List of English monarchs
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- For the various rulers of the kingdoms within England prior to its formal unification, during the Heptarchy, see Bretwalda. For a comprehensive list of English, Scottish, and British monarchs, see List of monarchs in the British Isles.
This is a list of the monarchs of England, which was unified as a kingdom in a series of stages between the reigns of Alfred the Great of Wessex and his grandson Athelstan (from 878 to 926). Union with Wales was enacted in 1536, and with Scotland in 1707 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Since that date the title King (or Queen) of England has been technically incorrect, though has remained in wide usage to the present day. The subsequent union with Ireland in 1801 was amended in 1922, and the current full name of the state is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The standard title for all monarchs from Alfred 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:
- Alfred - Rex Angulsaxonum and Rex Anglorum et Saxonum
- Athelstan - Rex Anglorum per omnipatrantis dexteram totius Bryttaniæ regni solio sublimatus
- Edmund - Rex Britanniae and Rex Anglorum caeterarumque gentium gobernator et rector
- Edred - Regis qui regimina regnorum Angulsaxna, Norþhymbra, Paganorum, Brettonumque
- Edwy - Rex nutu Dei Angulsæxna et Northanhumbrorum imperator paganorum gubernator Breotonumque propugnator
- Edgar - Totius Albionis finitimorumque regum basileus
- Canute - Rex Anglorum totiusque Brittannice orbis gubernator et rector and Brytannie totius Anglorum monarchus
In the Norman period Rex Anglorum remained standard, with occasional use of Rex Anglie ("King of England"). 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 Anglie, or Regina Anglie ("Queen of England") if female. 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, which has been held, along with other titles, by all his successors to the present day.
Contents |
[edit] West Saxons
The following list starts with Alfred, King of Wessex from 871, whose defeat of the Danes in 878 led to the creation of the Kingdom of England. Alfred proclaimed himself King of the English after liberating London from the Danes in 886.
| Monarch | Birth | Marriages | Death | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred the Great 16 April 871 – 899 |
 |
c.849 Wantage son of Ethelwulf of Wessex and Osburga |
Ealhswith Winchester 868 6 children |
26 October 899 aged about 50 |
| Edward the Elder 27 October 899 – 924 |
 |
c.877 son of Alfred the Great and Ealhswith |
(1) Ecgwynn 893 2 children (2) Aelffaed 899 8 children (3) Edgiva of Kent 919 4 children |
17 July 924 Farndon, Cheshire aged about 47 |
| Athelstan 3 August 924 – 939 |
 |
895 Wessex son of Edward the Elder and Ecgwynn |
unmarried | 27 October 939 aged about 44 |
| Edmund the Magnificent 28 October 939 – 946 |
 |
921 Wessex son of Edward the Elder and Edgiva of Kent |
Elgiva | 26 May 946 Pucklechurch aged about 25 (murdered) |
| Edred 27 May 946 – 955 |
 |
c.923 son of Edward the Elder and Edgiva of Kent |
unknown | 23 November 955 Frome aged about 32 |
| Edwy the Fair 24 November 955 – 959 |
 |
c.941 son of Edmund the Elder and Elgiva |
Elgiva | 1 October 959 aged about 18 |
| Edgar the Peaceable 2 October 959 – 975 |
 |
c.942 Wessex son of Edmund the Elder and Elgiva |
(1) Ethelflaed (2) Elfrida |
8 July 975 Winchester aged about 33 |
| St. Edward the Martyr 9 July 975 – 978 |
 |
c.962 Wessex son of Edgar the Peaceable and Ethelflaed |
unmarried | 18 March 978 Corfe Castle aged about 16 (murdered) |
| Ethelred the Unready 19 March 978 – 1016[1] |
 |
c.968 Wessex son of Edgar the Peaceable and Elfrida |
(1) Ælflaed of Northumbria (2) Aelgifu of Northampton (3) Emma of Normandy |
23 April 1016 London aged about 48 |
| Edmund Ironside 24 April – 30 November 1016 |
 |
c.989 Wessex son of Ethelred the Unready and Ælflaed of Northumbria |
Edith of East Anglia 2 children |
30 November 1016 Glastonbury aged about 27 |
[edit] Danes
England came under the rule of Danish kings following the disastrous reign of Ethelred the Unready. Some, though not all, of these were also kings of Denmark.
| Monarch | Birth | Marriages | Death | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweyn Forkbeard 25 December 1013 – 1014 |
 |
unknown Denmark son of Harald Bluetooth and Gunhilde |
unknown | 3 February 1014 Gainsborough |
| Canute 1 December 1016 – 1035 |
 |
c.995 Denmark son of Sweyn Forkbeard |
(1) Aelgifu of Northampton (2) Emma of Normandy |
12 November 1035 Shaftesbury aged about 40 |
| Harold Harefoot 13 November 1035 – 1040 |
 |
c.1015 son of Canute and Aelgifu of Northampton |
unknown | 17 March 1040 England aged about 25 |
| Harthacanute 18 June 1040 – 1042 |
 |
1018 son of Canute and Emma of Normandy |
unknown | 8 June 1042 Lambeth aged about 24 |
[edit] West Saxons (restored)
The old West Saxon line was restored, but Edward the Confessor, who was later canonised, was more Norman than English in his sympathies.
| Monarch | Birth | Marriages | Death | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Edward the Confessor 9 June 1042 – 1066 |
 |
c.1003 Islip, Oxfordshire son of Ethelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy |
Edith of Wessex 23 January 1045 |
4 January 1066 aged about 63 |
| Harold Godwinson 5 January – 14 October 1066 |
 |
c.1022 Wessex son of Godwin, Earl of Wessex and Gytha Thorkelsdóttir |
(1) Ealdgyth Swan-neck 6 children (2) Aldgyth January 1066 2 children |
14 October 1066 Battle, East Sussex aged about 44 |
| Edgar the Atheling 15 October – 10 December 1066[2] |
c.1052 Hungary son of Edward the Exile and Agatha |
unknown | c.1126 aged about 75 |
|
[edit] Normans
It was only after the Norman Conquest of 1066 that monarchs took regnal numbers in the French fashion, though the earlier custom of distinguishing monarchs by nicknames did not die out immediately.
[edit] Plantagenets
The early Plantagenets ruled many territories in France, and did not regard England as their primary home until after most of their French possessions were lost by King John. This long-lived dynasty is usually divided into three houses.
[edit] Angevins
[edit] Lancastrians
| Monarch | Birth | Marriages | Death | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry IV, Bolingbroke 30 September 1399 – 1413 |
 |
3 April 1367 Bolingbroke Castle son of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster |
(1) Mary de Bohun Rochford 1380 7 children (2) Joanna of Navarre Winchester 7 February 1403 no children |
20 March 1413 Westminster aged 45 |
| Henry V 20 March 1413 – 1422 |
 |
16 September 1387 Monmouth son of Henry IV and Mary de Bohun |
Catherine of Valois Troyes 2 June 1420 1 son |
31 August 1422 Vincennes aged 34 |
| Henry VI 31 August 1422 – 4 March 1461 5 October 1470 – 11 April 1471[8] |
 |
6 December 1421 Windsor Castle son of Henry V and Catherine of Valois |
Margaret of Anjou Titchfield Abbey 23 April 1445 1 son |
21 May 1471 Tower of London aged 49 (murdered) |
[edit] Yorkists
| Monarch | Birth | Marriages | Death | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward IV 4 March 1461 – 2 October 1470[8] 11 April 1471 – 1483 |
 |
28 April 1442 Rouen son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville |
Elizabeth Woodville Grafton 1 May 1464 10 children |
9 April 1483 Westminster aged 40 |
| Edward V 9 April – 25 June 1483[9] |
 |
2 November 1470 Westminster son of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville |
unmarried | c.September 1483 ?Tower of London aged c.12 (traditionally murdered) |
| Richard III, Crookback 26 June 1483 – 1485 |
 |
2 October 1452 Fotheringhay Castle third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville |
Anne Neville Westminster Abbey 12 July 1472 1 son |
22 August 1485 Bosworth Field aged 32 (killed in battle) |
[edit] Tudors
The Tudors were of partial Welsh ancestry, and in 1536 Wales was fully incorporated into the English state (having been under English control since 1284). With Henry VIII's break from the Roman Catholic Church the monarch became the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Elizabeth I's title became the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
[edit] Stuarts
Following the death of Elizabeth I in 1603 without issue, the Scottish king, James VI, succeeded to the English throne as James I in what became known as the Union of the Crowns. In 1604 he adopted the title King of Great Britain, although the two kingdoms remained separate.
| Monarch | Birth | Marriages | Death | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James I 24 March 1603 – 1625 |
 |
19 June 1566 Edinburgh Castle son of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots |
Anne of Denmark Oslo 23 November 1589 8 children |
27 March 1625 Theobalds House aged 58 |
| Charles I 27 March 1625 – 1649[12] |
 |
19 November 1600 Dunfermline Palace son of James I and Anne of Denmark |
Henrietta Maria of France Canterbury 13 June 1625 9 children |
30 January 1649 Whitehall Palace aged 48 (executed) |
[edit] Commonwealth
There was no reigning monarch between the execution of Charles I in 1649 and the Restoration of Charles II in 1660. Despite this, from 1653 the following individuals held power as Lords Protector, during the period known as the Protectorate.
| Lord Protector | Birth | Marriages | Death | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oliver Cromwell 16 December 1653 – 1658 |
 |
25 April 1599 Huntingdon son of Robert Cromwell and Elizabeth Stewart |
Elizabeth Bourchier 22 August 1620 7 children |
3 September 1658 Whitehall aged 59 |
| Richard Cromwell 3 September 1658 – 7 May 1659[13] |
 |
4 October 1626 Huntingdon son of Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier |
Dorothy Maijor 1649 9 children |
12 July 1712 aged 85 |
[edit] Stuarts (restored)
Although the monarchy was restored in 1660, no stable settlement proved possible until the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when parliament finally asserted the right to choose whomsoever it pleased as monarch.
[edit] Hanoverians
England and Scotland entered into legislative and governmental union under the Acts of Union 1707, though retained separate legal systems and other trappings of statehood. From this time on the titles King of England and Queen of England are technically incorrect (though still in wide usage).
[edit] Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Although he was the son and heir of Victoria, Edward VII inherited his father's names and is therefore counted as inaugurating a new royal house.
| Monarch | Birth | Marriages | Death | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward VII 22 January 1901 – 1910 |
 |
9 November 1841 Buckingham Palace son of Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort |
Alexandra of Denmark Windsor 10 March 1863 6 children |
6 May 1910 Buckingham Palace aged 68 |
[edit] Windsors
The house name Windsor was adopted in 1917, during the First World War. It was changed from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha because of war-time anti-German sentiment. The heirs of Elizabeth II, by royal proclamation, will remain part of the House of Windsor (even though their legal surname is Mountbatten-Windsor).
| Monarch | Birth | Marriages | Death | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George V 6 May 1910 – 1936 |
 |
3 June 1865 Marlborough House son of Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark |
Mary of Teck 6 July 1893 St James's Palace 6 children |
20 January 1936 Sandringham House aged 70 |
| Edward VIII 20 January – 11 December 1936[17] |
 |
23 June 1894 Richmond son of George V and Mary of Teck |
Wallis, The Duchess of Windsor France 3 June 1937 no children |
28 May 1972 Paris aged 77 |
| George VI 11 December 1936 – 1952 |
 |
14 December 1895 Sandringham House son of George V and Mary of Teck |
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Westminster Abbey 26 April 1923 2 children |
6 February 1952 Sandringham House aged 56 |
| Elizabeth II 6 February 1952 – present |
 |
21 April 1926 Mayfair daughter of George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon |
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Westminster Abbey 20 November 1947 4 children |
|
[edit] Notes
- ^ Ethelred the Unready was forced to go into exile in late 1013, following Danish attacks, but was invited back following Sweyn Forkbeard's death. Britannia History. Accessed on 23 November 2006
- ^ After ruling for approximately 8 weeks, Edgar the Atheling submitted to William the Conqueror, who had gained control of the country. Schoolnet History. Accessed on 23 November 2006
- ^ Matilda ruled at the same time as Stephen, but her title of queen was disputed. Women's history. Accessed on 23 November 2006
- ^ Timeline of Matilda's life. Accessed on 23 November 2006
- ^ Women's history. Accessed on 23 November 2006
- ^ Edward II was deposed by Parliament on 20 January 1327, having been imprisoned on 16 November 1326
- ^ Richard II was a prisoner of Henry Bolingbroke, who usurped the throne from the prior claims of the issue of his father John of Gaunt's deceased elder brother, Lionel of Antwerp
- ^ a b Edward IV usurped the throne in 1461 after years of civil war. Henry VI was restored for about five months in 1470 before being deposed again permanantly
- ^ Edward V was deposed by Richard III, who usurped the throne on the grounds that Edward was illegitimate
- ^ After Jane Seymour, Henry VIII had no more children
- ^ Jane was deposed after 9 days in favour of Mary Tudor
- ^ Charles I was executed after being found guilty of high treason
- ^ Richard Cromwell resigned as Lord Protector
- ^ James II fled on 11 December, and was officially deposed on 23 December 1688
- ^ a b c William III and Mary II were married and ruled together. After Mary died in 1694, William ruled on his own
- ^ George IV first married Maria Anne Fitzherbert on 15 September 1785, but the marriage was void
- ^ Edward VIII chose to abdicate after having the choice of marrying an American divorcée and giving up the throne, or keeping the throne and marrying someone else
[edit] References
- Somerset Fry, Plantagenet (1997): Kings & Queens A Royal History of England and Scotland, Dorling Kindersley (London). ISBN 0-7513-0486-7
- Fryde E.B. & Powicke F.M. (1961): Handbook of British Chronology, Royal Historical Society. (London)
- Piper, David (1980): Kings & Queens of England and Scotland, Faber and Faber (London). ISBN 0-5711-1560-8
- Palmer, Alan (1985): Kings & Queens of England, Peerage Books (London). ISBN 1-85052-0240
[edit] See also
- List of monarchs in the British Isles
- Line of Succession to the British Throne (a list of people)
- Succession to the British Throne (historical overview and current rules)
- Demise of the Crown
