathedral
18 May 1152
eight children 6 July 1189
Chinon
Aged 56. Buried at Fontevraud Abbey Grandson of Henry I
(Treaty of Wallingford)
Richard I
Richard the Lionheart
6 July 1189
–
6 April 1199
8 September 1157
Beaumont Palace

Son of Henry II
and Eleanor of Aquitaine Berengaria of Navarre
Limassol
12 May 1191
No children 6 April 1199
Châlus
Aged 41 from an arrow wound in the shoulder that became infected. Buried: Heart at Rouen Cathedral. Body at Fontevraud Abbey Son of Henry II
(primogeniture)
John
Lackland
6 April 1199
–
19 October 1216 24 December 1166
Beaumont Palace

Son of Henry II
and Eleanor of Aquitaine (1) Isabel of Gloucester
Marlborough Castle
29 August 1189
No children
(2) Isabella of Angoulême
Bordeaux Cathedral
24 August 1200
five children
19 October 1216
Newark-on-Trent
Aged 49. Buried at Worcester Cathedral brother of Richard I
(proximity of blood)
Henry II named his son, another Henry (1155–1183), as co-ruler with him. But this was a Norman custom of designating an heir, and Prince Henry did not outlive his father and rule in his own right, so he is not counted as a monarch on lists of kings.
Disputed claimant
Louis VIII of France briefly ruled about half of England from 1216 to 1217 at the conclusion of the First Barons' War against King John. On marching into London he was openly received by the rebel barons and citizens of London and proclaimed (though not crowned) king at St Paul's cathedral. Many nobles, including Alexander II of Scotland for his English possessions, gathered to give homage to him. However, in signing the Treaty of Lambeth in 1217, Louis conceded that he had never been the legitimate king of England.
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Louis
The Lion
1216–
22 September 1217
Title disputed 5 September 1187
Paris

Son of Philip II of France
and Isabella of Hainault Blanche of Castile
Portmont
23 May 1200
13 children 8 November 1226
Montpensier
Aged 39 Right of conquest
House of Plantagenet[edit]
Main article: House of Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet takes its name from Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, husband of the Empress Matilda and father of Henry II. The name Plantagenet itself was unknown as a family name per se until Richard of York adopted it as his family name in the 15th century. It has since been retroactively applied to English monarchs from Henry II onward. It is common among modern historians to refer to Henry II and his sons as the "Angevins" due to their vast continental Empire, and most of the Angevin kings before John spent more time in their continental possessions than in England. It is from the time of Henry III, after the loss of most of the family's continental possessions, that the Plantagenet kings became more English in nature. The Houses of Lancaster and York are cadet branches of the House of Plantagenet.
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Henry III
Henry of Winchester
19 October 1216
–
16 November 1272 1 October 1207
Winchester Castle

Son of King John
and Isabella of Angoulême Eleanor of Provence
Canterbury Cathedral
14 January 1236
five children 16 November 1272
Westminster Palace
Aged 65 Son of King John
(primogeniture)
Edward I
Longshanks
16 November 1272
–
7 July 1307 17 June 1239
Westminster Palace

Son of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence (1) Eleanor of Castile
Abbey of Santa Maria la Real de Huelgas
18 October 1254
16 children
(2) Margaret of France
10 September 1299
three children
7 July 1307
Burgh by Sands
Aged 68 Son of Henry III
(primogeniture)
Edward II
Edward of Caernarfon
7 July 1307
–
24 January 1327 25 April 1284
Caernarfon Castle

Son of Edward I
and Eleanor of Castile Isabella of France
Boulogne Cathedral
24 January 1308
four children 21 September 1327
Berkeley Castle
Aged 43 (murdered)[41] Son of Edward I
(primogeniture)
Edward III
25 January 1327
–
21 June 1377 13 November 1312
Windsor Castle

Son of Edward II
and Isabella of France Philippa of Hainault
York Minster
25 January 1328
14 children 21 June 1377
Sheen Palace
Aged 64 Son of Edward II
(primogeniture)
Richard II
21 June 1377
–
29 September 1399 6 January 1367
Bordeaux

Son of Edward, the Black Prince
and Joan of Kent (1) Anne of Bohemia
14 January 1382
No children
(2) Isabella of Valois
Calais
4 November 1396
No children
14 February 1400
Pontefract Castle
Aged 33 probably from starvation Grandson of Edward III
(primogeniture)
House of Lancaster[edit]
Main article: House of Lancaster
This house descended from Edward III's third surviving son, John of Gaunt. Henry IV seized power from Richard II (and also displaced the next in line to the throne, Edmund Mortimer (then aged 7), a descendant of Edward III's second son, Lionel of Antwerp).
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Henry IV
Bolingbroke
30 September 1399
–
20 March 1413 3 April 1367[42]
Bolingbroke Castle

Son of John of Gaunt
and Blanche of Lancaster (1) Mary de Bohun
Arundel Castle
27 July 1380
seven children
(2) Joanna of Navarre
Winchester Cathedral
7 February 1403
No children
20 March 1413
Westminster Abbey
Aged 45[42] Grandson and heir male of Edward III
(usurpation/ agnatic primogeniture)
Henry V
20 March 1413
–
31 August 1422 16 September 1386[43]
Monmouth Castle

Son of Henry IV
and Mary de Bohun Catherine of Valois
Troyes Cathedral
2 June 1420
one son 31 August 1422
Château de Vincennes
Aged 36 Son of Henry IV
(agnatic primogeniture)
Henry VI
31 August 1422
–
4 March 1461 6 December 1421
Windsor Castle

Son of Henry V
and Catherine of Valois Margaret of Anjou
Titchfield Abbey
22 April 1445
one son 21 May 1471
Tower of London
Aged 49 Son of Henry V
(agnatic primogeniture)
House of York[edit]
Main article: House of York
The House of York inherited its name from the fourth surviving son of Edward III, Edmund, 1st Duke of York, but claimed the right to the throne through Edward III's second surviving son, Lionel of Antwerp.
The Wars of the Roses (1455–1485) saw the throne pass back and forth between the rival houses of Lancaster and York.
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Edward IV
4 March 1461
–
3 October 1470 28 April 1442
Rouen

Son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
and Cecily Neville Elizabeth Woodville
Grafton Regis
1 May 1464
ten children 9 April 1483
Westminster Palace
Aged 40 Great-great-grandson and heir general of Edward III
(seizure of the crown/cognatic primogeniture)
House of Lancaster (restored)[edit]
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Henry VI
(second reign)
3 October 1470
–
11 April 1471 6 December 1421
Windsor Castle

Son of Henry V
and Catherine of Valois Margaret of Anjou
Titchfield Abbey
22 April 1445
one son 21 May 1471
Tower of London
Aged 49 (reportedly murdered on orders of Edward IV). Son of Henry V
(seizure of the crown)
House of York (restored)[edit]
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Edward IV
(second reign)
11 April 1471
–
9 April 1483 28 April 1442
Rouen

Son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
and Cecily Neville Elizabeth Woodville
Grafton Regis
1 May 1464
ten children 9 April 1483
Westminster Palace
Aged 40 Great-great-grandson and heir general of Edward III
(seizure of the crown/cognatic primogeniture)
Edward V
9 April 1483
–
25 June 1483[44] 2 November 1470
Westminster

Son of Edward IV
and Elizabeth Woodville[44] Unmarried Disappeared in mid-1483
London
Aged 12 (probably murdered) Son of Edward IV
(cognatic primogeniture)
Richard III
26 June 1483
–
22 August 1485[45] 2 October 1452
Fotheringhay Castle

Son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
and Cecily Neville Anne Neville
Westminster Abbey
12 July 1472
one son 22 August 1485
Bosworth Field
Aged 32 (killed in battle). Re-interred Leicester Cathedral, 26 March 2015 Great-great-grandson of Edward III
(Titulus Regius);
brother of Edward IV
House of Tudor[edit]
Main article: Tudor dynasty
The Tudors descended matrilineally from John Beaufort, one of the illegitimate children of John of Gaunt (third surviving son of Edward III), by Gaunt's long-term mistress Katherine Swynford. Those descended from English monarchs only through an illegitimate child would normally have no claim on the throne, but the situation was complicated when Gaunt and Swynford eventually married in 1396 (25 years after John Beaufort's birth). In view of the marriage, the church retroactively declared the Beauforts legitimate via a papal bull the same year (also enshrined in an Act of Parliament in 1397). A subsequent proclamation by John of Gaunt's legitimate son, King Henry IV, also recognised the Beauforts' legitimacy, but declared them ineligible ever to inherit the throne. Nevertheless, the Beauforts remained closely allied with Gaunt's other descendants, the Royal House of Lancaster.
John Beaufort's granddaughter Lady Margaret Beaufort was married to Edmund Tudor. Tudor was the son of Welsh courtier Owain Tudur (anglicised to Owen Tudor) and Catherine of Valois, the widowed queen consort of the Lancastrian King Henry V. Edmund Tudor and his siblings were either illegitimate, or the product of a secret marriage, and owed their fortunes to the goodwill of their legitimate half-brother King Henry VI. When the House of Lancaster fell from power, the Tudors followed. By the late 15th century, the Tudors were the last hope for the Lancaster supporters. Edmund Tudor's son became king as Henry VII after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, ending the Wars of the Roses. King Henry married Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, thereby uniting the Lancastrian and York lineages.
With Henry VIII's break from the Roman Catholic Church, the monarch became the Supreme Head of the Church of England and of the Church of Ireland. Elizabeth I's title became the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Henry VII
22 August 1485
–
21 April 1509 28 January 1457
Pembroke Castle

Son of Edmund Tudor
and Lady Margaret Beaufort Elizabeth of York
Westminster Abbey
18 January 1486
eight children 21 April 1509
Richmond Palace
Aged 52 Great-great-great-grandson of Edward III
(right of conquest)
Henry VIII
21 April 1509
–
28 January 1547 28 June 1491
Greenwich Palace

Son of Henry VII
and Elizabeth of York Catherine of Aragon
Greenwich
11 June 1509
one daughter 28 January 1547
Whitehall Palace
Aged 55 Son of Henry VII
(primogeniture)
Anne Boleyn
Westminster Palace
25 January 1533[46]
one daughter
Jane Seymour
Whitehall Palace
30 May 1536
one son
Anne of Cleves
Greenwich Palace
6 January 1540
Catherine Howard
Hampton Court Palace
28 July 1540
Catherine Parr
Hampton Court Palace
12 July 1543
Edward VI
28 January 1547
–
6 July 1553 12 October 1537
Hampton Court Palace

Son of Henry VIII
and Jane Seymour Unmarried 6 July 1553
Greenwich Palace
Aged 15 Son of Henry VIII
(primogeniture)
Disputed claimant
Edward VI named Lady Jane Grey as his heir presumptive, overruling the order of succession laid down by Parliament in the Third Succession Act. Four days after his death on 6 July 1553, Jane was proclaimed queen—the first of three Tudor women to be proclaimed queen regnant. Nine days after the proclamation, on 19 July, the Privy Council switched allegiance and proclaimed Edward VI's Catholic half-sister Mary. Jane was executed in 1554, aged 16. Many historians do not consider her to have been a legitimate monarch.
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Jane
10 July 1553
–
19 July 1553
Title disputed October 1537
Bradgate Park

Daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk
and Lady Frances Brandon Lord Guildford Dudley
The Strand
21 May 1553
No children[47] 12 February 1554
Tower of London
Aged 16 (beheaded) Great-granddaughter of Henry VII
(Devise for the succession)
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Mary I
19 July 1553
–
17 November 1558 18 February 1516
Greenwich Palace

Daughter of Henry VIII
and Catherine of Aragon Philip II of Spain
Winchester Cathedral
25 July 1554
No children 17 November 1558
St James's Palace
Aged 42 Daughter of Henry VIII
(Third Succession Act)
Philip[48]
25 July 1554 –
17 November 1558
(jure uxoris) 21 May 1527
Valladolid, Spain

Son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
and Isabella of Portugal (2) Mary I of England
Winchester Cathedral
25 July 1554
No children
three other marriages
and seven children 13 September 1598
El Escorial, Spain
Aged 71 Husband of Mary I
(Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary to Philip of Spain)
Under the terms of the marriage treaty between Philip I of Naples (Philip II of Spain from 15 January 1556) and Queen Mary I, Philip was to enjoy Mary's titles and honours for as long as their marriage should last. All official documents, including Acts of Parliament, were to be dated with both their names, and Parliament was to be called under the joint authority of the couple. An Act of Parliament gave him the title of king and stated that he "shall aid her Highness … in the happy administration of her Grace's realms and dominions"[49] (although elsewhere the Act stated that Mary was to be "sole queen"). Nonetheless, Philip was to co-reign with his wife.[50] As the new King of England could not read English, it was ordered that a note of all matters of state should be made in Latin or Spanish.[50][51][52] Coins were minted showing the heads of both Mary and Philip, and the coat of arms of England (right) was impaled with Philip's to denote their joint reign.[53][54] Acts which made it high treason to deny Philip's royal authority were passed in England[55] and Ireland.[56] In 1555, Pope Paul IV issued a papal bull recognising Philip and Mary as rightful King and Queen of Ireland.
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Elizabeth I
17 November 1558
–
24 March 1603 7 September 1533
Greenwich Palace

Daughter of Henry VIII
and Anne Boleyn Unmarried 24 March 1603
Richmond Palace
Aged 69 Daughter of Henry VIII
(Third Succession Act)
House of Stuart[edit]
Main article: House of Stuart
Following the death of Elizabeth I in 1603 without issue, her first cousin twice removed, King James VI of Scotland, succeeded to the English throne as James I in the Union of the Crowns. James was descended from the Tudors through his great-grandmother, Margaret Tudor, the eldest daughter of Henry VII. In 1604, he adopted the title King of Great Britain. However, the two parliaments remained separate until the Acts of Union 1707.[57]
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
James I
24 March 1603
–
27 March 1625 19 June 1566
Edinburgh Castle

Son of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
and Mary, Queen of Scots Anne of Denmark
Oslo
23 November 1589
seven children 27 March 1625
Theobalds House
Aged 58 Great-great-grandson and heir general of Henry VII
Charles I
27 March 1625
–
30 January 1649 19 November 1600
Dunfermline Palace

Son of James I
and Anne of Denmark Henrietta Maria of France
St Augustine's Abbey
13 June 1625
nine children 30 January 1649
Whitehall Palace
Aged 48 (beheaded) Son of James I (cognatic primogeniture)
Interregnum[edit]
Main article: Commonwealth of England
No monarch reigned between the execution of Charles I in 1649 and the Restoration of Charles II in 1660. Between 1649 and 1653, there was no single English head of state, as England was ruled directly by the Rump Parliament during a period known as the Commonwealth of England. After a coup d'etat in 1653, Oliver Cromwell forcibly took control of England from Parliament. He dissolved the Rump Parliament at the head of a military force and England entered a period known as The Protectorate, under the direct control of a single individual known as the Lord Protector. While not officially monarchs, the holder of the office of Lord was passed from Oliver Cromwell to his son Richard. Richard lacked both the ability to rule and confidence of the Army, and he was forcibly removed by the English Committee of Safety under the leadership of Charles Fleetwood in May 1659. England again lacked any single head of state during several months of conflict between Fleetwood's party and that of George Monck. Monck took control of the country in December 1659, and after almost a year of anarchy, the monarchy was formally restored when Charles II returned from France to accept the throne of England following the Declaration of Breda and an invitation to reclaim the throne from the Convention Parliament of 1660.
Lords Protector
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Oliver Cromwell
Old Ironsides
16 December 1653
–
3 September 1658[58] 25 April 1599
Huntingdon[58]

Son of Robert Cromwell and Elizabeth Steward[59] Elizabeth Bourchier
in St Giles[60]
22 August 1620
nine children[58] 3 September 1658
Whitehall
Aged 59[58]
Richard Cromwell
Tumbledown Dick
3 September 1658
–
7 May 1659[61] 4 October 1626
Huntingdon

Son of Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier[61] Dorothy Maijor
May 1649
nine children[61] 12 July 1712
Cheshunt
Aged 85[62]
House of Stuart (restored)[edit]
After the Monarchy was restored, England came under the rule of Charles II, whose reign was relatively peaceful domestically, given the tumultuous time of the Interregnum years. Tensions still existed between Catholics and Protestants, however, and with the ascension of Charles's brother, the openly Catholic James II, England was again sent into a period of political turmoil. James II was ousted by Parliament less than three years after ascending to the throne, replaced by his daughter Mary II and her husband (also his nephew) William III during the Glorious Revolution. While James and his descendants would continue to claim the throne, all Catholics (such as James and his son Charles) were barred from the throne by the Act of Settlement 1701, enacted by Anne, another of James's Protestant daughters. After the Acts of Union 1707, England as a sovereign state ceased to exist, replaced by the new Kingdom of Great Britain.
Name
Reign
Portrait
Arms
Birth
Marriage(s)
Issue
Death
Claim
Charles II
29 May 1660
–
6 February 1685[63]
Recognised by Royalists in 1649 29 May 1630
St James's Palace

Son of Charles I
and Henrietta Maria of France Catherine of Braganza
Portsmouth
21 May 1662
No children 6 February 1685
Whitehall Palace
Aged 54 Son of Charles I (cognatic primogeniture; English Restoration)
James II
6 February 1685
–
23 December 1688 (deposed) 14 October 1633
St James's Palace

Son of Charles I
and Henrietta Maria of France (1) Anne Hyde
The Strand
3 September 1660
eight children
(2) Mary of Modena
Dover
21 November 1673
seven children
16 September 1701
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Aged 67 Son of Charles I (cognatic primogeniture)
Mary II
13 February 1689
–
28 December 1694 30 April 1662
St James's Palace

Daughter of James II
and Anne Hyde St James's Palace
4 November 1677
No children 28 December 1694
Kensington Palace
Aged 32 Grandchildren of Charles I (offered the crown by Parliament)
William III
William of Orange
13 February 1689
–
8 March 1702 4 November 1650
The Hague

Son of William II, Prince of Orange, and Mary, Princess Royal[64] 8 March 1702
Kensington Palace
Aged 51 after breaking his collarbone from falling off his horse
Anne
8 March 1702
–
1 May 1707[65]

Queen of Great Britain and Ireland
(1 May 1707 –
1 August 1714) 6 February 1665
St James's Palace

Daughter of James II
and Anne Hyde George of Denmark
St James's Palace
28 July 1683
5 children 1 August 1714
Kensington Palace
Aged 49 Daughter of James II (cognatic primogeniture; Bill of Rights 1689)
Monarchs after 1707 See List of British monarchs
Acts of Union[edit]
The Acts of Union 1707 were a pair of Parliamentary Acts passed during 1706 and 1707 by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland to put into effect the Treaty of Union agreed on 22 July 1706. The Acts joined the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland (previously separate sovereign states, with separate legislatures but with the same monarch) into the Kingdom of Great Britain.[66]
England, Scotland, and Ireland had shared a monarch for more than a hundred years, since the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when King James VI of Scotland inherited the English and Irish thrones from his first cousin twice removed, Queen Elizabeth I. Although described as a Union of Crowns, until 1707 there were in fact two separate Crowns resting on the same head. There had been attempts in 1606, 1667, and 1689, to unite England and Scotland by Acts of Parliament, but it was not until the early eighteenth century that the idea had the support of both political establishments behind it, albeit for rather different reasons.
For monarchs after 1707, see List of British monarchs.
Timeline of English monarchs[edit]
Titles[edit]
Main article: Style of the British sovereign
The standard title for all monarchs from Æthelstan until the time of King John was Rex Anglorum ("King of the English"). In addition, many of the pre-Norman kings assumed extra titles, as follows:
Æthelstan: Rex totius Britanniae ("King of the Whole of Britain")
Edmund the Magnificent: Rex Britanniæ ("King of Britain") and Rex Anglorum cæterarumque gentium gobernator et rector ("King of the English and of other peoples governor and director")
Eadred: Regis qui regimina regnorum Angulsaxna, Norþhymbra, Paganorum, Brettonumque ("Reigning over the governments of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxons, Northumbrians, Pagans, and British")
Eadwig the Fair: Rex nutu Dei Angulsæxna et Northanhumbrorum imperator paganorum gubernator Breotonumque propugnator ("King by the will of God, Emperor of the Anglo-Saxons and Northumbrians, governor of the pagans, commander of the British")
Edgar the Peaceful: Totius Albionis finitimorumque regum basileus ("Autocrat of all Albion and its neighbouring realms")
Canute: Rex Anglorum totiusque Brittannice orbis gubernator et rector ("King of the English and of all the British sphere governor and director") and Brytannie totius Anglorum monarchus ("Monarch of all the English of Britain")
In the Norman period Rex Anglorum remained standard, with occasional use of Rex Anglie ("King of England"). The Empress Matilda styled herself Domina Anglorum ("Lady of the English").
From the time of King John onwards all other titles were eschewed in favour of Rex or Regina Anglie.
In 1604 James I, who had inherited the English throne the previous year, adopted the title (now usually rendered in English rather than Latin) King of Great Britain. The English and Scottish parliaments, however, did not recognise this title until the Acts of Union of 1707 under Queen Anne (who was of course Queen of Great Britain rather than king).[67]
See also[edit]
Alternative successions of the English crown
Bretwalda
Demise of the Crown
English monarchs' family tree
Heptarchy
List of English consorts
List of British monarchs
List of Irish monarchs
List of monarchs of the British Isles by cause of death
List of monarchs of Wessex, 519 to 927
Lists of monarchs in the British Isles
List of rulers of the United Kingdom and predecessor states
List of rulers of Wales
List of Scottish monarchs
Line of succession to the British throne (a list of people)
Mnemonic verse of monarchs in England
Succession to the British throne (historical overview and current rules)
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ A Brief History of British Kings and Queens: British Royal History from Alfred the Great to the Present, Mike Ashley, Running Press, 2003
Jump up ^ E. B. Fryde et al, eds. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd ed.). Royal Historical Society. p. 25. ISBN 0-521-56350-X. CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter (link)
Jump up ^ Keynes, Simon (2001). "Rulers of the English, c.450–1066". In Michael Lapidge, John Blair, Simon Keynes and Donald Scragg. The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Blackwell Publishing. p. 514. ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1. CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter (link)
Jump up ^ In 1801, the Kingdom of Ireland, which had been under English rule since King Henry II, became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland following the Act of Union, which lasted until the secession of Ireland in 1922 and the subsequent renaming of the state to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Jump up ^ "Kings and Queens of England".
Jump up ^ Pratt, David (2007). "The political thought of King Alfred the Great". Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series 67. Cambridge University Press, p. 106. ISBN 978-0-521-80350-2.
Jump up ^ Yorke, Barbara. Bishop Æthelwold: His Career and Influence. Woodbridge, 1988. p. 71
^ Jump up to: a b Simon Keynes, 'Rulers of the English, c 450–1066', in Michael Lapidge et al ed., The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England, 2001, p. 514
Jump up ^ Sean Miller, Æthelstan, in Michael Lapidge et al ed., The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England, 2001, p. 16
^ Jump up to: a b Simon Keynes, 'Edward, King of the Anglo-Saxons', in N. J. Higham & D. H. Hill eds., Edward the Elder, Routledge, 2001, pp. 50–51
Jump up ^ Alan Thacker, 'Dynastic Monasteries and Family Cults', in N. J. Higham & D. H. Hill eds., Edward the Elder, Routledge, 2001, p. 253
^ Jump up to: a b c Aethelstan @ Archontology.org. Retrieved 15 March 2007.
^ Jump up to: a b c EADMUND (Edmund) @ Archontology.org. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
Jump up ^ English Monarchs – Kings and Queens of England – Edmund the Elder. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
Jump up ^ EADRED (Edred) @ Archontology.org. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
Jump up ^ BritRoyals – King Edred. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
^ Jump up to: a b c EADWIG (Edwy) @ Archontology.org. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
Jump up ^ Catholic Encyclopedia: Edwy. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
Jump up ^ EADGAR (Edgar the Peacemaker) @ Archontology.org. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
Jump up ^ Family of Edgar +* and Aelfthryth +* of DEVON. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
^ Jump up to: a b EADWEARD (Edward the Martyr) @ Archontology.org. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Æthelred the Unready was forced to go into exile in the summer of 1013, following Danish attacks, but was invited back following Sweyn Forkbeard's death. AETHELRED (the Unready) @ Archontology.org. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
^ Jump up to: a b English Monarchs – Kings and Queens of England – Ethelred II, the Redeless. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
Jump up ^ "English Monarchs". Retrieved 27 October 2007.
Jump up ^ "Sweyn (Forkbeard) - Archontology.org". Retrieved 27 October 2007.
^ Jump up to: a b c d EADMUND (Edmund the Ironside) @ Archontology.org. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
^ Jump up to: a b English Monarchs – Kings and Queens of England – Edmund Ironside. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
Jump up ^ Edmund II (king of England) @ Britannica.com. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
^ Jump up to: a b c d CNUT (Canute) @ Archontology.org. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
^ Jump up to: a b Harold was only recognised as regent until 1037, when was recognised as king. "Harold (Harefoot) - Archontology.org". Retrieved 27 October 2007.
Jump up ^ "Harold I". Oxford Online Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
Jump up ^ "Harthacnut - Archontology.org". Retrieved 28 October 2007.
^ Jump up to: a b "Harthacnut". Oxford Online Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b After reigning for approximately 9 weeks, Edgar the Atheling submitted to William the Conqueror, who had gained control of the area to the south and immediate west of London ( "Eadgar (the Ætheling) - Archontology.org". Retrieved 26 October 2007. ).
Jump up ^ "STEPHEN (of Blois) - Archontology.org". Retrieved 25 October 2007.
Jump up ^ Matilda is not listed as a monarch of England in many genealogies within texts, including David Carpenter's A Struggle for Mastery (2003), p. 533, W.L. Warren's Henry II (1973) pg. 176, and John Gillingham's The Angevin Empire (1984), p. x.
Jump up ^ "MATILDA (the Empress) - Archontology.org". Retrieved 27 October 2007.
Jump up ^ Ashley, Mike (1999). The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens, London: Robinson Publishing Ltd. p. 516. ISBN 1-84119-096-9
^ Jump up to: a b Pine, Leslie Gilbert (1983). A Dictionary of mottoes. Routledge. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-7100-9339-4.
Jump up ^ Norris, Herbert (1999). Medieval Costume and Fashion (illustrated, reprint ed.). Courier Dover Publications. p. 312. ISBN 0-486-40486-2.
Jump up ^ The date of Edward II's death is disputed by Ian Mortimer in his book "The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation," which argues that he may not have been murdered, but held imprisoned in Europe for several more years: ISBN 0-09-952709-X
^ Jump up to: a b Mortimer, Ian (2007). "Henry IV's date of birth and the royal Maundy". Historical Research. University of London. 80 (210): 567–576. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2281.2006.00403.x. ISSN 0950-3471.
Jump up ^ Allmand, Christopher (September 2010). "Henry V (1386–1422)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford, England, UK: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/12952.
^ Jump up to: a b Edward V was deposed by Richard III, who usurped the throne on the grounds that Edward was illegitimate. "EDWARD V - Archontology.org". Retrieved 25 October 2007.
Jump up ^ "RICHARD III - Archontology.org". Retrieved 25 October 2007.
Jump up ^ Edward Hall and Raphael Holinshed both record an earlier secret wedding between Henry and Anne, which was conducted in Dover on 15 November 1532.
Jump up ^ "Lady Jane Grey: Marriage". Retrieved 25 October 2007.
Jump up ^ Philip was not meant to be a mere consort; rather, the status of Mary I's husband was envisioned as that of a co-monarch during her reign. See Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary to Philip of Spain. However the extent of his authority and his status are ambiguous. The Act says that Philip shall have the title of king and "shall aid her Highness … in the happy administration of her Grace's realms and dominions," but elsewhere says that Mary shall be the sole Queen.
Jump up ^ "Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary to Philip of Spain (1554)".
^ Jump up to: a b Louis Adrian Montrose, The subject of Elizabeth: authority, gender, and representation, University of Chicago Press, 2006
Jump up ^ A. F. Pollard, The History of England – From the Accession of Edward VI. to the Death of Elizabeth (1547–1603), READ BOOKS, 2007
Jump up ^ Wim de Groot, The Seventh Window: The King's Window Donated by Philip II and Mary Tudor to Sint Janskerk in Gouda (1557), Uitgeverij Verloren, 2005
Jump up ^ Richard Marks, Ann Payne, British Museum, British Library; British heraldry from its origins to c. 1800; British Museum Publications Ltd., 1978
Jump up ^ American Numismatic Association, The Numismatist, American Numismatic Association, 1971
Jump up ^ Treason Act 1554
Jump up ^ Robert Dudley Edwards, Ireland in the age of the Tudors: the destruction of Hiberno-Norman civilisation, Taylor & Francis, 1977
Jump up ^ Article 3 of the Act of Union 1707
^ Jump up to: a b c d "Oliver Cromwell 1599–1658". Retrieved 25 October 2007.
Jump up ^ "Oliver Cromwell – Faq 1". Archived from the original on 18 June 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
Jump up ^ "New Page 1". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Richard Cromwell, Lord Protector, 1626–1712". Retrieved 25 October 2007.
Jump up ^ "CROMWELL, Richard - Archontology.org". Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
Jump up ^ "Oliver Cromwell (1649–1658 AD)".
Jump up ^ "WILLIAM III - Archontology.org". Retrieved 25 October 2007.
Jump up ^ "Anne (England) - Archontology.org". Retrieved 25 October 2007.
Jump up ^ "Welcome". parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 15 October 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
Jump up ^ After the personal union of the crowns, James was the first to style himself King of Great Britain, but the title was rejected by the English Parliament and had no basis in law. The Parliament of Scotland also opposed it. Croft, p67; Wilson, pp249–252. See also the early history of the Union Flag.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monarchs of England.
English Monarchs – A complete history of the Kings and Queens of England
Britannia: Monarchs of Britain
Archontology – English Kings/Queens from 871 to 1707
British Royal Family History – Kings and Queens
[hide]
v
t
e
English, Scottish and British monarchs
Monarchs of England before 1603 Monarchs of Scotland before 1603
Æthelstan
Edmund I
Eadred
Eadwig
Edgar the Peaceful
Edward the Martyr
Æthelred the Unready
Sweyn
Edmund II
Cnut
Harold I
Harthacnut
Edward the Confessor
Harold II
Edgar Ætheling
William I
William II
Henry I
Stephen
Matilda
Henry II
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Henry III
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Amlaíb
Kenneth II
Constantine III
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Duncan I
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Lulach
Malcolm III
Donald III
Duncan II
Donald III
Edgar
Alexander I
David I
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William I
Alexander II
Alexander III
Margaret of Norway
First Interregnum
John Balliol
Second Interregnum
Robert I
David II
Edward Balliol
Robert II
Robert III
James I
James II
James III
James IV
James V
Mary I
James VI
Monarchs of England and Scotland after the Union of the Crowns in 1603
James I & VI
Charles I
Commonwealth
Charles II
James II & VII
William III & II and Mary II
Anne
British monarchs after the Acts of Union 1707
Anne
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George III
George IV
William IV
Victoria
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George V
Edward VIII
George VI
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Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics.
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Ælfthryth, Queen of England

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Gyrid Olafsdottir

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Aelfgifu of Northampton

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Edith Swannesha

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Edgar the Ætheling

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Falaise Castle

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Abbaye aux Hommes

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Coup d'etat

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Stephen of England

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Edith of Scotland

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/wiki/Geoffrey_V,_Count_of_Anjou
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Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou

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Coat of arms of England

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Henry II

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Geoffrey V of Anjou

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Isabel of Gloucester

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Henry III

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John of England

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Edward I of England

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Margaret of France (died 1318)

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Boulogne Cathedral

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Sheen Palace

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Edward, the Black Prince

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Agnatic primogeniture

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Henry VI

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Cecily Neville

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Heir general

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Edward V

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Bosworth Field

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Tudor dynasty

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Lady Margaret Beaufort

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Elizabeth I

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Henry VII, by Michel Sittow, 1505

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Privy Council

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Lady Frances Brandon

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Mary I, by Antonius Mor, 1554

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King Philip of England

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James I, by Paulus van Somer

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Theobalds House

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Cognatic primogeniture

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English Restoration

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George Monck

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Elizabeth Bourchier

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Richard Cromwell, c.1650

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Bonnie Prince Charlie

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George of Denmark

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Queen Elizabeth I of England

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English monarchs family tree

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List of Irish monarchs

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Act of Union (1800)

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http://www.britroyals.com/rulers.htm

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Historical Research

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//doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%2F12952

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English Parliament

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values: Lys van monarge van Engeland – Afrikaans

values: قائمة ملوك إنجلترا – Arabic

values: İngiltərə idarəçilərinin siyahısı – Azerbaijani

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values: Крал на Англия – Bulgarian

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values: Κατάλογος Άγγλων μοναρχών – Greek

values: فهرست شاهان انگلستان – Persian

values: Liste des monarques d'Angleterre – French

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values: 잉글랜드의 군주 – Korean

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values: Listi yfir þjóðhöfðingja Englands – Icelandic

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