Search results
People also ask
When did Britain become a kingdom?
How long did Queen Anne reign?
Who was the first king of England?
Who is the longest reigning monarch in British history?
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The reigning king or queen is the country’s head of state. All political power rests with the prime minister (the head of government) and the cabinet, and the monarch.
- Edward VI
Edward VI, king of England and Ireland from 1547 to 1553. He...
- Victoria
Victoria (born May 24, 1819, Kensington Palace, London,...
- Anne
Anne was the second daughter of James, duke of York (King...
- Egbert
The son of Ealhmund, king in Kent in 784 and 786, Egbert was...
- George III
George III (born June 4 [May 24, Old Style], 1738,...
- Charles II
Charles II (born May 29, 1630, London—died February 6, 1685,...
- Henry V
Henry V (born September 16?, 1387, Monmouth, Monmouthshire,...
- Edward I
Edward I (born June 17, 1239, Westminster, Middlesex,...
- Edward VI
Apr 22, 2024 · 30 April 2024. News. The Prince of Wales visits the Northeast of England. 30 April 2024. News. The Queen visits The Royal Lancers, for her first time as Colonel-in-Chief. 22 April 2024. The Coronation. Feature. The Coronation Weekend. News. The Coronation Regalia. 09 April 2023.
- English Kings
- Monarchs of England and Wales
- Monarchs of England, Wales and Ireland
- British Monarchs
SAXON KINGS
EGBERT 827 – 839 Egbert (Ecgherht) was the first monarch to establish a stable and extensive rule over all of Anglo-Saxon England. After returning from exile at the court of Charlemagne in 802, he regained his kingdom of Wessex. Following his conquest of Mercia in 827, he controlled all of England south of the Humber. After further victories in Northumberland and North Wales, he is recognised by the title Bretwalda (Anglo-Saxon, “ruler of the British”). A year before he died aged almost 70, h...
NORMAN KINGS
WILLIAM I (The Conqueror) 1066- 1087 Also known as William the Bastard (but not normally to his face!), he was the illegitimate son of Robert the Devil, whom he succeeded as Duke of Normandy in 1035. William came to England from Normandy, claiming that his second cousin Edward the Confessor had promised him the throne, and defeated Harold II at the Battle of Hastings on 14th October 1066. In 1085 the Domesday Survey was begun and all of England was recorded, so William knew exactly what his n...
PLANTAGENET KINGS
HENRY II 1154-1189 Henry of Anjou was a strong king. A brilliant soldier, he extended his French lands until he ruled most of France. He laid the foundation of the English Jury System and raised new taxes (scutage) from the landholders to pay for a militia force. Henry is mostly remembered for his quarrel with Thomas Becket, and Becket’s subsequent murder in Canterbury Cathedralon 29th December 1170. His sons turned against him, even his favourite John. RICHARD I (The Lionheart) 1189 – 1199 R...
EDWARD I 1272 – 1307 Edward Longshanks was a statesman, lawyer and soldier. He formed the Model Parliament in 1295, bringing the knights, clergy and nobility, as well as the Lords and Commons together for the first time. Aiming at a united Britain, he defeated the Welsh chieftains and created his eldest son Prince of Wales. He was known as the ‘Ham...
HENRY VIII 1509 – 1547 The best known fact about Henry VIII is that he had six wives! Most school children learn the following rhyme to help them remember the fate of each wife: “Divorced, Beheaded, Died: Divorced, Beheaded, Survived”. His first wife was Catherine of Aragon, his brothers widow, whom he later divorced to marry Anne Boleyn. This divo...
THE STUARTS
JAMES I and VI of Scotland 1603 -1625 James was the son of Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley. He was the first king to rule over Scotland and England. James was more of a scholar than a man of action. In 1605 the Gunpowder Plot was hatched: Guy Fawkes and his Catholic friends tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament, but were captured before they could do so. James’s reign saw the publication of the Authorised Version of the Bible, though this caused problems with the Puritans and their a...
THE COMMONWEALTH
declared May 19th 1649 OLIVER CROMWELL, Lord Protector 1653 – 1658 Cromwell was born at Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire in 1599, the son of a small landowner. He entered Parliament in 1629 and became active in events leading to the Civil War. A leading Puritan figure, he raised cavalry forces and organised the New Model Army, which he led to victory over the Royalists at the Battle of Nasebyin 1645. Failing to gain agreement on constitutional change in government with Charles I, Cromwell was a mem...
THE RESTORATION
CHARLES II 1660 – 1685 Son of Charles I, also known as the Merry Monarch. After the collapse of the Protectorate following the death of Oliver Cromwell and the flight of Richard Cromwell to France, the Army and Parliament asked Charles to take the throne. Although very popular he was a weak king and his foreign policy was inept. He had 13 known mistresses, one of whom was Nell Gwyn. He fathered numerous illegitimate children but no heir to the throne. The Great Plague in 1665 and the Great Fi...
The current monarch is King Charles III, who ascended the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The monarch and their immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial, diplomatic and representational duties.
Sep 8, 2022 · 8 minute read. Updated 1:58 PM EDT, Wed September 14, 2022. Link Copied! CNN — Charles has become Britain’s new King following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 96. The...
Queen Anne became monarch of the Kingdom of Great Britain after the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland on 1 May 1707. She had ruled England, Scotland, and the Kingdom of Ireland since 8 March 1702. She continued as queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death. Her total reign lasted 12 years and 147 days.
