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The Royal Arms of England, as introduced by King Richard the Lionheart in 1198, and before its later quarterings with other shields, additions of supporters and other embellishments.

The first person to assume the title King of the English was apparently Offa of Mercia, though his power did not survive him. In the 9th century the kings of Wessex, who conquered Kent and Sussex from Mercia in 825, became increasingly dominant over the other kingdoms of England. The conquest of Northumbria, East Anglia and half of Mercia by the Danes left Alfred the Great of Wessex as the only surviving English king. He successfully resisted a series of Danish invasions and brought the remaining half of Mercia under the sovereignty of Wessex.

The continuous list of English monarchs traditionally begins with Egbert of Wessex in 829. The English kingdom was not permanently unified until 927, under Athelstan. The Principality of Wales was incorporated into the Kingdom of England under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 and, in 1301, Edward invested his eldest son, Edward of Caernarfon, as Prince of Wales. Since that time, with the exception of Edward III, the eldest sons of all English monarchs have borne this title. After the death of Elizabeth I of England in 1603, the kingdoms of England and Scotland were united under James I and VI. By royal proclamation James titled himself 'King of Great Britain'. England underwent political union with Scotland in 1707 to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. Since that date the title King or Queen of England is incorrect, though has remained in usage to the present day. In 1801 Great Britain incorporated the Kingdom of Ireland which had been under English rule since Henry II.

House of Mercia

According to some sources the first ruler to assume the title King of the English is said to have been Offa in 774, who had been King of Mercia since 757, but this claim is based on charters apparently forged in the 10th century.¹ However, on some of his coins Offa describes himself as Of Rx A, believed to stand for Offa Rex Anglorum.²

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Offa (+OFFA•REX+) 774-796		son of Thingfrith	Cynethryth five children	26 or 29 July 796

House of Wessex

Main article: House of Wessex

The continuous list traditionally starts with Egbert, King of Wessex from 802, the first King of Wessex to have overlordship over much of England.³ He defeated the Mercians in 825 and became Bretwalda in 829. However, permanent unity was not achieved until 927, under Athelstan.

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Egbert (Ecgberht) 829-8394		c.7755 son of Ealhmund of Kent4	Redburga three children4	4 February 839 aged about 644
Ethelwulf (Æþelwulf) 5 February 839-856		Aachen son of Egbert and Redburga	(1) Osburga six children (2) Judith of Flanders 1 October 853 no children	13 January 858 62 or 633
Ethelbald (Æþelbald) 856-860		c.831 son of Ethelwulf and Osburga	Judith of Flanders no children	20 December 860 aged about 293
Ethelbert (Æþelberht) 21 December 860-865		c.835 son of Ethelwulf and Osburga	unknown two children	865 aged about 303
Ethelred (Æþelræd) 865-871		c.837 son of Ethelwulf and Osburga	Wulfrida 868 two children	23 April 871 aged about 343
Alfred the Great (Ælfræd) 24 April 871–8996		c.849 Wantage son of Ethelwulf and Osburga7	Ealhswith Winchester 868 six children8	26 October 899 aged about 506
Edward the Elder (Eadweard) 27 October 899–9249		c.871-877 son of Alfred the Great and Ealhswith10	(1) Ecgwynn 893 three children (2) Aelffaed c.902 ten children (3) Edgiva of Kent 905 four children11	17 July 924 Farndon, Cheshire aged about 509
Elfward (Ælfweard) 18 July - 2 August 92412 Succession uncertain / disputed	No image available	c.902 son of Edward the Elder and Aelffaed	unmarried	2 August 924 aged about 22
Athelstan the Glorious (Æþelstan) 3 August 924–93913		895 son of Edward the Elder and Ecgwynn14	unmarried13	27 October 939 aged about 4413
Edmund the Magnificent (Eadmund) 28 October 939–94615		c.921 son of Edward the Elder and Edgiva of Kent15	(1) Elgiva three children (2) Æthelflæd of Damerham 944 no children16	26 May 946 Pucklechurch aged about 25 (murdered)15
Eadred (Eadred) 27 May 946–95517		c.923 son of Edward the Elder and Edgiva of Kent18	unmarried18	23 November 955 Frome aged about 3219
Eadwig (Eadwig) 24 November 955–95920		c.940 son of Edmund the Magnificent and Elgiva21	Elgiva20	1 October 959 aged about 1920
Edgar the Peaceable (Eadgar) 2 October 959–97522		c.943 Wessex son of Edmund the Magnificent and Elgiva23	(1) Ethelflaed c.960 1 son (2) Ælfthryth c.96423 2 sons	8 July 975 Winchester aged about 3224
Saint Edward the Martyr (Eadweard) 9 July 975–97825		c.962 son of Edgar the Peaceable and Ethelflaed26	unmarried	18 March 978 Corfe Castle aged about 16 (assassinated)25
Ethelred the Unready (Æþelræd Unræd) 19 March 978–101627		c.968 son of Edgar the Peaceable and Ælfthryth28	(1) Ælflaed of Northumbria four children (2) Aelgifu 991 six children (3) Emma of Normandy 1002 three children29	23 April 1016 London aged about 4827
Edmund Ironside (Eadmund) 24 April – 30 November 101630		c.993 son of Ethelred the Unready and Ælflaed of Northumbria30	Edith of East Anglia two children31	30 November 1016 Glastonbury aged about 233031

House of Denmark

England came under the rule of Danish kings following the reign of Ethelred the Unready. Some, though not all, of these were also kings of Denmark.

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Sweyn Forkbeard (Svend Tveskæg) 25 December32 1013–101433		c.960 Denmark son of Harald Bluetooth and Gyrid Olafsdottir34	(1) Gunhilda of Poland c.990 seven children (2) Sigrid the Haughty c.1000 1 daughter34	3 February 1014 Gainsborough aged about 5434
Canute (Knútr) 1 December 1016–103535		c.995 son of Sweyn Forkbeard35	(1) Aelgifu of Northampton two children (2) Emma of Normandy 101735	12 November 1035 Shaftesbury aged about 4035
Harold Harefoot (Harald) 13 November 1035–104036		c.1016/7 son of Canute and Aelgifu of Northampton36	Aelgifu 1 son37	17 March 1040 Oxford aged about 23 or 2436
Harthacanute (Hardeknud) 18 June 1040–104238		1018 son of Canute and Emma of Normandy37	unknown	8 June 1042 Lambeth aged about 2437

House of Wessex (restored)

After Harthacanute, there was a brief Saxon Restoration between 1042 and 1066 under Edward the Confessor and Harold II. After the Battle of Hastings, a decisive point in British history, William of Normandy became king of England.

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Saint Edward the Confessor (Eadweard) 9 June 1042–106639		c.1003 Islip, Oxfordshire son of Ethelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy39	Edith of Wessex 23 January 1045 no children39	5 January 1066 Westminster Palace aged about 6039
Harold Godwinson (Harold Godwinesson) 6 January – 14 October 106639		c.1020 son of Godwin, Earl of Wessex and Gytha Thorkelsdóttir39	(1) Edith Swannesha six children (2) Ealdgyth of Mercia York c.1064 one son39	14 October 1066 Hastings aged about 46 (died in battle)39
Edgar the Atheling (Eadgar Æþeling) 15 October – 17 December 106640	No image available	c.1053 Hungary son of Edward the Exile and Agatha41	unmarried41	c.1125 aged about 7240

House of Normandy

In 1066, Duke William II of Normandy conquered England. The invading Normans and their descendants replaced the Anglo-Saxons as the ruling class of England. The nobility of England were part of a single French-speaking culture and many had lands on both sides of the channel. Early Norman kings of England were, as Dukes of Normandy, vassals to the King of France. They may not have necessarily considered England to be their most important holding (although it brought the title of King - an important status symbol). King Richard I (the Lionheart) is often thought to epitomise a medieval English King, but he spoke only French and spent more time in Aquitaine or on Crusade than in England.

It was only after the Norman Conquest of 1066 that monarchs took regnal numbers in the French fashion, though the earlier custom of distinguishing monarchs by nicknames did not die out immediately.

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
William I the Conqueror/the Bastard (Guillaume le Conquérant/le Bâtard) 25 December 1066–108742		c.1028 Falaise Castle son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy and Herleva42	Matilda of Flanders Chapel Notre Dame of the castle in Eu, Normandy 1053 ten children42	9 September 1087 St. Gervais in Rouen aged about 5942. Buried at Saint Etienne Abbey (Abbaye aux Hommes) of Caen
William II Rufus (Guillaume le Roux) 26 September 1087–110042		c.1060 Normandy son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders42	unmarried	2 August 1100 New Forest aged about 4042
Henry I (Henri Beauclerc) 5 August 1100–113543		September 1068 Selby son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders43	(1) Edith of Scotland Westminster Abbey 11 November 1100 four children (2) Adeliza of Louvain Windsor Castle 29 January 1121 no children43	1 December 1135 Castle of Lyons-la-Forêt (Saint-Denis-en-Lyons) aged 6743. Buried at Reading Abbey
Stephen (Étienne de Blois) 22 December 1135–115444		c.1096 Blois son of Stephen, Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy43	Matilda of Boulogne Westminster 1125 five children43	25 October 1154 Dover Castle aged about 5843
Matilda/Maud (Mathilde ou Mahaut l'emperesse) 7 April–1 November 114145 Title disputed		7 February 1102 Sutton Courtenay only legitimate daughter of Henry I and Edith of Scotland46	(1) Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor Mainz 6 January 1114 no children (2) Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou Le Mans Cathedral 22 May 1128 four children45	10 September 1167 Notre Dame du Pré in Rouen aged 6545

House of Plantagenet

Main article: House of Plantagenet

Stephen came to an agreement in November 1153, with the signing of the Treaty of Wallingford where Stephen recognised Henry, son of Matilda, as his heir to the throne in lieu of his own son.

The early Plantagenets ruled many territories in France, and did not regard England as their primary home until after most of their French possessions were lost by King John. This long-lived dynasty is usually divided into three houses: the Angevins, the House of Lancaster, and the House of York.

Angevins

Main article: Angevin

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Henry II Curtmantle (Henri Court-mantel) 19 December 1154–118947		5 March 1133 Le Mans son of Geoffrey of Anjou and Matilda47	Eleanor of Aquitaine Bordeaux Cathedral 18 May 1152 eight children47	6 July 1189 Château Chinon aged 5647. Buried at Fontevraud Abbey
Henry the Young King (Henri le Jeune Roy) (coregent with his father) 14 June 1170–1183		28 February 1155 son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine	Marguerite of France Winchester Cathedral 27 August 1172 one child	11 June 1183 Martel, Limoges aged 28. Buried at Rouen Cathedral (Notre-Dame)
Richard I the Lionheart (Richard Cœur de Lion) 3 September 1189–119947		8 September 1157 Beaumont Palace son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine47	Berengaria of Navarre Limassol 12 May 1191 no children47	6 April 1199 Chalus aged 4147. Buried: Heart at Rouen Cathedral. Body at Fontevraud Abbey
John Lackland/Softsword (Jean Sans Terre) 27 May 1199–121648		24 December 1167 Beaumont Palace son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine48	(1) Isabel of Gloucester Marlborough Castle 29 August 1189 no children (2) Isabella of Angoulême Bordeaux Cathedral 24 August 1200 five children48	19 October 1216 Newark Castle aged 4848 Buried at Worcester Cathedral
Henry III of Winchester 28 October 1216–127249		1 October 1207 Winchester Castle son of John and Isabella of Angoulême49	Eleanor of Provence Canterbury Cathedral 14 January 1236 nine children49	16 November 1272 Westminster Palace aged 6549
Edward I Longshanks 20 November 1272–130750		17 June 1239 Westminster Palace son of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence50	(1) Eleanor of Castile Abbey of Santa Maria la Real de Huelgas 18 October 1254 17 children (2) Marguerite of France 10 September 1299 three children50	7 July 1307 Burgh by Sands aged 6850
Edward II 7 July 1307 – 25 January 132751		25 April 1284 Caernarfon Castle son of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile51	Isabella of France Boulogne Cathedral 25 January 1308 five children51	21 September 1327 Berkeley Castle aged 43 (murdered)51
Edward III 25 January 1327–137752		13 November 1312 Windsor Castle son of Edward II and Isabella of France52	Philippa of Hainault York Minster 24 January 1328 14 children52	21 June 1377 Sheen Palace aged 6452
Richard II 21 June 1377 – 29 September 139953		6 January 1367 Bordeaux son of Edward, the Black Prince and Joan of Kent53	(1) Anne of Bohemia 14 January 1382 no children (2) Isabella of Valois Calais 4 November 1396 no children53	6 January 1400 Pontefract Castle aged 3353

House of Lancaster

Main article: House of Lancaster

This house descended from Edward III's third surviving son, John of Gaunt.

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Henry IV Bolingbroke 30 September 1399–141354		3 April 1366/7 Bolingbroke Castle son of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster54	(1) Mary de Bohun Arundel Castle 27 July 1380 seven children (2) Joanna of Navarre Winchester Cathedral 7 February 1403 no children54	20 March 1413 Westminster Abbey aged 45 or 4655
Henry V 20 March 1413–142254		9 August 1387 (or 16 September) Monmouth Castle son of Henry IV and Mary de Bohun54	Catherine of Valois Troyes Cathedral 2 June 1420 one son54	31 August 1422 Château de Vincennes aged 3554
Henry VI 31 August 1422 – 4 March 146156		6 December 1421 Windsor Castle son of Henry V and Catherine of Valois56	Margaret of Anjou Titchfield Abbey 22 April 1445 1 son56	21 May 1471 Tower of London aged 49 (murdered)56

House of York

Main article: House of York

The House of York was descended from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III.

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Edward IV 4 March 1461 – 2 October 147057		28 April 1442 Rouen son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville57	Elizabeth Woodville Grafton Regis 1 May 1464 ten children57	9 April 1483 Westminster Palace aged 4057

House of Lancaster (restored)

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Henry VI 2 October 1470 – 11 April 147156		6 December 1421 Windsor Castle son of Henry V and Catherine of Valois56	Margaret of Anjou Titchfield Abbey 22 April 1445 1 son56	21 May 1471 Tower of London aged 49 (murdered)56

House of York (restored)

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Edward IV 11 April 1471 – 9 April 148357		28 April 1442 Rouen son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville57	Elizabeth Woodville Grafton Regis 1 May 1464 ten children57	9 April 1483 Westminster Palace aged 4057
Edward V 9 April–25 June 148358		2 November 1470 Westminster son of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville58	unmarried	c. 1483 London aged about 12 (traditionally murdered)59
Richard III 26 June 1483–148560		2 October 1452 Fotheringhay Castle son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville61	Anne Neville Westminster Abbey 12 July 1472 1 son61	22 August 1485 Bosworth Field aged 32 (killed in battle)61

House of Tudor

Main article: Tudor dynasty

The Tudors descended matrilineally from John Beaufort, one of the illegitimate children of 14th Century English Prince John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (third surviving son of Edward III of England), by Gaunt's long-term mistress Katherine Swynford. The descendants of an illegitimate child of English Royalty would normally have no claim on the throne, but the situation was complicated when Gaunt and Swynford eventually married in 1396 (25 years after John Beaufort's birth). In view of the marriage, the church retroactively declared the Beauforts legitimate via a papal bull the same year (also enshrined in an Act of Parliament in 1397). A subsequent proclamation by John of Gaunt's legitimate son, King Henry IV, also recognized the Beauforts' legitimacy, but declared them ineligible to ever inherit the throne. Nevertheless, the Beauforts remained closely allied with Gaunt's other descendants, the Royal House of Lancaster.

John Beaufort's granddaughter Lady Margaret Beaufort, a considerable heiress, was married to Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond. Tudor was the son of Welsh courtier Owain Tewdr (anglicised to "Owen Tudor") and Katherine of Valois, widowed Queen Consort of the Lancastrian King Henry V. Edmund Tudor and his siblings were either illegitimate, or the product of a secret marriage, and owed their fortunes to the goodwill of their legitimate half-brother King Henry VI. When the House of Lancaster fell from power, the Tudors followed.

With Henry VIII's break from the Roman Catholic Church, the monarch became the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Elizabeth I's title became the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Henry VII 22 August 1485–150962		28 January 1457 Pembroke Castle son of Edmund Tudor and Lady Margaret Beaufort62	Elizabeth of York Westminster Abbey 18 January 1486 eight children62	21 April 1509 Richmond Palace aged 5262
Henry VIII 21 April 1509–154763		28 June 1491 Greenwich Palace son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York63	Catherine of Aragon Greenwich 11 June 1509 one daughter	28 January 1547 Whitehall Palace aged 5563
			Anne Boleyn Westminster Palace 25 January 1533 one daughter
			Jane Seymour Whitehall Palace 30 May 1536 one son
			Anne of Cleves Greenwich Palace 6 January 1540
			Catherine Howard Hampton Court Palace 28 July 1540
			Catherine Parr Hampton Court Palace 12 July 1543
Edward VI 28 January 1547–155364		12 October 1537 Hampton Court Palace son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour64	unmarried	6 July 1553 Greenwich Palace aged 1564
Jane (The Nine Days' Queen) 10 July–19 July 155365 De facto queen; title disputed		October 1537 Bradgate Park daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Lady Frances Brandon65	Lord Guildford Dudley The Strand 21 May 1553 no children66	12 February 1554 Tower of London aged 16 (beheaded)65
Mary I (Bloody Mary) 19 July 1553–155864		18 February 1516 Greenwich Palace daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon64	Philip II of Spain Winchester Cathedral 25 July 1554 no children64	17 November 1558 St. James's Palace aged 4264
Elizabeth I (The Virgin Queen) 17 November 1558–160364		7 September 1533 Greenwich Palace daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn64	unmarried	24 March 1603 Richmond Palace aged 6964

House of Stuart

Main article: House of Stuart

Following the death of Elizabeth I in 1603 without issue, the Scottish king, James VI, succeeded to the English throne as James I in what became known as the Union of the Crowns. James was descended from the Tudors through his great-grandmother, Margaret Tudor, the eldest daughter of Henry VII. In 1604 he adopted the title King of Great Britain, although the two kingdoms remained separate.

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
James I 24 March 1603–162567		19 June 1566 Edinburgh Castle son of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots67	Anne of Denmark Oslo 23 November 1589 seven children67	27 March 1625 Theobalds House aged 5867
Charles I (Saint Charles the Martyr) 27 March 1625–164968		19 November 1600 Dunfermline Palace son of James I and Anne of Denmark68	Henrietta Maria of France St Augustine's Abbey 13 June 1625 nine children68	30 January 1649 Whitehall Palace aged 48 (beheaded)68

Commonwealth

Main article: Commonwealth of England

There was no reigning monarch between the execution of Charles I in 1649 and the Restoration of Charles II in 1660. Despite this, from 1653 the following individuals held power as Lords Protector, during the period known as the Protectorate.

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Oliver Cromwell (Old Ironsides) 16 December 1653–165869		25 April 1599 Huntingdon69 son of Robert Cromwell and Elizabeth Stewart70	Elizabeth Bourchier St Giles71 22 August 1620 nine children69	3 September 1658 Whitehall aged 5969
Richard Cromwell (Tumbledown Dick) 3 September 1658 – 7 May 165972		4 October 1626 Huntingdon son of Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier72	Dorothy Maijor May 1649 no children72	12 July 1712 Cheshunt aged 8573

House of Stuart (restored)

Although the monarchy was restored in 1660, no stable settlement proved possible until the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when parliament finally asserted the right to choose whomsoever it pleased as monarch.

Monarch	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Charles II 30 January 1660-168574 Royalists dated his reign from 1649		29 May 1630 St. James's Palace son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France75	Catherine of Braganza Portsmouth 21 May 1662 three children (none survived infancy)75	6 February 1685 Whitehall Palace aged 5475
James II 6 February 1685 – 23 December 168876		14 October 1633 St. James's Palace son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France76	(1) Anne Hyde The Strand 3 September 1660 eight children (2) Mary of Modena Dover 21 November 1673 seven children76	16 September 1701 Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye aged 6776
William III of Orange (Willem van Oranje) 13 February 1689–170277		4 November 1650 The Hague son of William II, Prince of Orange and Mary Stuart78	St. James's Palace 4 November 1677 three children (none survived infancy)77	8 March 1702 Kensington Palace aged 5177
Mary II 13 February 1689–169476		30 April 1662 St. James's Palace daughter of James II and Anne Hyde76		28 December 1694 Kensington Palace aged 3276
Anne 8 March 1702-170779 Great Britain 1 May 1707-1714		6 February 1665 St. James's Palace daughter of James II and Anne Hyde80	George of Denmark St. James's Palace 28 July 1683 17 children80	1 August 1714 Kensington Palace aged 4980

Acts of Union

See also: List of British monarchs

The Acts of Union were a pair of Parliamentary Acts passed during 1706 and 1707 by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland to put into effect the terms of the Treaty of Union that had been agreed on July 22, 1706, following negotiation between commissioners representing the parliaments of the two countries. The Acts joined the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland (previously separate states, with separate legislatures but with the same monarch) into a single United Kingdom of Great Britain.⁸¹

The two countries had shared a monarch for about 100 years (since the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when King James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne from his aunt, Queen Elizabeth I). Although described as a Union of Crowns, until 1707 there were in fact two separate Crowns resting on the same head. There had been three attempts in 1606, 1667, and 1689 to unite the two countries by Acts of Parliament, but it was not until the early 18th century that the idea had the will of both political establishments behind them, albeit for rather different reasons.

Notes