List of English monarchs

(Redirected from English monarchs)

The King of England was the supreme head of state and head of government of the country. This is a list of the Kings and Queens of the Kingdom of England from 927 until England and Scotland joined together in 1707.

House of Wessex

Name Portrait Reign Spouse Facts Lifespan
Athelstan
Æthelstan - MS Royal 14 B VI.jpg
927-27 October 939 Never married Last king of Wessex c.894-27 October 939
Edmund I
Edmund I in the Genealogical Chronicle of English kings.jpg
27 October 939-26 May 946 Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury m.939-944 2 children

Æthelflaed of Damerham m.944-946 childless

920-26 May 946
Edred
Eadred - MS Royal 14 B V.jpg
26 May 946-23 November 955 Never married 923-23 November 955
Eadwig the Fair
Eadwig - MS Royal 14 B V.jpg
23 November 955-1 October 959 Ælfgifu m.955-957 childless 940-1 October 959
Edgar the Peacemaker
King Edgar from All Souls College Chapel.png
1 October 959-8 July 975 Wulfthryth of Wilton 1 child

Æthelflæd Eneda m.959-963 1 child Ælfthryth of Devon m.964-975 2 children

943-8 July 975
Edward the Martyr
EdwardMartyr.gif
8 July 975-18 March 978 Never married Canonized by the Pope as a Saint after his death 962-18 March 978
Athelred the Unready
Æthelred the Unready - MS Royal 14 B VI.jpg
Reign 1:18 March 978-1013 restored:3 February 1014-23 April 1016 Ælfgifu of York m.985-1001 9 children

Emma of Normandy m.1002-1016 3 children

968-23 April 1016
Edmund II Ironside
Edmund Ironside - MS Royal 14 B V.jpg
23 April-30 November 1016 Edith of England m.1015-1016 2 children Known for the Battle of Sherston, Brentford, Otford and Ashington 990-30 November 1016
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor.png
8 June 1042-5 January 1066 Edith of Wessex m.1045-1066 childless Half brother of Edmund II 1004-5 January 1066
Edgar II Atheling
Edgar the Ætheling.jpg
14 October-December 1066

House of Jelling

Name Portrait Reign Spouse Facts Lifespan
Swein Forkbeard
Sweyn Forkbeard by L. Frølich (cropped).jpg
1013-3 February 1014 Świętosława of poland

Sigrid the Haughty

King of Denmark and Norway ?-3 February 1014
Cnut the Great
Cnut the Great in the Brief Abridgement of the Chronicles of England.jpg
1016-12 November 1035 Ælfgifu of Northampton m.1014-1016 2 children

Emma of Normandy m.1017-1035 2 children

990-12 November 1035
Harold I
HAROLD I HAREFOOT.JPG
12 November 1035-17 March 1040 1016-17 March 1040
Harthacanute
Harthacnut - MS Royal 14 B VI.jpg
17 March 1040-8 June 1042 1018-8 June 1042

House of Godwin

Name Portrait Reign Spouse Facts Lifespan
Harold II
Harold Godwinson - MS Royal 14 B VI.jpg
5 January-14 October 1066 Edith the Fair

Edith of Mercia

House of Normandy

Name Portrait Reign Spouse Facts Lifespan
William I the Conqueror
King William I ('The Conqueror') from NPG.jpg
December 1066-9 September 1087 Matilda of Flanders m.1052-1083 9 children 1028-9 September 1087
William II Rufus
A Chronicle of England - Page 123 - Death of William the Red.jpg
9 September 1087-2 August 1100 1057-2 August 1100
Henry Beauclerc
King Henry I.jpg
2 August 1100-1 December 1135 Matilda of Scotland m.1100-1118 2 children

Adeliza of Louvain m.1121-1135 childless

1068-1 December 1135

House of Blois

Name Portrait Reign Spouse Facts Lifespan
Stephen
Stephen of Blois.jpg
1 December 1135-25 October 1154 Matilda of Boulogne m.1125-1152 5 children Count of Boulogne 1194-25 October 1154

House of Plantagenet

Early modern half-figure portrait of Edward III in royal garb.
Edward III as he was portrayed in the late 16th century.

Lancastrians

Yorkists

Tudors

The Tudors were from Wales. In 1536, Wales became part of England. England had controlled Wales since 1284.

Stuarts

The Stuarts were also kings of Scotland, with which kingdom England was in personal, but not legal union until 1707.

  • James I (1603–1625), also from 1567 King James VI of Scotland
  • Charles I (1625–1649), also King of Scotland

Interregnum

The Civil War in England from 1642 until 1652 stemming from a growing enmity between King and Parliament, led to the execution of King Charles I in 1649. After the execution, England became a Commonwealth eventually led by Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector after successive interim governments failed and handed Cromwell power, and so England became a protectorate.[1] Furthermore, both Ireland and Scotland became subjugated states under England and Cromwell at the end of the war. Cromwell died in 1658 and his son, Richard, became Lord Protector. This was short lived though as he failed to gain the support of the army and so the nation, in 1660 power was given back to the Monarchy and the King In Exile, Charles II, was invited back to England[2]

Stuarts (restored)

  • Charles II (1660–1685), also King of Scotland (backdated the start of his reign to 1649)
  • James II (1685–1688) (deposed, died 1701), also King James VII of Scotland
  • William III (1689–1702) and Mary II (1689–1694), as co-monarchs, also King and Queen of Scotland
  • Anne (1702–1714), though the English throne was replaced with that of the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707

Longest To Shortest Reigning

List Of English Monarchs Media

Related pages

  • In 1707, England and Scotland joined together. For Kings and Queens after 1707, see British monarchs.

References

  1. The Cromwellian Protectorate, ed. Barry Coward (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2002), p. 7
  2. Jacob Abbott, History of King Charles II of England (Auckland: The Floating Press, 2014), p. 124