Kings and Queens of England and Britain

This list includes all the monarchs / Kings and Queens of England and Britain who reigned over Great Britain, that is to say over Scotland from 843 to 1707, over England from 878 to 1707. From May 1, 1707, following the “Act of Union”, Anne Stuart becomes Queen of Great Britain.

The British monarchy was born almost 1000 years ago. Throughout this period, the kings of England succeeded one another according to a tumultuous history. From King of England, they were also King of Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Discover the detailed list of the Kings and Queens of England according to the different Houses that ruled the British Isles.

Who are the Anglo-Saxons?

The Anglo-Saxons are a people of Germanic origin who settled in Great Britain from the 5th century. The Anglo-Saxon period of the history of England traditionally extends until the Norman conquest, in 1066. It sees the Christianization of the Anglo-Saxons from the seventh century and the gradual emergence of the kingdom of England .

The first Anglo-Saxon settlements in Britain

Within decades they mingled with the Brittonic natives or pushed them westward, beginning a centuries-long migration to the Armorican peninsula, hence the name Bretons given to newcomers to Armorica.

List Kings and Queens of England and Scotland

List of Monarchs of England (Name, Dates of reign Titles)

1. Saxon kings

• Alfred the Great (Saint) (878-899) King of the Anglo-Saxons, King of Wessex
• Edward the Elder (899-924) King of the Anglo-Saxons, King of Wessex
• Ethelweard (924) King of the Anglo-Saxons
• Athelstan (924-939) King of the Anglo-Saxons
• Edmund I (939-946) King of the Anglo-Saxons
• Edred (946-955) King of the Anglo-Saxons
• Edwy (955-959) King of the Anglo-Saxons
• Edgar the Pacific (959-975) King of Mercia and Northumbria, King of the Anglo-Saxons
• Edward the Martyr (Saint) (975-978) King of England
• Ethelred II (978-1013)
• 1014-1016 King of England
• Edmund II Ironsides (1016) King of England

2. Danish period

• Sven I (1013-1014) King of England, Denmark (985-1014) and Norway (987-1014)
• Knut I the Great (or Knud I, or Canude I) 1016-1035 King of England, Denmark (1018-1035) and Norway (1030-1035)
• Harold I Harefoot (Knud) 1035-1040 King of England
• Knud II the Bold (or Knut II, Canude II) 1040-1042 King of England and Denmark (1035-1042)

3. Saxon restoration

• Edward the Confessor (Saint) 1042-1066 King of the Anglo-Saxons
• Harold II (Saint) 1066 King of the Anglo-Saxons

4. Norman Conquest, House of Normandy (early English dynastic system)

• William I the Conqueror (1066-1087) Duke of Normandy (1035-1087), King of England
• William II le Roux (1087-1100) King of England
• Henry I Beauclerc (1100-1135) King of England
• Stephen of Blois (1135-1154) King of England

5. Angevin dynasty or Plantagenet house

• Mathilde, known as Empress Maud 1141 (uncrowned)
• Henry II Plantagenet (1154-1189) King of England, Duke of Normandy in 1150, Count of Anjou in 1151, Duke of Aquitaine in 1152
• Richard I the Lionheart (1189-1199) King of England
• John the Landless (1199-1216) King of England, Lord of Ireland
• Henry III Plantagenet (1216-1272) King of England, Lord of Ireland
• Edward I (1272-1307) King of England, Lord of Ireland
• Edward II (1307-1327) King of England, Lord of Ireland
• Edward III (1327-1377) King of England, Lord of Ireland
• Richard II (1377-1399) King of England, Lord of Ireland

Mary and George Villiers: The Scandalous Rise to Power in the English Royal Court (SPOILER)

6. House of Lancaster

• Henry IV of Lancaster (1399-1413) King of England, Lord of Ireland
• Henry V of Lancaster (1413-1422) King of England, Lord of Ireland
• Henry VI of Lancaster (1422-1461) King of England, Lord of Ireland

7. Wars of the Roses, then House of York

• Edward IV (1461-1483) King of England, Lord of Ireland
• Edward V (1483) (uncrowned)
• Richard III (1483-1485) King of England, Lord of Ireland

8. Tudor house

• Henry VII Tudor (1485-1509) King of England, Lord of Ireland
• Henry VIII Tudor (1509-1547) King of England and Ireland
• Edward VI (1547-1553) King of England and Ireland
• Lady Jeanne Gray (1553) (uncrowned)
• Mary I Tudor, the Bloody (1553-1558) Queen of England and Ireland
• Elizabeth I (1558-1603) Queen of England and Ireland

===Monarchs of Scotland (Name, Dates of reign, Titles)

1. First kings

• Kenneth I (843-858) King of Scotland
• Donald I (858-862) King of Scotland
• Constantine I (862-877) King of Scotland
• Aed (877-878) King of Scotland
• Eochaid (878-889) King of Scotland
• Donald II (889-900) King of Scotland
• Constantine II (900-943) King of Scotland
• Malcolm I (943-954) King of Scotland
• Indulf (954-962) King of Scotland
• Dubh (962-966) King of Scotland
• Culen (966-971) King of Scotland
• Kenneth II (971-995) King of Scotland
• Constantine III (995-997) King of Scotland
• Kenneth III (997-1005) King of Scotland
• Malcolm II (1005-1034) King of Scotland
• Duncan I (1034-1040) King of Scotland
• Macbeth (1040-1057) King of Scotland
• Lulach (1057-1058) King of Scotland

2. Dunkeld House

• Malcolm III (1058-1093) King of Scotland
• Donald III (1093-1094)
• 1094-1097 King of Scotland
• Duncan II (1094) King of Scotland
• Edgar (1097-1107) King of Scotland
• Alexander I (1107-1124) King of Scotland
• David I (1124-1153) King of Scotland
• Malcolm IV (1153-1165) King of Scotland
• William I the Lion (1165-1214) King of Scotland
• Alexander II (1214-1249) King of Scotland
• Alexander III (1249-1286) King of Scotland
• Margaret (1286-1290) Queen of Scots

3. Balliol House

Wars of Independence: two puppet kings at the orders of the King of England

• John Balliol (1292-1296) King of Scotland
• Edward Balliol (1332-1338) King of Scotland

4. Bruce House

• Robert I Bruce (1306-1329) King of Scotland
• David II (1329-1371) King of Scotland

5. Stuart House

• Robert II Stuart (1371-1390) King of Scotland
• Robert III (1390-1406) King of Scotland
• James I Stuart (1406-1437) King of Scotland
• James II (1437-1460) King of Scotland
• James III (1460-1488) King of Scotland
• James IV (1488-1513) King of Scotland
• James V (1513-1542) King of Scotland
• Mary I Stuart (1542-1567) Queen of Scots

***Stuart House (England, Scotland, and Ireland)***

James I of England,
James VI of Scotland (1603-1625) King of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1567-1625)
Charles I Stuart (1625-1649) King of England, Scotland and Ireland

***The Commonwealth and Protectorate***

Oliver Cromwell (1653-1658) Lord Protector
Richard Cromwell (1658-1659) Lord Protector

***Stuart House (restoration)***

Charles II Stuart 1660-1685 King of England, Scotland and Ireland
James II of England,
James VII of Scotland (1686-1689) King of England, Scotland and Ireland
Mary II Stuart (1689-1694) Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland (jointly with her husband, William III).

***House of Orange***
William III of Nassau,
William II of Scotland (1689-1702) King of England, Scotland and Ireland (together with his wife, Mary II), Stadtholder of the United Provinces (1672-1702)

/// Act of Union///

The thrones of England and Scotland are united in the United Kingdom of Great Britain. The following monarchs are therefore kings of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

9. Stuart House

• Anne Stuart (1702-1714) Queen of the United Kingdom and Ireland

10. House of Hanover

• George I (1714-1727) Elector of Hanover (1698-1727), King of the United Kingdom and Ireland
• George II (1727-1760) King of the United Kingdom and Ireland, Elector of Hanover1801: The thrones of the United Kingdom and Ireland, the latter an English and then British possession since the time of King John the Landless, are united into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (after 1927 the United Kingdom Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.) The following monarchs are therefore kings of the United Kingdom
• George III (1760-1820) King of the United Kingdom and Ireland until 1801, then King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; elector (1760-1820), then king (1815-1820) of Hanover
• George IV 1820-1830 Regent (1811-1820), then King of the United Kingdom and Hanover
• William IV (1830-1837) King of the United Kingdom and of Hanover
• Victoria (1837-1901) Queen of the United Kingdom, Empress of India (1876-1901)

11. House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha changed name to Windsor House

• Edward VII (1901-1910) King of the United Kingdom, Emperor of India

!!!Windsor House!!!

• The name was changed in 1917 because of anti-German feelings during World War I
• George V (1910-1936) King of the United Kingdom, Emperor of India
• Edward VIII (1936) King of the United Kingdom, Emperor of India; abdicates the kingship and becomes Duke of Windsor
• George VI (1936-1952) King of the United Kingdom, Emperor of India (1936-1947)
• Elizabeth II (1952-2022) Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and its other realms and territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith
• Charles III (2022-) King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and its other realms and territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith

Sources: PinterPandai, Historic UK, Britannica, Project Britain, The Royal Household

Main photo credit: OneGo / Pixabay (Pixabay License)