   #copyright

List of monarchs in the British Isles

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Monarchs of Great Britain

   This is a list of the monarchs of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great
   Britain and the United Kingdom, that is, the monarchs on the thrones of
   some of the various kingdoms that have existed in the British Isles,
   namely:
     * The Kingdom of Scotland, from 843 up to 1707;
     * The Kingdom of England, from 871 (including Wales from the Act of
       Union 1536- 1543) up to 1707;
     * The Lordship of Ireland, from 1199 up to 1541;
     * The Kingdom of Ireland, from 1541 up to 1801;
     * The Kingdom of Great Britain, from the Acts of Union, 1707, between
       England and Scotland, up to 1801;
     * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, from the Act of
       Union, 1801, between Great Britain and Ireland, up to 1927;
     * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (The UK
       after the Irish Free State was formed and became a separate state).

   To see the rulers of the small kingdoms which existed before the
   formation of England, Scotland or Wales, see:
     * Kings of the Britons
     * Mythical British Kings
     * Rulers of Wales
     * Kings of the Picts
     * Kings of Dál Riata
     * Kings of Strathclyde
     * Kings of the Isle of Man and the Isles
     * Kings of the Isle of Man

                                               * Kings of East Anglia
                                               * Kings of Essex
                                               * Kings of Kent
                                               * Kings of Sussex
                                               * Kings of Wessex
                                               * Kings of Mercia
                                               * Kings of Northumbria
                                               * High Kings of Ireland

Complications over title and style

   James VI of Scotland and I of England, united the Crowns of England,
   Scotland and Ireland in a personal union, later merged into a single
   Kingdom of Great Britain by the Act of Union 1707.
   Enlarge
   James VI of Scotland and I of England, united the Crowns of England,
   Scotland and Ireland in a personal union, later merged into a single
   Kingdom of Great Britain by the Act of Union 1707.

   Royal titles are complicated because in some cases names of kingdoms
   are used that did not officially come into existence until later, or
   came into existence earlier without immediate adoption of the royal
   title.
     * In 1328, on the death of the French king, Charles IV, Edward III
       (nephew of Charles IV) claimed the French throne. English monarchs,
       and subsequently British monarchs, then styled themselves King of
       France or Queen of France until the Act of Union 1800, which led to
       the creation of the United Kingdom in 1801. By then France had been
       a republic for ten years. (See English claims to the French
       throne.)

     * Since 1559 English monarchs, and subsequently British monarchs,
       have also had the title Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

     * Note that the numbering of English monarchs starts afresh after
       1066 (although this affects only the Edwards).

     * All Scottish monarchs held the title King of Scots or Queen of
       Scots, with the exception of the last three: Mary II, William III
       and Anne I used the style "of Scotland" rather than "of Scots".

     * In October 1604, one year after James VI of Scotland had become
       King of England, he decreed that the Royal Title would use the term
       Great Brittaine to refer to the "one Imperiall Crowne" made up of
       England and Scotland . However using that title is problematic
       because the 'state' of Great Britain was not created until the Act
       of Union 1707. Nor was the united crown generally referred to as
       'imperial'. To avoid confusion, historians in general thus refer to
       all monarchs up to 1707 as monarchs of England and Scotland. Thus
       James II of England was also James VII of Scotland; and William III
       of England was also William II of Scotland. Many English and
       British monarchs also claimed France as part of their official
       title, though this had no substance in reality. After the Union,
       the ordinal has been the English number (for "George", "Edward" and
       "Elizabeth") and, until recently, there was no formal rule (see
       List of regnal numerals of future British monarchs).

     * In different documents, the terms Kingdom of Great Britain and
       United Kingdom of Great Britain feature, even documents as official
       as the Act of Union 1707. Most historians presume the United was
       meant to be descriptive, indicating a union as a form of unity by
       marriage rather than coercion. For clarity and because the United
       is far more strongly associated with the later name United Kingdom
       of Great Britain and Ireland produced in the Act of Union 1800, the
       1707 Kingdom is generally referred to as the Kingdom of Great
       Britain.

     * Similarly, though most of Ireland ceased to be part of the United
       Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland when it became the Irish Free
       State in 1922, neither the full name of the United Kingdom nor the
       royal title were changed until the Royal and Parliamentary Titles
       Act 1927. In this instance historians generally retrospectively
       date the coming into being of the modern United Kingdom to December
       1922, even though in this case the formal change did not occur for
       another five years.

Monarchs

   Succession to the many thrones often did not pass smoothly from parent
   to child; lack of heirs, civil wars, murders and invasions affected the
   inheritance in ways that a simple list does not show. The relationships
   that formed the basis for claims to throne are noted where we know
   them, and the dates of reign indicated.

   Monarchs of England Monarchs of Scotland

   Name Reign Notes
   The West Saxons
   Alfred the Great 871– 899 Recognised as leader of all free Englishmen
   under the Treaty of Wedmore, 878
   Edward the Elder 899– 924 Alfred's son
   Ælfweard 924 Edward's son, king of Wessex only
   Athelstan 924– 939 Edward's son, the first de facto king of all England
   Edmund I 939– 946 Edward's son
   Edred 946– 955 Edward's son
   Edwy the Fair 955– 959 Edmund's son
   Edgar the Peaceable 959– 975 Edmund's son
   St Edward the Martyr 975– 978 Edgar's son
   Ethelred the Unready 978– 1013
   1014– 1016 Edgar's son
   Edmund Ironside 1016 Ethelred's son
   The Danish Kings
   Both the Saxon and Danish royal houses claimed the English throne, 1013
   to 1016. Denmark and England had the same king from 1016 to 1042.
   Sweyn Forkbeard 1013– 1014
   Canute 1016– 1035 Sweyn's son
   Harold Harefoot 1035– 1040 Canute's son
   Harthacanute 1040– 1042 Canute's son
   The West Saxon Restoration
   St Edward the Confessor 1042– 1066 Ethelred's son
   Harold Godwinson 1066 Edward the Confessor's brother-in-law
   Edgar the Atheling 1066 Grandson of Edmund Ironside
   The Normans
   After the Norman Conquest in 1066, numbering of kings (a French
   tradition never used by the English prior to that date) begins.
   William I, the Conqueror 1066– 1087 Distant kinsman of Alfred the Great
   William II, Rufus 1087– 1100 William I's son, descendant of Alfred the
   Great
   Henry I 1100– 1135 William I's son, descendant of Alfred the Great
   Stephen 1135– 1154 William I's grandson
   The Angevins or Plantagenets
   The Royal House name changed to reflect Matilda's marriage to Geoffrey
   Plantagenet.
   Matilda (Empress Maud) 1141 Henry I's daughter, Edmund Ironside's
   great-great-granddaughter
   Henry II 1154– 1189 Matilda's son
   Richard I, the Lionheart 1189– 1199 Henry II's son
   Monarchs of England and Ireland
   In 1199, John, already Lord of Ireland, inherited the English throne.
   The title "Lord of Ireland" was used until it was replaced by "King of
   Ireland" in 1542.
   John "Lackland" 1199– 1216 Henry II's son
   Louis of France 1216– 1217 descendant of Alfred the Great; husband of
   John's niece
   Henry III 1216– 1272 John's son
   Edward I "Longshanks" 1272– 1307 Henry III's son
   Edward II 1307– 1327 Edward I's son
   Edward III 1327– 1377 Edward II's son
   Richard II 1377– 1399 Edward III's grandson
   The House of Lancaster
   Henry Bolingbroke deposed Richard II, and the Royal House name came to
   reflect Henry's father's title, Duke of Lancaster.
   Henry IV 1399– 1413 Edward III's grandson
   Henry V 1413– 1422 Henry IV's son
   Henry VI 1422– 1461
   1470– 1471 Henry V's son
   The House of York
   The Houses of Lancaster and York had fought the Wars of the Roses, and
   the Yorkists took the throne.
   Edward IV 1461– 1470
   1471– 1483 Edward III's great-great-grandson
   Edward V 1483 Edward IV's son
   Richard III 1483– 1485 Edward IV's brother
   The House of Tudor
   The Lancastrian Henry Tudor reclaimed the throne from the Yorkists.
   Henry VII 1485– 1509 Edward III's great-great-great-grandson
   Henry VIII 1509– 1547 Henry VII's son, Edward IV's grandson
   Edward VI 1547– 1553 Henry VIII's son
   Jane 1553 Henry VII's great-granddaughter. Not generally noted as
   officially queen
   Mary I 1553– 1558 Henry VIII's daughter
   Elizabeth I 1558– 1603 Henry VIII's daughter
   Name Reign Notes
   The House of Alpin
   Kenneth I 843– 858
   Donald I 858– 862 Kenneth I's brother
   Constantine I 862– 877 Kenneth I's son
   Áed 877– 878 Kenneth I's son
   Eochaid 878– 889 Áed's nephew
   Jointly with Giric ?
   Giric 878– 889 Áed's first cousin ?
   Donald II 889– 900 Constantine I's son
   Constantine II 900– 943 Áed's son
   Malcolm I 943– 954 Donald II's son
   Indulf 954– 962 Constantine II's son
   Dub 962– 966 Malcolm I's son
   Cuilén 966– 971 Indulf's son
   Kenneth II 971–? Malcolm I's son
   Amlaíb ?– 977 Indulf's son
   Kenneth II 977– 995 2nd reign
   Constantine III 995– 997 Cuilén's son
   Kenneth III 997– 1005 Dub's son
   Malcolm II 1005– 1034 Kenneth II's son
   Duncan I 1034– 1040 Malcolm II's grandson
   Macbeth 1040– 1057 Kenneth III's granddaughter's husband
   Lulach 1057– 1058 Kenneth III's great-grandson, Macbeth's step-son and
   cousin
   The House of Dunkeld
   Malcolm III 1058– 1093 Duncan I's son
   Donald III 1093– 1094
   1094– 1097 Duncan I's son
   Duncan II 1094 Malcolm III's son
   Edgar 1097– 1107 Malcolm III's son
   Alexander I 1107– 1124 Malcolm III's son
   David I 1124– 1153 Malcolm III's son
   Malcolm IV 1153– 1165 David I's grandson
   William I 1165– 1214 David I's grandson
   Alexander II 1214– 1249 William I's son
   Alexander III 1249– 1286 Alexander II's son
   Margaret 1286- 1290 Alexander III's granddaughter, never inaugurated
   The House of Balliol
   When Margaret died in 1290 there was no clear heir. King Edward I of
   England adjudged the claims of Robert Bruce, 5th Lord of Annandale and
   John Balliol in Balliol's favour.
   John 1292– 1296 David I's great-great-great-grandson
   The House of Bruce
   When John Balliol rebelled, the Wars of Scottish Independence
   commenced, during which Robert the Bruce became King.
   Robert I 1306– 1329 David I's great-great-great-great-grandson
   David II 1329– 1371 Robert I's son
   The House of Balliol
   For a period of time, both Edward Balliol and David II claimed the
   throne.
   Edward Balliol 1332– 1336 John Balliol's son
   The House of Stuart
   Engaged to the Dauphin at age five, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots was
   thus brought up in the French court where she became "Marie Stuart,
   Reine de l'Écosse," etc., to render the sound of 'Stewart' into French
   as accurately as possible. Mary kept the French spelling on her return
   to Scotland in 1560.
   Robert II 1371– 1390 Robert I's grandson
   Robert III 1390– 1406 Robert II's son
   James I 1406– 1437 Robert III's son
   James II 1437– 1460 James I's son
   James III 1460– 1488 James II's son
   James IV 1488– 1513 James III's son
   James V 1513– 1542 James IV's son
   Mary I 1542– 1567 James V's daughter
   James VI 1567– 1625 Mary I's son
   Monarchs of England, Scotland and Ireland
   In 1603, James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne upon the
   death of Elizabeth I in what is known as the Union of the Crowns. From
   then until 1707, England, Scotland and Ireland had shared monarchs.
   The House of Stuart
   Name Reign Notes
   James I (England)
   James VI (Scotland) 1603– 1625 Son of Mary, Queen of Scots;
   great-great-grandson of Henry VII of England; first to be styled "King
   of Great Britain" ( 1604)
   Charles I 1625– 1649 James VI & I's son
   The Period of Interregnum, ( Commonwealth and Protectorate)
   England had no king from 1649 to 1660, but was a Republic until 1653.
   Oliver Cromwell then dissolved Parliament and ruled alone as Lord
   Protector to his death.
   Name Reign Notes
   Oliver Cromwell 1653– 1658
   Richard Cromwell 1658– 1659 Oliver Cromwell's son
   Monarchs of England, Scotland and Ireland
   In 1659, Richard Cromwell abdicated. Anomie existed until the Stuart
   Restoration in 1660.
   The House of Stuart (restored)
   Name Reign Notes
   Charles II 1660– 1685 England
   1649- 1651 and 1660– 1685 Scotland
   ( 1649– 1685 de jure) Charles I's elder son (crowned at Scone, in
   Scotland, 1651). He officially dated his reign from his father's death
   James II (England)
   James VII (Scotland) 1685– 1689 Charles I's younger son
   Mary II 1689– 1694 James II's elder daughter
   Joint sovereign with her husband, William III, II and I
   William III (England)
   William II (Scotland)
   William I (Ireland) 1689– 1702 Charles I's grandson
   Jointly with his wife, Mary II
   Anne 1702– 1707
   (full reign: 1702–1714) James II's daughter
   Monarchs of Great Britain and Ireland
   In 1707, the Act of Union merged the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom
   of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain.
   The House of Stuart (continued)
   Name Reign Notes
   Anne 1707– 1714
   (full reign: 1702–1714) James II's daughter
   The House of Hanover
   Under the Act of Settlement 1701, the English (thus, the successor
   British) throne could only be held by a Protestant. Sophia of Hanover,
   the nearest such relative, thus became statutorily designated as the
   next heir. She died shortly before Anne, and her place was taken by her
   son, who thus founded the House of Hanover (aka Guelph and Brunswick).
   George I 1714– 1727 James I's great-grandson
   George II 1727– 1760 George I's son
   George III 1760– 1801
   (full reign: 1760–1820) George II's grandson
   Monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
   In 1801, the Act of Union combined the Kingdom of Great Britain and the
   Kingdom of Ireland into the United Kingdom.
   The House of Hanover (continued)
   Name Reign Notes
   George III 1801– 1820
   (full reign: 1760–1820) George II's grandson
   George IV 1820– 1830 George III's son
   William IV 1830– 1837 George III's son
   Victoria 1837– 1901 George III's granddaughter
   The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
   The Royal House name was changed to reflect Victoria's marriage to
   Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, but she herself remained a member
   of the House of Hanover.
   Edward VII 1901– 1910 Victoria's son
   George V 1910– 1917
   (full reign: 1910–1936) Edward VII's son
   The House of Windsor
   The name of the Royal House changed from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor
   in 1917 due to anti-German sentiments during World War I.
   George V 1917– 1927
   (full reign: 1910–1936) Edward VII's son
   Monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
   In 1922, the Irish Free State left the United Kingdom. The name of the
   Kingdom was amended in 1927 to reflect the change.
   The House of Windsor (continued)
   Name Reign Notes
   George V 1927– 1936
   (full reign: 1910–1936) Edward VII's son
   Edward VIII 1936 George V's son; abdicated
   George VI 1936– 1952 George V's son
   Elizabeth II 6 February 1952- George VI's daughter; also queen of 31
   other sovereign kingdoms.
   Retrieved from "
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monarchs_in_the_British_Isles"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
