List of English monarchs

{{Short description|none}} {{Redirect2|England Monarchs|English sovereigns|British monarchs since 1707|List of British monarchs|the King/Queen of England|Monarchy of the United Kingdom#English monarchy|the sports team|London Monarchs{{!}}England Monarchs (American football)|the coin|Sovereign (English coin)}} {{Use British English|date=October 2012}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox former monarchy | royal_title = Monarchy | realm = England | coatofarms = Coat of Arms of England (1509-1603) Variant.svg | coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of England{{!}}Royal coat of arms | image = HenryIII.jpg | caption = '''Longest reigning monarch Henry III''' 28 October 1216 – 16 November 1272 | first_monarch = Alfred the Great | last_monarch = Anne | began = {{circa|886}} (late 9th century) | ended = 1 May 1707 | residence = Court of St James's }} [[File:British kingdoms c 800.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=A labelled map of Great Britain. Modern Britain is labelled Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex in red, Cornwall is labelled Dumnonia in grey; Wales is labelled Gwynedd, Powys, Dyfed and Gwent in grey; southern Scotland is labelled Strathclyde and Dal Riata in grey; northern Scotland is labelled Fortriu in green.|Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages. Listed in red are The Heptarchy, the collective name given to the seven main Anglo-Saxon petty kingdoms located in the southeastern two-thirds of the island that were unified to form the Kingdom of England.]]

This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled himself king of the Anglo-Saxons from about 886, and while he was not the first king to claim to rule all of the English, his rule represents the start of the first unbroken line of kings to rule the whole of England, the House of Wessex.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ashley |first=Mike |title=A Brief History of British Kings and Queens: British Royal History from Alfred the Great to the Present |date=2003 |publisher=Running Press}}</ref>

Arguments are made for a few different kings thought to have controlled enough Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to be deemed the first king of England. For example, Offa of Mercia and Egbert of Wessex are sometimes described as kings of England by popular writers, but it is no longer the majority view of historians that their wide dominions were part of a process leading to a unified England. The historian Simon Keynes states, for example, "Offa was driven by a lust for power, not a vision of English unity; and what he left was a reputation, not a legacy."<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Offa |encyclopedia=The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |location=Oxford |last=Keynes |first=Simon |date=1999 |author-link=Simon Keynes |editor-last=Lapidge |editor-first=Michael |editor-link=Michael Lapidge |pages=340 |isbn=978-0-631-22492-1}}</ref> That refers to a period in the late 8th century, when Offa achieved a dominance over many of the kingdoms of southern England, but it did not survive his death in 796.{{Sfn|Fryde|1996|page=25}}<ref name="Ref-1" >{{Cite book |last=Keynes |first=Simon |title=The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England |date=2001 |editor-last=Lapidge |editor-first=Michael |page=514 |chapter=Rulers of the English, c 450–1066}}</ref> Likewise, in 829 Egbert of Wessex conquered Mercia, but he soon lost control of it.

It was not until the late 9th century that one kingdom, Wessex, had become the dominant Anglo-Saxon kingdom. Its king, Alfred the Great, was the overlord of western Mercia and used the title ''King of the Angles and Saxons'' though he never ruled eastern and northern England, which was then known as the Danelaw and had been conquered by the Danes, from southern Scandinavia. Alfred's son Edward the Elder conquered the eastern Danelaw. Edward's son Æthelstan became the first king to rule the whole of England when he conquered Northumbria in 927. Æthelstan is regarded by some modern historians as the first true king of England.{{Sfn|Fryde|1996|page=25}}<ref name="Ref-1" /> The title "King of the English" or {{lang|la|Rex Anglorum}} in Latin, was first used to describe Æthelstan in one of his charters in 928. The standard title for monarchs from Æthelstan until John was "King of the English". In 1016, Cnut the Great, a Dane, was the first to call himself "King of England". In the Norman period, "King of the English" remained standard, with occasional use of "King of England" or {{lang|la|Rex Anglie}}. From John's reign onwards, all other titles were eschewed in favour of "King" or "Queen of England".

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, the eldest sons of all English monarchs, except for King Edward III,{{Efn|Edward III became king at age 14.}} have borne this title.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603, her cousin King James VI of Scotland inherited the English crown as James I of England, joining the crowns of England and Scotland in personal union. By royal proclamation, James styled himself "King of Great Britain", but no such kingdom was created until 1707, when England and Scotland united during the reign of Queen Anne to form the new Kingdom of Great Britain, with a single British parliament sitting at Westminster. That marked the end of the Kingdom of England as a sovereign state.

==House of Wessex (886–1013)== {{For|earlier monarchs of Wessex|List of monarchs of Wessex}} {{Main|House of Wessex}}

|- | '''Edward the Elder'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Edward 'The Elder' (r. 899–924) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edward-elder-r-899-924 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015916/https://www.royal.uk/edward-elder-r-899-924 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 26 October 899 – 17 July 924 ''({{Age in years and days|26 October 899|17 July 924|duration=yes}})'' | 100px | {{Circa|874}}<hr/>Son of Alfred and Ealhswith | {{Gray|(1)}} Ecgwynn {{Circa|893}} 2 children<hr/>{{Gray|(2)}} Ælfflæd {{Circa|900}} 8 children<hr/>{{Gray|(3)}} Eadgifu of Kent {{Circa|919}} 4 children | 17 July 924 Aged about 50 | Son of Alfred

===Disputed claimant=== There is some evidence that Ælfweard of Wessex may have been king in 924, between his father Edward the Elder and his half-brother Æthelstan, although he was not crowned. A 12th-century list of kings gives him a reign length of four weeks, though one manuscript of the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' says he died only 16 days after his father.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yorke |first=Barbara |title=Bishop Æthelwold: His Career and Influence |date=1988 |publisher=Woodbridge |page=71 |author-link=Barbara Yorke}}</ref> However, the claim that he ruled is not accepted by all historians. Also, it is unclear whether—if Ælfweard was declared king—it was over the whole kingdom or of Wessex only. One interpretation of the ambiguous evidence is that when Edward died, Ælfweard was declared king in Wessex and Æthelstan in Mercia.<ref name="Ref-1" />

|- | '''Edmund I'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eadmund (Edmund) |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/edmund1.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317153130/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/edmund1.php |archive-date=17 March 2007 |access-date=17 March 2007 |website=archontology.org}}; {{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Edmund I (r. 939–946) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edmund-i-r-939-946 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020156/https://www.royal.uk/edmund-i-r-939-946 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> '''Edmund the Magnificent''' 27 October 939 – 26 May 946 ''({{Age in years and days|27 October 939|26 May 946|duration=yes}})'' | 100px | {{Circa|921}}<hr/>Son of Edward the Elder and Eadgifu of Kent | {{Gray|(1)}} Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury 2 sons<hr/>{{Gray|(2)}} Æthelflæd of Damerham 944 No children | 26 May 946 Pucklechurch Killed in a brawl aged about 25 | Son of Edward the Elder

|- | '''Eadred'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eadred (Edred) |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/eadred.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316194844/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/eadred.php |archive-date=16 March 2007 |access-date=17 March 2007 |website=archontology.org}}; {{Cite web |title=King Edred |url=http://www.britroyals.com/kings.asp?id=edred |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927185621/http://www.britroyals.com/kings.asp?id=edred |archive-date=27 September 2007 |access-date=17 March 2007 |website=britroyals.com}}; {{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Edred (r. 946–55) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edred-r-946-55 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015844/https://www.royal.uk/edred-r-946-55 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 26 May 946 – 23 November 955 ''({{Age in years and days|26 May 946|23 November 955|duration=yes}})'' | 100px | {{Circa|923}}<hr/>Son of Edward the Elder and Eadgifu of Kent | Unmarried | 23 November 955 Frome Aged about 32 | Son of Edward the Elder

|- | '''Eadwig'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eadwig (Edwy) |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/eadwig.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317081220/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/eadwig.php |archive-date=17 March 2007 |access-date=17 March 2007 |website=archontology.org}}; {{Cite web |title=Edwy |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05324a.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070405143908/http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05324a.htm |archive-date=5 April 2007 |access-date=17 March 2007 |website=newadvent.org}}; {{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Edwy (r. 955–959) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edwy-r955-959 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701222307/https://www.royal.uk/edwy-r955-959 |archive-date=1 July 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> '''Eadwig All-Fair''' 23 November 955 – 1 October 959 ''({{Age in years and days|23 November 955|1 October 959|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Line engraving of Edwy made by an unknown engraver after an unknown artist | {{Circa|940}}<hr/>Son of Edmund I and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury | Ælfgifu No verified children | 1 October 959 Aged about 19 | Son of Edmund I

|- | '''Edgar the Peaceful'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eadgar (Edgar the Peacemaker) |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/edgar1.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317153047/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/edgar1.php |archive-date=17 March 2007 |access-date=17 March 2007 |website=archontology.org}}; {{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Edgar (r. 959–975) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edgar-r-959-975 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015628/https://www.royal.uk/edgar-r-959-975 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 1 October 959 – 8 July 975 ''({{Age in years and days|1 October 959|8 July 975|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|King Edgar of England | {{Circa|943}} Wessex<hr/>Son of Edmund I and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury | {{Gray|(1)}} Æthelflæd {{Circa|960}} 1 son<hr/>{{Gray|(2)}} Ælfthryth {{Circa|964}} 2 sons | 8 July 975 Winchester Aged 31 | Son of Edmund I

|- | '''Edward the Martyr'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eadweard (Edward the Martyr) |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/edwrd_martyr.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317092211/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/edwrd_martyr.php |archive-date=17 March 2007 |access-date=17 March 2007 |website=archontology.org}}; {{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Edward II 'The Martyr' (r. 975–978) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edward-ii-martyr-r-975-978 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015433/https://www.royal.uk/edward-ii-martyr-r-975-978 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 8 July 975 – 18 March 978 ''({{Age in years and days|8 July 975|18 March 978|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|St. Edward the Martyr | {{Circa|962}}<hr/>Son of Edgar the Peaceful and Æthelflæd | Unmarried | 18 March 978 Corfe Castle Murdered aged about 16 | Son of Edgar the Peaceful

|- | ''(1st reign)''{{Efn|Æthelred was forced to go into exile in mid-1013, following Danish attacks, but was invited back following Sweyn Forkbeard's death in 1014.<ref name="ArchontologyEthelredUnready">{{Cite web |title=Aethelred (the Unready) |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/aethelred.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315160754/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/aethelred.php |archive-date=15 March 2007 |access-date=17 March 2007 |website=archontology.org}}</ref>}} '''Æthelred the Unready'''{{R|ArchontologyEthelredUnready}}<ref name="royal.gov.uk">{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Ethelred II 'The Unready' (r. 978–1013 and 1014–1016) |url=https://www.royal.uk/ethelred-ii-unready-r-978-1013-and-1014-1016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020131/https://www.royal.uk/ethelred-ii-unready-r-978-1013-and-1014-1016 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 18 March 978 – 1013 ''(34–35 years)'' | 100px|Image of Æthelred with an oversize sword from the illuminated manuscript "The Chronicle of Abingdon" | {{Circa|966}}<hr/>Son of Edgar the Peaceful and Ælfthryth | {{Gray|(1)}} Ælfgifu of York 991 9 children<hr/>{{Gray|(2)}} Emma of Normandy 1002 3 children | 23 April 1016 London Aged about 48 | Son of Edgar the Peaceful

==House of Denmark (1013–1014)== {{Main|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. {{sticky header}} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders sticky-header-multi" style="text-align: center;" ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Name ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Portrait ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Birth ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Marriages ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Death ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Dynastic Status |- | '''Sweyn'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sweyn (Forkbeard) |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/swen.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016193752/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/swen.php |archive-date=16 October 2007 |access-date=27 October 2007 |website=archontology.org}}</ref> '''Sweyn Forkbeard''' Autumn/winter 1013 – 3 February 1014 | 100px|Sweyn Forkbeard, from an architectural element in the Swansea Guildhall, Swansea, Wales | 17 April 963 Denmark<hr/>Son of Harald Bluetooth and either Tove or Gunhild | {{Gray|(1)}} Gunhild of Wenden {{Circa|990}} 7 children<hr/>{{Gray|(2)}} Sigrid the Haughty {{Circa|1000}} 1 daughter | 3 February 1014 Gainsborough Aged 50 | Right of conquest {{Small|(great-grandson of a king of Northumbria)}}

==House of Wessex (restored, first time) (1014–1016)== Following the death of Sweyn Forkbeard, Æthelred the Unready returned from exile and was again proclaimed king. His son succeeded him after being chosen king by the citizens of London and a part of the Witan,<ref name=ArchontologyEdmundIronside/> despite ongoing Danish efforts to wrest the crown from the West Saxons.

|- | '''Edmund Ironside'''<ref name="ArchontologyEdmundIronside">{{Cite web |title=Eadmund (Edmund the Ironside) |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/edmund2.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317142153/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/edmund2.php |archive-date=17 March 2007 |access-date=17 March 2007 |website=archontology.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Edmund II 'Ironside' (r. Apr – Nov 1016) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edmund-ii-ironside-r-apr-nov-1016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015422/https://www.royal.uk/edmund-ii-ironside-r-apr-nov-1016 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> after 23 April 1016 – 30 November 1016 | 100px|Edmund Ironside | {{Circa|990}}<hr/>Son of Æthelred and Ælfgifu of York | Edith of East Anglia 2 children | 30 November 1016 Glastonbury Aged 26 | Son of Æthelred

==House of Denmark (restored) (1016–1042)== Following the decisive Battle of Assandun on 18 October 1016, King Edmund signed a treaty with Cnut (Canute) under which all of England except for Wessex would be controlled by Cnut.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Edmund II (king of England) |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/179341/Edmund-II |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122075300/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/179341/Edmund-II |archive-date=22 November 2010 |access-date=25 March 2010 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica }}</ref> Upon Edmund's death just over a month later on 30 November, Cnut ruled the whole kingdom as its sole king for nineteen years. {{sticky header}} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders sticky-header-multi" style="text-align: center;" ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Name ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Portrait ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Birth ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Marriage(s) ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Death ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Dynastic Status |- | '''Cnut'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cnut (Canute) |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/canut.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315160734/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/canut.php |archive-date=15 March 2007 |access-date=21 March 2007 |website=archontology.org}}; {{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Canute 'The Great' (r. 1016–1035) |url=https://www.royal.uk/canute-great-r-1016-1035 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020144/https://www.royal.uk/canute-great-r-1016-1035 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> '''Cnut the Great''' after 23 Apr 1016 – 12 November 1035 | 100px | {{Circa|995}}<hr/>Son of Sweyn Forkbeard and Gunhilda of Poland | {{Gray|(1)}} Ælfgifu of Northampton 2 sons<hr/>{{Gray|(2)}} Emma of Normandy 1017 2 children | 12 November 1035 Shaftesbury Aged about 40 | Son of Sweyn<hr/>Treaty of Deerhurst

|- | '''Harold Harefoot'''<ref>{{Cite ODNB | id=12359 | title= Harold I }}; {{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Harold Harefoot (r. 1035–1040) |url=https://www.royal.uk/harold-harefoot-r-1035-1040 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015959/https://www.royal.uk/harold-harefoot-r-1035-1040 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref>{{R|ArchontologyHaroldHarefoot}} after 12 November 1035 – 17 March 1040{{Efn|Harold was only recognised as Regent until 1037, when he was recognised as king.<ref name="ArchontologyHaroldHarefoot">{{Cite web |title=Harold (Harefoot) |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/harold1.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016193734/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/harold1.php |archive-date=16 October 2007 |access-date=27 October 2007 |website=archontology.org}}</ref>}} | 100px | {{Circa|1016}}<hr/>Son of Cnut the Great and Ælfgifu of Northampton | {{Em|Ælfgifu? 1 son?}} | 17 March 1040 Oxford Aged about 24 | Son of Cnut the Great

|- | '''Harthacnut'''<ref>{{Cite ODNB|id=12252 |title=Harthacnut}}; {{Cite web |title=Harthacnut |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/harthacnut.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016193744/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/harthacnut.php |archive-date=16 October 2007 |access-date=28 October 2007 |website=archontology.org}}; {{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Hardicanute (r. 1035–1042) |url=https://www.royal.uk/hardicanute-r-1035-1042 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020022/https://www.royal.uk/hardicanute-r-1035-1042 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> after 17 March 1040 – 8 June 1042 | 100px | 1018<hr/>Son of Cnut the Great and Emma of Normandy | Unmarried | 8 June 1042 Lambeth Aged about 24 | Son of Cnut the Great

==House of Wessex (restored, second time) (1042–1066)== After Harthacnut, there was a Saxon Restoration between 1042 and 1066. {{sticky header}} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders sticky-header-multi" style="text-align: center;" ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Name ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Portrait ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Arms ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Birth ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Marriage ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Death ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Dynastic Status |- | '''Edward the Confessor'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Edward III 'The Confessor' (r. 1042–1066) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edward-iii-confessor-r-1042-1066 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015707/https://www.royal.uk/edward-iii-confessor-r-1042-1066 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 8 June 1042 – 5 January 1066 ''({{Age in years and days|8 June 1042|5 January 1066|duration=yes}})'' | 100px | 75px | {{Circa|1003}} Islip<hr/>Son of Æthelred and Emma of Normandy | Edith of Wessex 23 January 1045 No children | 5 January 1066 Westminster Palace Aged about 63 | Son of Æthelred<hr/>Step-son of Cnut the Great<hr/>Half-brother of Harthacnut

==House of Godwin (1066)== {{Main|House of Godwin}}

===Disputed claimant (House of Wessex)=== After King Harold was killed at the Battle of Hastings, the Witan elected Edgar Ætheling as king, but by then the Normans controlled the country and Edgar never ruled. He submitted to King William the Conqueror. {{sticky header}} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders sticky-header-multi" style="text-align: center;" ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Name ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Portrait ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Birth ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Marriage ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Death ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Dynastic Status |- | ''(Title disputed)'' '''''Edgar Ætheling'''''{{R|group=|ArchontologyEdgarAtheling|page1=|q1=||}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Edgar Atheling (r. Oct – Dec 1066) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edgar-atheling-r-oct-dec-1066 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020244/https://www.royal.uk/edgar-atheling-r-oct-dec-1066 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 15 October 1066 – 17 December 1066{{Efn|After reigning for approximately 9 weeks, Edgar Atheling submitted to William the Conqueror, who had gained control of the area to the south and immediate west of London.<ref name="ArchontologyEdgarAtheling">{{Cite web |title=Eadgar (the Ætheling) |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/edgar2.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016193659/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/anglosaxon/edgar2.php |archive-date=16 October 2007 |access-date=26 October 2007 |website=archontology.org}}</ref>}} ''({{Age in years and days|15 October 1066|17 December 1066|duration=yes}})'' | 100px | {{Circa|1051}}<hr/>Son of Edward the Exile and Agatha | No known marriage | 1125 or 1126 Aged about 75 | Grandson of Edmund Ironside<hr/>Elected by the Witan

==House of Normandy (1066–1135)== {{Main|House of Normandy}}

In 1066, Edward the Confessor had no direct heir upon his death and several rival claimants to the English throne emerged. Among them were Harold Godwinson (recognised as king by the Witenagemot after the death of Edward the Confessor), Harald Hardrada (King of Norway who claimed to be the rightful heir of Harthacnut) and Duke William II of Normandy (vassal to the King of France, and first cousin once-removed of Edward the Confessor). Harald Hardrada and William both invaded separately in 1066. Godwinson successfully repelled the invasion by Harald Hardrada, but ultimately lost the throne of England in the Norman conquest of England.

Following the death of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, the Anglo-Saxon Witenagemot elected as king Edgar Ætheling, the son of Edward the Exile and grandson of Edmund Ironside. 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. William made permanent the recent removal of the capital from Winchester to London.

|- | '''William II'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=William II (Known as William Rufus) (r. 1087–1100) |url=https://www.royal.uk/william-ii-known-william-rufus-r-1087-1100 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020304/https://www.royal.uk/william-ii-known-william-rufus-r-1087-1100 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}; {{Harvnb|Fryde|1996|page=35}}.</ref> '''William Rufus''' 26 September 1087{{Efn-lr|William II was crowned on 26 September 1087.}} – 2 August 1100 ''({{Age in years and days|26 September 1087|2 August 1100|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|William Rufus depicted in the Stowe Manuscript | {{Circa|1056}} Normandy<hr/>Son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders | Unmarried | 2 August 1100 New Forest Shot with an arrow aged 44 | Son of William I<hr/>Granted the Kingdom of England over elder brother Robert Curthose (who remained the Duke of Normandy)

|- | '''Henry I'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Henry I 'Beauclerc' (r. 1100–1135) |url=https://www.royal.uk/henry-i-beauclerc-r-1100-1135 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015856/https://www.royal.uk/henry-i-beauclerc-r-1100-1135 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}; {{Harvnb|Fryde|1996|page=35}}.</ref> '''Henry Beauclerc''' 5 August 1100{{Efn-lr|Henry I was crowned on 5 August 1100.}} – 1 December 1135 ''({{Age in years and days|5 August 1100|1 December 1135|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Henry I | September 1068 Selby<hr/>Son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders | {{Gray|(1)}} Matilda of Scotland Westminster Abbey 11 November 1100 2 children<hr/>{{Gray|(2)}} Adeliza of Louvain Windsor Castle 29 January 1121 No children | 1 December 1135 Saint-Denis-en-Lyons Aged 67{{Efn-lg|Henry I was buried at Reading Abbey.}} | Son of William I<hr/>Seizure of the Crown (from Robert Curthose)

Henry I left no legitimate male heirs, his son William Adelin having died in the ''White Ship'' disaster of 1120. This ended the direct Norman line of kings in England. Henry named his eldest daughter, Matilda (Countess of Anjou by her second marriage to Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, as well as widow of her first husband, Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor), as his heir.

===Disputed claimants=== '''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. 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. She was the first woman to do so, but was never crowned and is rarely listed as a monarch of England.{{Efn|Matilda is not listed as a monarch of England in many genealogies within texts, including {{Cite book |last=Carpenter |first=David |title=A Struggle for Mastery |date=2003 |page=533}}; {{Cite book |last=Warren |first=W.L. |url=https://archive.org/details/henryii00warr |title=Henry II |date=1973 |publisher=Berkeley |isbn=9780520022829 |page=[https://archive.org/details/henryii00warr/page/176 176] |url-access=registration}}; and {{Cite book |last=Gillingham |first=John |title=The Angevin Empire |date=1984 |page=x}}.}}

==House of Blois (1135–1154)== {{Main|House of Blois}}

Before naming Matilda as heir, Henry had been in negotiations to name his nephew Stephen of Blois as his heir. When Henry died, Stephen travelled to 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 both in Britain and on the continent for the better part of two decades.

King Stephen appointed his son, Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne as co-King on 6 April 1152, to guarantee succession (as was the French — but not English — custom). Pope Eugene III would not agree to this, and Eustace was not crowned. Eustace died the next year during his father's lifetime and so did not become king in his own right.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ashley |first=Mike |title=The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens |date=1999 |publisher=Robinson Publishing |isbn=978-1-84119-096-9 |location=London |page=516}}</ref>

== House of Plantagenet (1154–1485) == {{Main|House of Plantagenet}}

The House of Plantagenet takes its name from Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, husband of 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" because of their vast continental empire and because most Angevin kings before John spent more time in their continental possessions than in England.{{cn|date=January 2026}}

=== Angevin kings of England === {{Main|Angevin kings of England|Angevin Empire}}

King Stephen came to an agreement with Matilda in November 1153 with the signing of the Treaty of Wallingford, in which Stephen recognised Henry, son of Matilda and her second husband Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, as the designated heir. 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 (from the French term meaning "from Anjou") 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 King John. The direct, eldest male line from Henry II includes monarchs commonly grouped together as the House of Plantagenet, which was the name given to the dynasty after the loss of most of their continental possessions, while cadet branches of this line became known as the House of Lancaster and the House of York during the Wars of the Roses.

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'' 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.<ref name=Pine-53/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Norris |first=Herbert |title=Medieval Costume and Fashion |date=1999 |publisher=Courier Dover Publications |isbn=978-0-486-40486-8 |edition=illustrated, reprint |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=xiqahsJPHSgC&pg=PA312 312]}}</ref> It has generally been used as the motto of English monarchs since being adopted by Edward III.<ref name="Pine-53">{{Cite book |last=Pine |first=Leslie Gilbert |title=A Dictionary of mottoes |date=1983 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7100-9339-4 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=dHE9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA53 53]}}</ref>

{{sticky header}} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders sticky-header-multi" style="text-align: center;" ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Name ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Portrait ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Arms ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Birth ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Marriage(s) ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Death ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Dynastic Status |- | '''Henry II'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Henry II 'Curtmantle' (r. 1154–1189) |url=https://www.royal.uk/henry-ii-curtmantle-r-1154-1189 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102013038/https://www.royal.uk/henry-ii-curtmantle-r-1154-1189 |archive-date=2 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}; {{Harvnb|Fryde|1996|page=36}}.</ref> '''Henry Curtmantle''' 19 December 1154{{Efn-lr|Henry II was crowned on 19 December 1154 with his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine.}} – 6 July 1189 ''({{Age in years and days|19 December 1154|6 July 1189|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Henry II | 75px|Royal Arms of England (1154–1189) | 5 March 1133 Le Mans<hr/>Son of Empress Matilda and Geoffrey V of Anjou | Eleanor of Aquitaine Bordeaux Cathedral 18 May 1152 8 children | 6 July 1189 Chinon Aged 56{{Efn-lg|Henry II was buried at Fontevraud Abbey.}} | Grandson of Henry I<hr/>Treaty of Wallingford<hr/>Great-great-great-grandson of Edmund Ironside |-, | colspan=99 | Henry II named his son, '''Henry the Young King''' (1155–1183), as co-ruler with him but this was a Norman custom of designating an heir, and the younger Henry did not outlive his father and rule in his own right, so he is not counted as a monarch on lists of kings. |- | '''Richard I'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Richard I Coeur de Lion ('The Lionheart') (r.1189–1199) |url=https://www.royal.uk/richard-i-coeur-de-lion-lionheart-r1189-1199 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020118/https://www.royal.uk/richard-i-coeur-de-lion-lionheart-r1189-1199 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}; {{Harvnb|Fryde|1996|page=36}}.</ref> '''Richard the Lionheart''' 3 September 1189{{Efn-lr|Richard I was crowned on 3 September 1189.}} – 6 April 1199 ''({{Age in years and days|3 September 1189|6 April 1199|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Richard the Lionheart, an illustration from a 12th-century codex | rowspan=2 | 75px | 8 September 1157 Beaumont Palace<hr/>Son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine | Berengaria of Navarre Limassol 12 May 1191 No children | 6 April 1199 Châlus Shot by a crossbow bolt aged 41{{Efn-lg|Richard I was buried at Rouen Cathedral. His body currently lies at Fontevraud Abbey.}} | Son of Henry II<hr/>Primogeniture

|- | '''John'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=John Lackland (r. 1199–1216) |url=https://www.royal.uk/john-lackland-r-1199-1216 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015904/https://www.royal.uk/john-lackland-r-1199-1216 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}; {{Harvnb|Fryde|1996|page=37}}.</ref> '''John Lackland''' 27 May 1199{{Efn-lr|John was crowned on 27 May 1199.}} – 19 October 1216 ''({{Age in years and days|27 May 1199|19 October 1216|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|King John | 24 December 1166 Beaumont Palace<hr/>Son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine | {{Gray|(1)}} Isabel of Gloucester Marlborough Castle 29 August 1189 No children<hr/>{{Gray|(2)}} Isabella of Angoulême Bordeaux Cathedral 24 August 1200 5 children | 19 October 1216 Newark-on-Trent Aged 49{{Efn-lg|John was buried at Worcester Cathedral.}} | Son of Henry II<hr/>Nomination<hr/>Proximity of blood

====Disputed claimant (House of Capet)==== The future '''Louis VIII of France''' briefly won two-thirds of England over to his side from May 1216 to September 1217 at the conclusion of the First Barons' War against King John. The then-Prince Louis landed on the Isle of Thanet, off the north Kent coast, on 21 May 1216, and marched more or less unopposed to London, where the streets were lined with cheering crowds. At a grand ceremony in St. Paul's Cathedral, on 2 June 1216, in the presence of numerous English clergy and nobles, the Mayor of London and Alexander II of Scotland, Prince Louis was proclaimed King Louis of England (though not crowned). In less than a month, "King Louis" controlled more than half of the country and enjoyed the support of two-thirds of the barons. However, he suffered military defeat at the hands of the English fleet. By signing the Treaty of Lambeth in September 1217, Louis gained 10,000 marks and agreed he had never been the legitimate king of England.<ref>{{Cite web |title=England: Louis of France's Claim to the Throne of England: 1216–1217 |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/uk/england/king_england/01_louis_france.php |access-date=30 May 2012 |publisher=Archontology.org}}</ref> "King Louis" remains one of the least known kings to have ruled over a substantial part of England.<ref>"[https://thecrownchronicles.co.uk/history/the-only-2-louis-in-british-history-uncrowned-king-louis-the-lion-prince-louis-of-cambridge/ The Only Two Louis in British History]". TheCrownChronicles.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2018.</ref>

=== Main line of Plantagenets === 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.

|- | '''Edward I'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Edward I 'Longshanks' (r. 1272–1307) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edward-i-longshanks-r-1272-1307 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020307/https://www.royal.uk/edward-i-longshanks-r-1272-1307 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}; {{Harvnb|Fryde|1996|page=38}}.</ref> '''Edward Longshanks''' 20 November 1272{{Efn-lr|Edward I was crowned on 19 August 1274 with Queen Eleanor.}} – 7 July 1307 ''({{Age in years and days|20 November 1272|7 July 1307|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Edward I of England | 17 June 1239 Palace of Westminster<hr/>Son of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence | {{Gray|(1)}} Eleanor of Castile Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas 18 October 1254 16 children<hr/>{{Gray|(2)}} Margaret of France Canterbury Cathedral 10 September 1299 3 children | 7 July 1307 Burgh by Sands Aged 68 | Son of Henry III<hr/>Primogeniture

|- | '''Edward II'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Edward II (r. 1307–1327) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edward-ii-r-1307-1327 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020057/https://www.royal.uk/edward-ii-r-1307-1327 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}; {{Harvnb|Fryde|1996|page=39}}.</ref> '''Edward of Caernarfon''' 8 July 1307{{Efn-lr|Edward II was crowned on 25 February 1308 with Queen Isabella.}} – Abdicated 20 January 1327 ''({{Age in years and days|8 July 1307|20 January 1327|duration=yes}})'' | 75px | 25 April 1284 Caernarfon Castle<hr/>Son of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile | Isabella of France Boulogne Cathedral 24 January 1308 4 children | 21 September 1327 Berkeley Castle Murdered aged 43{{Efn|The date of Edward II's death is disputed by historian Ian Mortimer, who argues that he may not have been murdered, but held imprisoned in Europe for several more years.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mortimer |first=Ian |title=The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation |date=2008 |publisher=Penguin Random House |isbn=978-0-09-952709-1}}</ref>}} | Son of Edward I<hr/>Primogeniture

|- | '''Edward III'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Edward III (r. 1327–1377) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edward-iii-r-1327-1377 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020011/https://www.royal.uk/edward-iii-r-1327-1377 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}; {{Harvnb|Fryde|1996|page=39}}.</ref> '''Edward of Windsor''' 25 January 1327{{Efn-lr|Edward III was crowned on 1 February 1327.}} – 21 June 1377 ''({{Age in years and days|25 January 1327|21 June 1377|duration=yes}})'' | 100px | 75px {{Small|Until 1340, 1360–1369}}<hr/>75px {{Small|1340–1360, from 1369}} | 13 November 1312 Windsor Castle<hr/>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<hr/>Primogeniture

|- | '''Richard II'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-12 |title=Richard II (r. 1377–1399) |url=https://www.royal.uk/richard-ii-r-1377-1399 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015943/https://www.royal.uk/richard-ii-r-1377-1399 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}; {{Harvnb|Fryde|1996|page=40}}.</ref> '''Richard of Bordeaux''' 22 June 1377{{Efn-lr|Richard II was crowned on 16 July 1377.}} – 29 September 1399 ''({{Age in years and days|22 June 1377|29 September 1399|duration=yes}})'' | 100px | 75px | 6 January 1367 Archbishop's Palace of Bordeaux<hr/>Son of Edward the Black Prince and Joan of Kent | {{Gray|(1)}} Anne of Bohemia 14 January 1382 Westminster Abbey No children<hr/>{{Gray|(2)}} Isabella of Valois Church of St. Nicholas, Calais 4 November 1396 No children | 14 February 1400 Pontefract Castle Aged 33 | Grandson of Edward III<hr/>Primogeniture

===House of Lancaster=== {{Main|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).

|- | '''Henry V'''<ref>{{Cite ODNB| last= Allmand| first = Christopher| author-link = Christopher Allmand| title = Oxford Dictionary of National Biography| location = Oxford, England, UK | date = September 2010 | chapter = Henry V (1386–1422) | doi = 10.1093/ref:odnb/12952| title-link = Oxford Dictionary of National Biography}}; {{Cite web |date=2016-01-14 |title=Henry V (r. 1413–1422) |url=https://www.royal.uk/henry-v-r-1413-1422 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020240/https://www.royal.uk/henry-v-r-1413-1422 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}; {{Harvnb|Fryde|1996|page=41}}.</ref> '''Henry of Monmouth''' 21 March 1413{{Efn-lr|Henry V was crowned on 9 April 1413.|name=|group=}} – 31 August 1422 ''({{Age in years and days|21 March 1413|31 August 1422|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Henry V | 75px | 16 September 1386 Monmouth Castle<hr/>Son of Henry IV and Mary de Bohun | Catherine of Valois Troyes Cathedral 2 June 1420 1 son | 31 August 1422 Château de Vincennes Aged 35 | Son of Henry IV<hr/>Agnatic primogeniture

|- | ''(1st reign)'' '''Henry VI'''<ref name="Henry VI">{{Cite news |last=Berry |first=Ciara |date=2016-01-14 |title=Henry VI (r.1422–1461 and 1470–1471) |work=The Royal Family |url=https://www.royal.uk/henry-vi-r1422-1461-and-1470-1471 |url-status=live |access-date=16 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015450/https://www.royal.uk/henry-vi-r1422-1461-and-1470-1471 |archive-date=25 January 2018}}</ref>{{Sfn|Fryde|1996|page=41}} 1 September 1422{{Efn-lr|Henry VI was crowned on 6 November 1429.|name=|group=}} – 4 March 1461 ''({{Age in years and days|1 September 1422|4 March 1461|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Henry VI | 75px | 6 December 1421 Windsor Castle<hr/>Son of Henry V and Catherine of Valois | Margaret of Anjou Titchfield Abbey 22 April 1445 1 son | 21 May 1471 Tower of London Allegedly murdered aged 49 | Son of Henry V<hr/>Agnatic primogeniture

===House of York=== {{Main|House of York}}

The House of York claimed the right to the throne through Edward III's second surviving son, Lionel of Antwerp, but it inherited its name from Edward's fourth surviving son, Edmund of Langley, first Duke of York.

The Wars of the Roses (1455–1485) saw the throne pass back and forth between the rival houses of Lancaster and York. {{sticky header}} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders sticky-header-multi" style="text-align: center;" ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Name ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Portrait ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Arms ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Birth ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Marriage ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Death ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Dynastic Status |- | ''(1st reign)'' '''Edward IV'''<ref name="Edward IV">{{Cite web |date=2016-01-14 |title=Edward IV (r. 1461–1470 and 1471–1483) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edward-iv-r-1461-1470-and-1471-1483 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015445/https://www.royal.uk/edward-iv-r-1461-1470-and-1471-1483 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 4 March 1461{{Efn-lr|Edward IV was crowned on 28 June 1461.}} – 3 October 1470 ''({{Age in years and days|4 March 1461|3 October 1470|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Edward IV | 75px | 28 April 1442 Rouen Castle<hr/>Son of Richard of York and Cecily Neville | Elizabeth Woodville Grafton Regis 1 May 1464 10 children | 9 April 1483 Westminster Palace Aged 40 | Great-great-grandson{{\}}heir general of Edward III<hr/>Seizure of the Crown<hr/>Act of Accord

===House of Lancaster (restored)=== {{sticky header}} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders sticky-header-multi" style="text-align: center;" ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Name ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Portrait ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Arms ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Birth ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Marriage ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Death ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Dynastic Status |- | ''(2nd reign)'' '''Henry VI'''{{R|Henry VI}} 3 October 1470 – 11 April 1471 ''({{Age in years and days|3 October 1470|11 April 1471|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Henry VI | 75px | 6 December 1421 Windsor Castle<hr/>Son of Henry V and Catherine of Valois | Margaret of Anjou Titchfield Abbey 22 April 1445 1 son | 21 May 1471 Tower of London Allegedly murdered aged 49 | Son of Henry V<hr/>Seizure of the Crown

===House of York (restored)=== {{sticky header}} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders sticky-header-multi" style="text-align: center;" ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Name ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Portrait ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Arms ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Birth ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Marriage ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Death ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Dynastic Status |- | ''(2nd reign)'' '''Edward IV'''{{R|Edward IV}} 11 April 1471 – 9 April 1483 ''({{Age in years and days|11 April 1471|9 April 1483|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Edward IV | rowspan=3 | 75px | 28 April 1442 Rouen Castle<hr/>Son of Richard of York and Cecily Neville | Elizabeth Woodville Grafton Regis 1 May 1464 10 children | 9 April 1483 Westminster Palace Aged 40 | Great-great-grandson{{\}}heir general of Edward III<hr/>Seizure of the Crown<hr/>Act of Accord

|- | '''Edward V'''{{R|ArchontologyEdwardV}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-14 |title=Edward V (Apr–Jun 1483) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edward-v-apr-jun-1483 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020046/https://www.royal.uk/edward-v-apr-jun-1483 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}; {{Harvnb|Fryde|1996|page=41}}.</ref> 9 April 1483 – 25 June 1483{{Efn|Edward V was deposed by Richard III, who usurped the throne on the grounds that Edward was illegitimate. He was never crowned.<ref name="ArchontologyEdwardV">{{Cite web |title=Edward V |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/king_england/edward5.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016193830/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/king_england/edward5.php |archive-date=16 October 2007 |access-date=25 October 2007 |website=archontology.org}}</ref>}} ''({{Age in years and days|9 April 1483|25 June 1483|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Edward V | 2 November 1470 Cheyneygates, Westminster Abbey<hr/>Son of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville | Unmarried | Disappeared mid-1483 Tower of London Allegedly murdered aged 12 | Son of Edward IV<hr/>Primogeniture

|- | '''Richard III'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Richard III |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/king_england/richard3b.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016194004/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/king_england/richard3b.php |archive-date=16 October 2007 |access-date=25 October 2007 |website=archontology.org}}; {{Cite web |date=2016-01-14 |title=Richard III (r. 1483–1485) |url=https://www.royal.uk/richard-iii-r-1483-1485 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020013/https://www.royal.uk/richard-iii-r-1483-1485 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 26 June 1483{{Efn-lr|Richard III was crowned on 6 July 1483 with Queen Anne.}} – 22 August 1485 ''({{Age in years and days|26 June 1483|22 August 1485|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Richard III | 2 October 1452 Fotheringhay Castle<hr/>Son of Richard of York and Cecily Neville | Anne Neville Westminster Abbey 12 July 1472 1 son | 22 August 1485 Bosworth Field Killed in battle aged 32{{Efn-lg|The body of Richard III was exhumed and reburied in Leicester Cathedral in 2015.}} | Great-great-grandson of Edward III<hr/>''Titulus Regius''

==House of Tudor (1485–1603)== {{Main|House of Tudor|Tudor period}}

The Tudors descended in the female line 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.<ref name="Jones">Michael K. Jones and Malcolm G. Underwood, ''The King's Mother: Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby'', (Cambridge University Press, 1995), 19–20.</ref> Parliament did the same in an Act in 1397.<ref>Chris Skidmore, ''The Rise of the Tudors: The Family That Changed English History'', (St.Martin's Press, 2013), 22.</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite DNBSupp |last=Pollard |first=Albert Frederick |wstitle=Beaufort, John (1373?-1410) |volume=1 |pages=158}}</ref> 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 widow 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, winning the Wars of the Roses. King Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, thereby uniting the Lancastrian and York lineages. (See family tree.)

|- | '''Henry VIII'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-14 |title=Henry VIII (r.1509–1547) |url=https://www.royal.uk/henry-viii-r1509-1547 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015507/https://www.royal.uk/henry-viii-r1509-1547 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}; {{Harvnb|Fryde|1996|page=42}}.</ref> 22 April 1509{{Efn-lr|Henry VIII was crowned on 24 June 1509 with Queen Catherine.}} – 28 January 1547 ''({{Age in years and days|22 April 1509|28 January 1547|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Henry VIII, by Hans Holbein, {{circa|1536}} | 28 June 1491 Greenwich Palace<hr/>Son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York | {{Gray|(1)}} Catherine of Aragon Church of the Observant Friars, Greenwich 11 June 1509 1 surviving child<hr/>{{Gray|(2)}} Anne Boleyn Westminster Palace 25 January 1533{{Efn|Edward Hall and Raphael Holinshed both record an earlier secret wedding between Henry and Anne, which was conducted in Dover on 15 November 1532.}} 1 surviving child<hr/>{{Gray|(3)}} Jane Seymour Whitehall Palace 30 May 1536 1 child<hr/>''3 further marriages'' ''No more children'' | 28 January 1547 Whitehall Palace Aged 55 | Son of Henry VII<hr/>Primogeniture

|- | '''Edward VI'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-14 |title=Edward VI (r.1547–1553) |url=https://www.royal.uk/edward-vi-r1547-1553 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015802/https://www.royal.uk/edward-vi-r1547-1553 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 28 January 1547{{Efn-lr|Edward VI was crowned on 20 February 1547.}} – 6 July 1553 ''({{Age in years and days|28 January 1547|6 July 1553|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Edward VI, by Hans Eworth | 12 October 1537 Hampton Court Palace<hr/>Son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour | Unmarried | 6 July 1553 Greenwich Palace Aged 15 | Son of Henry VIII<hr/>Primogeniture

===Disputed claimant=== Edward VI named '''Lady Jane Grey''' as his heir in his will, 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 queen. Jane was later executed for treason.

|- | ''(Jure uxoris)'' '''Philip'''<ref name=Montrose/> 25 July 1554{{Efn|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. {{Crossreference|(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{{Spaces}}... in the happy administration of her Grace's realms and dominions", but elsewhere says that Mary shall be the sole Queen.}} – 17 November 1558 ''({{Age in years and days|25 July 1554|17 November 1558|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|King Philip of England | 21 May 1527 Palacio de Pimentel<hr/>Son of Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire and Isabella of Portugal | Mary I Winchester Cathedral 25 July 1554 No children<hr/>''3 other marriages 7 children'' | 13 September 1598 El Escorial Aged 71 | Husband of Mary I<hr/>Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary to Philip of Spain

|- | colspan=99 align=left | Under the terms of the marriage treaty between '''Philip I of Naples''' (later 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. Queen Mary's Marriage Act 1554 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"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary to Philip of Spain (1554) |url=http://rbsche.people.wm.edu/H111_doc_marriageofqueenmary.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720115759/http://rbsche.people.wm.edu/H111_doc_marriageofqueenmary.html |archive-date=20 July 2011 |access-date=14 June 2009 |publisher=Document Discovery Project}}</ref> (although elsewhere the act stated that Mary was to be "sole queen"). Nonetheless, Philip was to co-reign with his wife.<ref name="Montrose">{{Cite book |last=Montrose |first=Louis Adrian |title=The subject of Elizabeth: authority, gender, and representation |date=2006 |publisher=University of Chicago Press}}</ref>{{Efn|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.<ref name=Montrose/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pollard |first=A. F. |title=The History of England{{Snd}}From the Accession of Edward VI to the Death of Elizabeth (1547–1603) |date=2007 |publisher=Read Books}}; {{Cite book |last=Groot |first=Wim de |title=The Seventh Window: The King's Window Donated by Philip II and Mary Tudor to Sint Janskerk in Gouda (1557) |date=2005 |publisher=Uitgeverij Verloren}}</ref> Coins were minted showing the heads of both Mary and Philip, and the coat of arms of England was impaled with Philip's to denote their joint reign.<ref>{{Cite book |title=British heraldry from its origins to c. 1800 |date=1978 |publisher=British Museum Publications Ltd. |editor-last=Marks |editor-first=Richard |editor-last2=Payne |editor-first2=Ann |editor-last3=British Museum |editor-last4=British Library}}; {{Cite book |title=The Numismatist |date=1971 |publisher=American Numismatic Association}}</ref> Acts were passed in England (the Treason Act 1554) and in Ireland (the Treason Act 1556) which made it high treason to deny Philip's royal authority.<ref name="Edwards">{{Cite book |last=Edwards |first=Robert Dudley |title=Ireland in the age of the Tudors: the destruction of Hiberno-Norman civilisation |date=1977 |publisher=Taylor & Francis}}</ref>}} |- | '''Elizabeth I'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-14 |title=Elizabeth I (r.1558–1603) |url=https://www.royal.uk/elizabeth-i-r1558-1603 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015719/https://www.royal.uk/elizabeth-i-r1558-1603 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 17 November 1558{{Efn-lr|Elizabeth I was crowned on 15 January 1559.}} – 24 March 1603 ''({{Age in years and days|17 November 1558|24 March 1603|duration=yes}})'' {{See also|Elizabethan era}} | 100px|Elizabeth I, by Darnley | 75px | 7 September 1533 Greenwich Palace<hr/>Daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn | Unmarried | 24 March 1603 Richmond Palace Aged 69 | Daughter of Henry VIII<hr/>Third Succession Act

==House of Stuart (1603–1649)== {{Main|House of Stuart|Stuart period|Jacobean era|Caroline era}}

Elizabeth's cousin, 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 and wife of James IV of Scotland. In 1604, he adopted the title ''King of Great Britain''. However, the two parliaments remained separate until the Acts of Union 1707.<ref>{{Cite wikisource |title=Act of Union 1707}}</ref>

|- | '''Charles I'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-12-30 |title=Charles I (r. 1625–1649) |url=https://www.royal.uk/charles-i-r-1625-1649 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315121306/https://www.royal.uk/charles-i-r-1625-1649 |archive-date=15 March 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 27 March 1625{{Efn-lr|Charles I was crowned on 2 February 1626.}} – 30 January 1649 ''({{Age in years and days|27 March 1625|30 January 1649|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Charles I, by Anthony van Dyck | 19 November 1600 Dunfermline Palace<hr/>Son of James I and Anne of Denmark | Henrietta Maria of France St Augustine's Abbey 13 June 1625 9 children | 30 January 1649 Whitehall Palace Executed aged 48 | Son of James I<hr/>Cognatic primogeniture

==First Interregnum (1649–1660)== {{Main|Commonwealth of England|Interregnum (1649–1660)}}

No monarch reigned after the 1649 execution of Charles I. Between 1649 and 1653, there was no single English head of state, as England was ruled directly by the Rump Parliament with the English Council of State acting as executive power 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 The Protectorate period, under Cromwell's direct control with the title Lord Protector.

It was within the power of the Lord Protector to choose his heir and Oliver Cromwell chose his eldest son, Richard Cromwell, to succeed him.

|- | '''Richard Cromwell''' 3 September 1658 – 7 May 1659<ref name="BritishCivilWarsRichardCromwell">{{Cite web |title=Richard Cromwell, Lord Protector, 1626–1712 |url=http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/biog/richard-cromwell.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012050727/http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/biog/richard-cromwell.htm |archive-date=12 October 2007 |access-date=25 October 2007 |website=british-civil-wars.co.uk}}</ref> ''({{Age in years and days|3 September 1658|7 May 1659|duration=yes}})'' | 100px|Richard Cromwell, {{circa|1650}} | 4 October 1626 Huntingdon<hr/>Son of Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier<ref name=BritishCivilWarsRichardCromwell/> | Dorothy Maijor May 1649 9 children<ref name=BritishCivilWarsRichardCromwell/> | 12 July 1712 Cheshunt Aged 85<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cromwell, Richard |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/commonwealth/cromwell2.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016193800/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/commonwealth/cromwell2.php |archive-date=16 October 2007 |access-date=25 October 2007 |website=archontology.org}}</ref>

Richard Cromwell was forcibly removed by the English Committee of Safety in May 1659. England again lacked any single head of state. After almost a year of anarchy, the monarchy was formally restored when Charles II returned from France to accept the throne.

==House of Stuart (restored) (1660–1707)== {{Main|Restoration (England)}}

The Monarchy was restored under the rule of Charles II.

|- | '''James II'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-02-26 |title=James II (r.1685–1688) |url=https://www.royal.uk/james-ii-r1685-1688 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125134431/https://www.royal.uk/james-ii-r1685-1688 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 6 February 1685{{Efn-lr|James II was crowned on 23 April 1685 with Queen Mary.}} – 23 December 1688 ''(Overthrown after {{Age in years and days|6 February 1685|23 December 1688}})'' | 100px | 14 October 1633 St James's Palace<hr/>Son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France | {{Gray|(1)}} Anne Hyde Worcester House, The Strand 3 September 1660 8 children<hr/>{{Gray|(2)}} Mary of Modena Dover Castle 21 November 1673 7 living children | 16 September 1701 Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye Aged 67 | Son of Charles I<hr/>Cognatic primogeniture

== Second Interregnum 1688–1689 == James II was ousted by Parliament less than four years after ascending to the throne, beginning the century's second interregnum. To settle the question of who should replace the deposed monarch, a Convention Parliament elected James' daughter Mary II and her husband (also his nephew) William III co-regents, in the Glorious Revolution.

==Houses of Stuart and Orange== {{sticky header}} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders sticky-header-multi" style="text-align: center;" ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Name ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Portrait ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Arms ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Birth ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Marriage ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Death ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Dynastic status |- | '''Mary II'''<ref name="William and Mary">{{Cite web |date=2015-12-30 |title=William III (r. 1689–1702) and Mary II (r. 1689–1694) |url=https://www.royal.uk/william-iii-r-1689-1702-and-mary-ii-r-1689-1694 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015656/https://www.royal.uk/william-iii-r-1689-1702-and-mary-ii-r-1689-1694 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}</ref> 13 February 1689{{Efn-lr|name=William and Mary|Mary II and William III were crowned on 11 April 1689.}} – 28 December 1694 ''({{Age in years and days|13 February 1689|28 December 1694|duration=yes}})'' | 100px | 75px | 30 April 1662 St James's Palace<hr/>Daughter of James II and Anne Hyde | William III of England St James's Palace 4 November 1677 No children | 28 December 1694 Kensington Palace Aged 32 | Daughter of James II<hr/>Offered the Crown by Parliament

|- | '''William III'''{{R|William and Mary}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=William III |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/king_grbritain/william3.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029230648/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/king_grbritain/william3.php |archive-date=29 October 2007 |access-date=25 October 2007 |website=archontology.org}}</ref> '''William of Orange''' 13 February 1689{{Efn-lr|name=William and Mary}} – 8 March 1702 ''({{Age in years and days|13 February 1689|8 March 1702|duration=yes}})'' | 100px | 75px | 4 November 1650 The Binnenhof<hr/>Son of William II of Orange and Mary, Princess Royal of England | Mary II of England St James's Palace 4 November 1677 No children | 8 March 1702 Kensington Palace Aged 51 | Grandson of Charles I<hr/>Offered the Crown by Parliament

|- | '''Anne'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-12-30 |title=Anne (r. 1702–1714) |url=https://www.royal.uk/anne-r-1702-1714 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125020033/https://www.royal.uk/anne-r-1702-1714 |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=16 January 2018 |website=royal.gov.uk}}; {{Cite web |title=Anne (England) |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/king_grbritain/anne.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029230627/http://www.archontology.org/nations/england/king_grbritain/anne.php |archive-date=29 October 2007 |access-date=25 October 2007 |website=archontology.org}}</ref> 8 March 1702{{Efn-lr|Anne was crowned on 23 April 1702.}} – 1 May 1707 ''({{Age in years and days|8 March 1702|1 May 1707|duration=yes}})'' {{Small|(Queen of Great Britain until 1 August 1714)}} ''{{Small|({{Age in years and days|8 March 1702|1 August 1714|duration=yes}})}}'' | 100px | 75px | 6 February 1665 St James's Palace<hr/>Daughter of James II and Anne Hyde | George of Denmark St James's Palace 28 July 1683 5 living children | 1 August 1714 Kensington Palace Aged 49 | Daughter of James II<hr/>Cognatic primogeniture<hr/>Bill of Rights 1689

While James and his descendants continued to claim the throne, all Catholics (such as James II's son and grandson, James Francis Edward and Charles respectively) were barred from the throne by the Act of Settlement 1701, enacted by Anne, another of James's Protestant daughters.

With the Acts of Union 1707, England ceased to be a sovereign state, and became part of the new Kingdom of Great Britain; see List of British monarchs.

==Acts of Union== The Acts of Union 1707 were a pair of acts of Parliament 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome |url=http://www.parliament.uk/actofunion/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015044930/http://www.parliament.uk/actofunion/ |archive-date=15 October 2008 |access-date=7 October 2008 |website=parliament.uk}}</ref>

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.

==Timeline== <div style="width:100%; overflow: auto;"> {| class="wikitable" ! Timeline of English monarchs |- | {{#tag:timeline|

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DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:886 till:1720

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Colors = id:canvas value:white id:we value:oceanblue legend:House_of_Wessex id:de value:rgb(0.95,0.8,0.2) legend:House_of_Knýtlinga id:no value:red legend:House_of_Normandy id:bl value:skyblue legend:House_of_Blois id:pl value:rgb(0.95,0.18,0.18) legend:House_of_Plantagenet id:ca value:rgb(0,0,0.5) legend:House_of_Capet id:la value:rgb(0.95,0.36,0.36) legend:House_of_Lancaster id:yo value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) legend:House_of_York id:tu value:rgb(1,0.5,0.5) legend:House_of_Tudor id:ha value:rgb(0.8,0.67,0.3) legend:House_of_Habsburg id:gr value:rgb(0.5,0.5,0.5) legend:House_of_Grey id:st value:green legend:House_of_Stuart id:cw value:rgb(0.85,0.85,0.85) legend:Commonwealth id:or value:orange legend:House_of_Orange-Nassau id:eon value:black id:darktext value:rgb(0.5,0.5,0.5) id:lighttext value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9)

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width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till bar:Alfred from:886 till: 899 color:we text:"Alfred the Great" bar:EdElder from:899 till: 924 color:we text:"Edward the Elder" bar:Elfweard from:924 till: 924 color:we text:"Ælfweard of Wessex (disputed)" bar:Ethelstan from:924 till: 939 color:we text:"Æthelstan" bar:Edmund from:939 till: 946 color:we text:"Edmund I" bar:Edred from:946 till: 955 color:we text:"Eadred" bar:Edwig from:955 till: 959 color:we text:"Eadwig" bar:Edgar from:959 till: 975 color:we text:"Edgar" bar:EdMartyr from:975 till: 978 color:we text:"Edward the Martyr" bar:Ethelred from:978 till: 1013 color:we from:1014 till: 1016 color:we text:"Æthelred the Unready"

bar:Sweyn from:1013 till: 1014 color:de text:"Sweyn Forkbeard"

bar:EdmundIronside from:1016 till: 1016 color:we text:"Edmund Ironside"

bar:Cnut from:1016 till: 1035 color:de text:"Cnut the Great" bar:HaroldHarefoot from:1035 till: 1040 color:de text:"Harold Harefoot" bar:Harthacnut from:1040 till: 1042 color:de text:"Harthacnut"

bar:EdwardConfessor from:1042 till: 1066 color:we text:"Edward the Confessor" bar:HaroldGodwinson from:1066 till: 1066 color:we text:"Harold Godwinson" bar:EdgarAetheling from:1066 till: 1066 color:we text:"Edgar Ætheling (disputed)"

bar:WillI from:1066 till: 1087 color:no text:"William I" bar:WillII from:1087 till: 1100 color:no text:"William II" bar:HenryI from:1100 till: 1135 color:no text:"Henry I"

bar:Stephen from:1135 till: 1154 color:bl text:"Stephen"

bar:Matilda from:1141 till: 1141 color:no text:"Matilda (disputed)"

bar:Eustace from:1152 till: 1153 color:bl text:"Eustace (junior king, disputed)"

bar:HenryII from:1154 till: 1189 color:pl text:"Henry II" bar:HenryYoungKing from:1170 till: 1183 color:pl text:"Henry the Young King (junior king)" bar:RichI from:1189 till: 1199 color:pl text:"Richard I" bar:John from:1199 till: 1216 color:pl text:"John"

bar:Louis from:1216 till: 1217 color:ca text:"Louis (disputed)"

bar:HenryIII from:1216 till: 1272 color:pl text:"Henry III" bar:EdI from:1272 till: 1307 color:pl text:"Edward I" bar:EdII from:1307 till: 1327 color:pl text:"Edward II" bar:EdIII from:1327 till: 1377 color:pl text:"Edward III" bar:RichII from:1377 till: 1399 color:pl text:"Richard II"

bar:HenryIV from:1399 till: 1413 color:la text:"Henry IV" bar:HenryV from:1413 till: 1422 color:la text:"Henry V" bar:HenryVI from:1422 till: 1461 color:la from:1470 till: 1471 color:la text:"Henry VI"

bar:EdIV from:1461 till: 1470 color:yo from:1471 till: 1483 color:yo mark:(line, white) text:"Edward IV" bar:EdV from:1483 till: 1483 color:yo text:"Edward V" bar:RichIII from:1483 till: 1485 color:yo text:"Richard III"

bar:HenryVII from:1485 till: 1509 color:tu text:"Henry VII" bar:HenryVIII from:1509 till: 1547 color:tu text:"Henry VIII" bar:EdVI from:1547 till: 1553 color:tu text:"Edward VI" bar:Jane from:1553 till: 1553 color:gr text:"Jane Grey (disputed)" bar:MaryI from:1553 till: 1558 color:tu text:"Mary I" bar:Phil from:1554 till: 1558 color:ha text:"Philip" bar:LizI from:1558 till: 1603 color:tu text:"Elizabeth I"

bar:JamesVI from:1603 till: 1625 color:st text:"James I" bar:CharlesI from:1625 till: 1649 color:st text:"Charles I"

bar:Ollie from:1653 till: 1658 color:cw text:"Oliver Cromwell" bar:RichCromwell from:1658 till: 1659 color:cw text:"Richard Cromwell"

bar:CharlesII from:1660 till: 1685 color:st text:"Charles II" bar:JamesVII from:1685 till: 1689 color:st text:"James II" bar:MaryII from:1689 till: 1694 color:st text:"Mary II" bar:WillIII from:1689 till: 1702 color:or text:"William III" bar:Anne from:1702 till: 1707 color:st text:"Anne"

}} |}</div> {{Clear}}

== Titles == {{Main|Style of the British sovereign}}

The standard title for all monarchs from Æthelstan until the time of King John was {{Lang|la|Rex Anglorum}} ("King of the English"). In addition, many of the pre-Norman kings assumed extra titles, as follows:

* Æthelstan: {{Lang|la|Rex totius Britanniae}} ("King of All Britain") * Edmund the Magnificent: {{Lang|la|Rex Britanniæ}} ("King of Britain") and {{Lang|la|Rex Anglorum cæterarumque gentium gobernator et rector}} ("King of the English and of other peoples governor and director") * Eadred: {{Lang|la|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: {{Lang|la|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: {{Lang|la|Totius Albionis finitimorumque regum basileus}} ("King of all Albion and its neighbouring realms") * Cnut the Great: {{Lang|la|Rex Anglorum totiusque Brittannice orbis gubernator et rector}} ("King of the English and of all the British sphere governor and ruler") and {{Lang|la|Brytannie totius Anglorum monarchus}} ("Monarch of all the English of Britain")

In the Norman period {{Lang|la|Rex Anglorum}} remained standard, with occasional use of {{Lang|la|Rex Angliae}} ("King of England"). The Empress Matilda styled herself {{Lang|la|Domina Anglorum}} ("Lady of the English").

Since the time of King John all other titles have been eschewed in favour of {{Lang|la|Rex}} or {{Lang|la|Regina Angliae}}.

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 ''Queen of Great Britain'' rather than king).{{Efn|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.<ref>Croft, p. 67; Wilson, pp. 249–252.</ref> {{Crossreference|(See also Union Flag.)}}}}

== See also == {{Div col}} * Alternative successions of the English and British crown * Bretwalda * Demise of the Crown * Heptarchy * History of the English monarchy * Succession to the British throne, a historical overview and current rules ** {{sectionlink|Succession to the British throne|Current line of succession}}, a list of people * List of English royal consorts * Family tree of English monarchs * Family tree of British monarchs * List of office holders of the United Kingdom and predecessor states ** List of British monarchs ** Lists of monarchs in the British Isles ** List of Irish monarchs ** List of monarchs of the British Isles by cause of death ** List of monarchs of Wessex, AD 519 to 927 ** List of rulers of Wales ** List of Scottish monarchs * Mnemonic verses of monarchs in England * List of legendary kings of Britain {{Div col end}}

== Explanatory notes == {{Notelist|30em}}

===Coronations=== {{Notelist-lr|30em}}

=== Burials === {{Notelist-lg|30em}}

== References ==

=== Citations === {{Reflist}}

=== Works cited === {{Refbegin}} * {{Cite book |title=Handbook of British Chronology |publisher=Royal Historical Society |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-521-56350-5 |editor-last=Fryde |editor-first=Edmund B. |editor-link=Edmund Fryde |edition=3rd}} {{Refend}}

== Further reading == {{Refbegin}} * {{Cite book |last=Wood |first=Michael |title=In Search of the Dark Ages |title-link=In Search of the Dark Ages |publisher=BBC Books |year=1981 |isbn=978-0-563-52276-8 |edition=2005 Paperback |page=106 |quote=Offa maintained his supremacy until his death. And he did so by personal charisma and energy even though he was now about sixty. |author-link=Michael Wood (historian)}} {{Refend}}

== External links == {{Commons category|Monarchs of England}}

{{Wikijunior|Kings and Queens of England}} * {{Cite web |title=Archontology – English Kings/Queens from 871 to 1707 |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/uk/england |website=archontology.org}}

Category:English monarchs * Category:927 establishments Monarchs English