List of British monarchs
This is a list of British monarchs, that is, the monarchs on the thrones of the various kingdoms that have existed on, or incorporated, the island of Great Britain, namely
- The small kingdoms which existed prior to the formation of England, Scotland or Wales;
- England up to 1707;
- Scotland up to 1707;
- The Kingdom of Great Britain (when England & Scotland merged in 1707);
- The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (when Great Britain and Ireland merged in 1801)
- The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (The UK after the Irish Free State was formed and became a separate kingdom in the 1920s).
Royal titles are also complicated because in some cases, names of kingdoms are used that did not officially come into existence until later, or came into existence earlier without immediate adoption of the royal title.
When Margaret died, there was no clear heir, and King Edward I of England took over, installing a puppet.
Prior to 1282, Wales was independent of England, consisting of a number of separate principalities. See List of rulers of Wales for full details.
The Bretwalda were chosen from among the rulers of the various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England.
There was not always a Bretwalda.
By this time, the kings of Wessex had become established as kings of England.
For a period of time, both Danish and Saxon kings claimed the throne of England.
After the Norman Conquest in 1066, numbering of kings begins anew, although this affects only the Edwards. (The reason for this is that the tradition of numbering reigning monarchs was brought to England by the Normans. The numbers given to pre-conquest kings were added by later historians.)
There was no king between Charles I's execution in 1649 and the restoration in 1660, but there were two Lords Protector during the Protectorate.
In 1707, with the Act of Union, the thrones of England and Scotland were formally united as the throne of the Kingdom of Great Britain.
In 1801, the Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
(George III's reigns spanned both the separate kingdoms and their merged entity. For clarity and ease of use, Wikipedia has placed George III as 'George III of the United Kingdom')
The name of the Royal house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was changed to Windsor in 1917 due to anti-German feelings aroused by World War I.
Complications over Title and Style
The list of monarchs below cannot be exhaustive. For succession to the many thrones often did not pass smoothly from parent to child; lack of heirs, civil wars, murders and invasions affected the inheritance in ways that a simple list does not show.
The relationships that formed the basis for claims to throne are noted where we know them, and the dates of reign indicated.
Scottish monarchs
Prior to the formation of Scotland, Dalriada, Strathclyde, Bernicia and the seven kingdoms of the Picts occupied the northern third of Britain.
The kingdom of Scotland is taken to have begun when Kenneth mac Alpin became king of the Picts and the Dalriadan Scots. However the kingdoms of Strathclyde and Bernicia were still independent of it. Strathclyde became part of Scotland in the reign of Duncan I.The House of Dunkeld
The Wars of Scottish Independence
John Balliol rebelled, and Scotland was plunged into war.
In the end, independence was secured under a new dynasty.The House of Bruce
The House of Balliol
The House of Stewart (Stuart)
In 1707, with the Act of Union, the thrones of England and Scotland were formally united as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, keeping the numbering system of England.
See GB and UK monarchs below.Rulers of Wales
English monarchs
After the departure of the Romans and prior to the formation of England, various British, Viking and Anglo-Saxon kingdoms existed in the southern two-thirds of Britain. Between 400 and 1000 the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms gradually conquered the others, amalgamating to form England.The Bretwalda
The Saxon kings
The Danelaw
The Saxon restoration
The Norman kings
The Angevins or Plantagenets
The House of Lancaster
The House of York
The House of Tudor
The House of Stuart
The Commonwealth and Protectorate
The Stuart restoration
Monarchs of Great Britain
The House of Stuart
The House of Hanover
Monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland
The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
The House of Windsor
Monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
In 1947, India and Pakistan were granted independence, and George VI ceased to Emperor of India, but became King of India and King of Pakistan. (and, in 1948, King of Sri Lanka, also granted independence.) In 1949, Ireland became a Republic, and George ceased to be King of Ireland. India did the same in 1950
