Anglo-Saxon and Danish kings

Egbert (802–839) Egbert, King of Wessex, was the first monarch to establish stable rule over the whole of Anglo-Saxon England.

Aethelwulf (839–856) Aethelwulf was the son of Egbert. In 851 he defeated a Viking Danish army at the Battle of Aclea.

Aethelbald (856–860) The eldest son of Aethelwulf, Aethelbald was born around 834. He forced his father to abdicate upon his return from his pilgrimage to Rome.

Aethelbert (860–866) Aethelbert became king following the death of his brother Aethelbald.

Aethelred I (866–871) Aethelred succeeded his brother Aethelbert. His reign became a struggle against the invading Danish forces, who established the Viking kingdom of Yorvik.

Alfred the Great (871–899) Alfred became king of Wessex in 871 and spent the first years of his reign fighting the Vikings. After he defeated them in 878, he signed a treaty with their leader, Guthrum, dividing England in two along a line from London to Chester. Alfred ruled the land to the south but was recognized as overlord of the Viking-run territory, which was later known as the Danelaw, to the north.

Edward the Elder (899–924) Edward was the son of Alfred the Great. A bold soldier, he made substantial gains from the Danes.

Aethelstan (924–939) Son of Edward the Elder, Aethelstan extended the boundaries of his kingdom even further than his father had done. For the first time, all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were brought together to create a unified England.

Edmund I (939–946) Edmund succeeded his half-bother Aethelstan as king at the age of 18. He re-established Anglo-Saxon control over northern England and suppressed rebellions by the Mercian Danes.

Eadred (946–955) The son of Edward the Elder by his third marriage to Eadgifu, Eadred succeeded his brother Edmund. He defeated the last Viking king of York, Eric Bloodaxe, in 954.

Eadwig (955–959) The eldest son of Edmund, Eadwig (Edwy) was about 16 when he was crowned king. Mercia and Northumbria broke away in rebellion during Eadwig’s short reign.

Edgar (959–975) The youngest son of Edmund, Edgar “the Peaceful” had been in dispute with his brother concerning succession to the throne. He was already king of Mercia and the Danelaw from 957, and succeeded his brother as king of England following Eadwig's death in 959.

Edward the Martyr (975–978) Eldest son of Edgar, Edward was crowned king when aged just 12. His claim to the throne was contested by the supporters of his even younger half-brother, Aethelred.

Aethelred II (978–1013 and 1014–1016) Aethelred “the Unready”, the younger son of Edgar, became king at the age of about 10. He was forced to flee to Normandy in 1013 when Sweyn Forkbeard, King of the Danes, invaded England, but returned in 1014 after Sweyn's death.

Sweyn Forkbeard (1013–1014) The Danish king, Sweyn Forkbeard invaded England in 2013. He was pronounced king of England on Christmas Day 1013, becoming the first Danish king of England. Just five weeks later he was dead.

Edmund II Ironside (1016) The son of Aethelred and his first wife, Aelfgifu of York, Edmund Ironside was chosen to succeed Aethelred by the citizens of London—but much of the rest of the country had by that time been conquered by Cnut, who had succeeded his father, Sweyn, as the Danish king.

Cnut (1016–1035) Edmund Ironside agreed to divide the kingdom of England, with the Danish king, Cnut, ruling the north and Edmund the south. However, Edmund suddenly died, leaving the whole country to Cnut. A wise ruler, he created a large empire, including Denmark, Norway and parts of Sweden, as well as England.

Harold I (1035–1040) Harold I, known as Harold Harefoot, was the son of Cnut and his first wife, Aelfgifu. He and his half-brother Harthacnut divided up the kingdom of England between them after their father's death.

Harthacnut (1040–1042) Harthacnut was the son of Cnut and his second wife, Emma of Normandy, the former wife of Aethelred the Unready. On the death of his half-brother Harold Harefoot in 1040, the kingdom of England fell to Harthacnut alone.

Edward the Confessor (1042–1066) As the surviving son of Aethelred and his second wife Emma, Edward the Confessor became the undisputed king. He gained a reputation as a skilled and powerful leader.

Harold II (1066) Harold II, originally called Harold Godwinson, was elected King of England by a council of high-ranking nobles and religious leaders following the death of Edward the Confessor. This decision infuriated William, Duke of Normandy, who believed the throne had been promised to him. Harold was killed at the Battle of Hastings.

Norman kings

William I (William the Conqueror, 1066–1087) In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England to gain the crown, which he believed had been promised to him by Edward the Confessor. At the Battle of Hastings, he defeated and killed Harold. During his reign the Domesday Book was compiled.

William II (1087–1100) William II was known as Rufus because of his red face. Outspoken, cruel and unpopular, he extended Norman rule to the far north of England, and tightened his grip on the Duchy of Normandy.

Henry I (1100–1135) Henry I was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and became king after the death of his brother, William II, in 1100. After the Battle of Tinchebrai in 1106, Henry took over direct rule of the Duchy of Normandy from his brother Robert, whom he imprisoned.

Stephen (1135–1154) Henry I’s son and heir, William, died when his boat, the White Ship, sunk while crossing the English Channel in 1120. So the crown should have passed Henry’s daughter, Matilda, on his death in 1135. However, her cousin Stephen seized it for himself. Matilda invaded England in 1139 to claim the throne, and civil war broke out between the two rivals.

Plantagenet kings

Henry II (1154–1189) Henry II, the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet and Henry I's daughter Matilda, became possibly the most powerful monarch in Europe with lands stretching from the borders of Scotland all the way south to the Pyrenees. A brilliant military commander, he spent much of his reign fighting abroad.

Richard I (Richard the Lionheart, 1189–1199) Richard I spent most of his reign either on Crusade, attempting to regain the Holy Land from Muslim control, or fighting to keep hold of his lands in France.

John (1199–1216) John was unpopular with the leading noblemen of his day. They objected to his high levels of taxation, the loss of English lands in France and his dispute with the Pope. In 1215 the nobles drew up a list of complaints in a treaty called Magna Carta, and forced John to sign it .

Henry III (1216–1272) Henry’s tax demands led to disputes with the barons. During his reign, “Parlement”, or Parliament, was established at Westminster. War later broke out with the barons, under their leader, Simon de Montfort, who scored a victory at the Battle of Lewes in 1264.

Edward I (1272–1307) A great legal reformer, Edward extended English power by conquering Wales and claimed overlordship over Scotland, for which he became known as the Hammer of the Scots. His newborn son, also called Edward, was proclaimed the first English Prince of Wales.

Edward II (1307–1327) Edward was unpopular with the barons. Defeat at the hands of the Scottish king, Robert Bruce, at the Battle of Bannockburn, caused him to become even more so. Edward was deposed in favour of son, and later murdered at Berkeley Castle.

Edward III (1327–77) Edward claimed the throne of France through his mother, and started what became known as the Hundred Years’ War to enforce his claim. During his reign, Edward III agreed laws that made it illegal to raise new taxes without the agreement of parliament.

Richard II (1377–1399) Richard relied on unpopular favourites and aroused hostility amongst certain barons. Five barons, known as the Lords Appellant, sentenced many of Richard’s favourites to death. Richard later banished them—but one, Bolingbroke, returned with an army and Richard was forced to give up his throne.

Henry IV (1399-1413) Henry Bolingbroke became Henry IV, the first monarch from the House of Lancaster. He spent much of the early years of his reign suppressing the opposition against him led by Owain Glyndwr and Henry Percy.

Henry V (1413–1422) The focus of Henry V’s attention was France, whose lands once held by his ancestors he was determined to regain. In 1415, Henry defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt, and later gained control of Normandy. He won recognition as heir to the French throne.

Henry VI (1422–1461 and 1470–71) England lost its French possessions to the French Dauphin and Joan of Arc. Civil war, known as the Wars of the Roses, broke out between the Yorkists, led by the Duke of York, and Lancastrians, led by the king’s wife, Margaret. Henry fled into exile and Edward of York crowned himself King Edward IV. Restored to the throne in 1470, Henry’s forces were defeated by Edward in 1471. Henry was imprisoned and executed.

Edward IV (1461–1470 and 1471–83) Having defeated the Lancastrians at the Battle of Towton in 1461, Edward IV, the son of Richard, Duke of York, became king—the first from the House of York—in 1461. Henry VI was restored to the throne in 1470, but Edward defeated him in 1471 and was crowned once more.

Edward V (1483) Edward V was only 12 years old when he succeeded his father in 1483. His uncle Richard arranged for both the young king and his 10-year-old brother Richard to take up lodgings in the Tower of London. Richard then was crowned king. The young princes, the "Princes in the Tower", were probably murdered on Richard's orders.

Richard III (1483–1485) Richard III succeeded to the throne after parliament ruled against Edward V’s claim. It is likely he had Edward and his brother Richard, the “Princes in the Tower”, murdered. Resentment against Richard quickly grew. Henry Tudor claimed the throne for the Lancastrians and fought and killed Richard at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

Tudor kings and queens

Henry VII (1485–1509) After the Battle of Bosworth, Henry was crowned King Henry VII, the first Tudor king of England. Soon afterwards, he married Elizabeth, daughter of the Yorkist king, Edward IV, thus uniting the houses of Lancaster and York. A skilful king, he reduced the power of the nobility and increased the wealth of the Crown.

Henry VIII (1509–1547) Henry VIII was well known for having six wives. His first wife, Catherine of Aragon, bore him only a daughter and not the son he had hoped for. Henry therefore tried to annul, or cancel, the marriage. He also wished to marry his mistress Anne Boleyn. But the Pope refused to agree, so Henry broke off all relations with Rome. This established the Church of England and began the English Protestant Reformation.

Edward VI (1547–1553) Edward became king at the age of nine, but was always in poor health. When John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, took over as Edward’s chief minister, he persuaded the young king to approve a successor other than his Catholic sister Mary. Lady Jane Grey, a great-granddaughter of Henry VII, was queen for only a few days, however, before Mary came to the throne.

Mary I (1553–1558) Mary was the first queen to rule England in her own right. Determined to re-impose Catholicism, and marry Philip II of Spain, hundreds of Protestants were burned at the stake for heresy, for which she became known as "Bloody Mary".

Elizabeth I (1558–1603) Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on the death of her half-sister Mary in 1558 and proved to be a strong and popular monarch. After she executed her Catholic cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, for treason, Philip II of Spain sent a huge fleet, the Spanish Armada, to invade England in 1588. It was defeated in a great victory for the English navy. Elizabeth never married; when she died in 1603 without any children, the English throne passed to James VI of Scotland.

Stuart kings and queens

James I (1603–1625) James VI of Scotland, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, succeeded to the English throne, when, as James I, he became the first of the new line of Stuart kings that ruled both countries until 1714. In 1605, a Catholic plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament, known as the Gunpowder Plot, was uncovered.

Charles I (1625–1649) Charles’s disagreements with Parliament over the right to levy taxes and his refusal to consult Parliament led to the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642. It was fought between the Cavalier supporters of the king and the Parliamentarians, known as Roundheads. After defeating the king, the English Parliament tried and executed Charles in January 1649.

Charles II (1660–1685) In 1660 the monarchy was restored after a period of rule called the Commonwealth. Charles I’s son, Charles II, became king. The early years of Charles's reign saw a plague which hit the country in 1665 and the Great Fire of London in 1666 which destroyed much of central London.

James II (1685–1688) Charles II was succeeded by his Catholic brother, James II. James intended to restore Catholicism to Britain. Protestant lords objected and offered the crown to the Protestant husband of James's daughter, Mary, William of Orange. William’s arrival in England, the “Glorious Revolution” of 1688, caused James to flee to France.

William III (1689–1702) and Mary II (1689–1694) In 1689, Parliament offered the throne to Mary and her husband William as joint monarchs, Mary II and Willliam III. They accepted the Bill of Rights, which laid down limits on the powers of the monarch and set out the rights of Parliament. The Act of Settlement of 1701 was passed to secure the Protestant succession to the throne.

Anne (1702–1714) During Anne's reign (1707) the United Kingdom of Great Britain was created by the Union of England and Scotland. After her death, by the Act of Settlement, the succession went to the nearest Protestant relative of the Stuart line. This was Sophia, Electress of Hanover. Sophia died a few weeks before Anne, and so the throne passed to her son, George.

Consultant: Philip Parker