1 Complications over Title and Style

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.

• For example, in October 1604, one year after James VI of Scotland had become king of England, he decreed that the Royal Title would use the term Great Brittaine to refer to the "one Imperiall Crowne" made up of England and Scotland. However using that title is problematic because the 'state' of Great Britain was only created in the Act of Union 1707. Nor was the united crown generally referred to as 'imperial'. Furthermore, monarchs continued to use ordinals attached to the two previous kingdoms, for instance James VII/II. To avoid confusion, historians in general thus refer to all monarchs up to 1707 as monarchs of England and Scotland (so explaining their two ordinals where they existed), with the monarch's title at all times accurately following the official name or names of the state or states they reigned over, where it differed from the official royal title. (Hence though many English and British monarchs claimed France as part of their official title, that had no reality in substance, so it isn't used.) After the Union, the ordinal has either been the English number, or the greater of the two numbers - the results have been the same and there is no formal rule.
  
  
• In different documents, the terms Kingdom of Great Britain and United Kingdom of Great Britain feature, even documents as official as the Act of Union 1707. Most historians presume the United was meant to be descriptive (indicating a union as a form of unity by marriage rather than coercion). For clarity and because the United is far more strongly associated with the later name United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland produced in the Act of Union 1800, the 1707 kingdom is generally referred to as the Kingdom of Great Britain.
  
  
• Similarly, though the Irish Free State ceased to be part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1922, neither the full name of the United Kingdom nor the royal title was changed until the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act, 1927. In this instance historians generally retrospectively date the coming into being of the modern United Kingdom to December 1922, even though in this case the formal change did not occur for another five years.

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.

2 Monarchs

Monarchs of England Monarchs of Scotland Name Reign Notes The Saxons Offa 757- 796   Egbert 802- 839   Ethelwulf 839- 856 Egbert's son Ethelbald 856- 860 Ethelwulf's son Ethelbert 860- 865 Ethelwulf's son Ethelred I 865- 871 Ethelwulf's son Alfred the Great 871- 899 Ethelwulf's son Edward I the Elder 899- 924 Alfred's son Ethelweard 924 Edward's son Athelstan 925- 940 Edward's son Edmund I 939- 946 Edward's son Edred 946- 955 Edward's son Edwy 955- 959 Edmund's son Edgar the Peaceful 959- 975 Edmund's son St Edward II the Martyr 975- 978 Edgar's son Ethelred II 978- 1013 1014- 1016 Edgar's son Edmund II 1016 Ethelred II's son The Danish Kings For a period of time, both the Saxons and the Danish claimed the English throne. Sweyn Forkbeard 1013- 1014   Canute the Great 1016- 1035 Sweyn's son Harold I 1035- 1040 Canute's illegitimate son Harthacanute 1040- 1042 Canute's son The Saxon Restoration St Edward III the Confessor 1042- 1066 Ethelred II's son Harold II 1066- 1066 Edward the Confessor's brother-in-law Edgar Atheling 1066- 1066 Grandson of Edmund Ironside The Normans After the Norman Conquest in 1066, numbering of kings (a French tradition applied to the Saxons only by historians) begins anew, although this affects only the Edwards. William I 1066- 1087 known as William the Conqueror William II 1087- 1100 William I's son Henry I 1100- 1135 William I's son Stephen 1135- 1154 William I's grandson The Angevins or Plantagenets The Royal House name changed to reflect Matilda's marriage to Geoffrey Plantagenet. Matilda (Empress Maud) 1141 Henry I's daughter Henry II 1154- 1189 Matilda's son Richard I"Lionheart" 1189- 1199 Henry II's son Monarchs of England and Ireland In 1199, John, already Lord of Ireland, inherited the English throne. The title "Lord of Ireland" was used until it was replaced by "King of Ireland" in 1542. John "Lackland" 1199- 1216 Henry II's son Henry III 1216- 1272 John's son Edward I 1272- 1307 Henry III's son Edward II 1307- 1327 Edward I's son Edward III 1327- 1377 Edward II's son Richard II 1377- 1399 Edward III's grandson The House of Lancaster Henry Bolingbroke deposed Richard II, and the Royal House name came to reflect Henry's father's title, Duke of Lancaster. Henry IV 1399- 1413 Edward III's grandson Henry V 1413- 1422 Henry IV's son Henry VI 1422- 1461 Henry V's son The House of York The Houses of Lancaster and York had fought the Wars of the Roses, and the Yorkists took the throne. Edward IV 1461- 1483 Edward III's great-great-grandson Edward V 1483 Edward IV's son Richard III 1483- 1485 Edward IV's brother The House of Tudor The Lancastrian Henry Tudor reclaimed the throne from the Yorkists. Henry VII 1485- 1509 Edward III's great-great-grandson Henry VIII 1509- 1547 Henry VII's son Edward VI 1547- 1553 Henry VIII's son Lady Jane Grey 1553 Henry VII's great-granddaughter Mary I 1553- 1558 Henry VIII's daughter Elizabeth I 1558- 1603 Henry VIII's daughter Name Reign Notes The House of Alpin Kenneth I 843- 858   Donald I 858- 862 Kenneth I's brother Constantine I 862- 877 Kenneth I's son Aedh 877- 878 Kenneth I's son Eochaid 878- 889 Aedh's nephew Jointly with Giric Giric 878- 889 Aedh's first cousin Jointly with Eochaid Donald II 889- 900 Constantine I's son Constantine II 900- 943 Aedh's son Malcolm I 943- 954 Donald II's son Indulf 954- 962 Constantine II's son Dubh 962- 966 Malcolm I's son Culen 966- 971 Indulf's son Kenneth II 971- 995 Malcolm I's son Constantine III 995- 997 Culen's son Kenneth III 997- 1005 Dubh's son Malcolm II 1005- 1034 Kenneth II's son Duncan I 1034- 1040 Malcolm II's grandson Macbeth 1040- 1057 Malcolm II's grandson Lulach 1057- 1058 Kenneth III's grandson The House of Dunkeld Malcolm III 1058- 1093 Duncan I's son Donald III 1093- 1094 1094- 1097 Duncan I's son Duncan II 1094 Malcolm III's son Edgar 1097- 1107 Malcolm III's son Alexander I 1107- 1124 Malcolm III's son David I 1124- 1153 Malcolm III's son Malcolm IV 1153- 1165 David I's grandson William I 1165- 1214 David I's grandson Alexander II 1214- 1249 William I's son Alexander III 1249- 1286 Alexander II's son Margaret 1286- 1290 Alexander III's granddaughter The House of Balliol When Margaret died, there was no clear heir. King Edward I of England took over and installed a puppet, John Balliol. John Balliol 1292- 1296 David I's great-great-great-grandson The House of Bruce When John Balliol rebelled, the Wars of Scottish Independence commenced, during which Robert the Bruce became King. Robert I 1306- 1329 David I's great-great-great-great-grandson David II 1329- 1371 Robert I's son The House of Balliol For a period of time, both Edward Balliol and David II claimed the throne. Edward Balliol 1332- 1338 John Balliol's son The House of Stuart When Robert Stewart took over, the Royal House name was changed to Stuart (the French spelling of Stewart). Robert II 1371- 1390 Robert I's grandson Robert III 1390- 1406 Robert II's son James I 1406- 1437 Robert III's son James II 1437- 1460 James I's son James III 1460- 1488 James II's son James IV 1488- 1513 James III's son James V 1513- 1542 James IV's son Mary I 1542- 1567 James V's daughter James VI 1567- 1625 Mary I's son Monarchs of England, Scotland and Ireland In 1603, James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne upon the death of Elizabeth I. From then until 1707, England, Scotland and Ireland had shared monarchs. The House of Stuart Name Reign Notes James I (England) James VI (Scotland) 1603- 1625 Henry VII of England's great-great-grandson Mary of Scotland's son Charles I 1625- 1649 James I's son The Commonwealth and Protectorate There was no King between Charles I's execution in 1649 and the Restoration in 1660. The nation's rulers were known as Lords Protector. Name Reign Notes Oliver Cromwell 1653- 1658   Richard Cromwell 1658- 1659 Oliver Cromwell's son Monarchs of England, Scotland and Ireland In 1659, Richard Cromwell abdicated. Anarchy existed until the Stuart Restoration in 1660. The House of Stuart Name Reign Notes Charles II 1660- 1685 Charles I's son James II (England) James VII (Scotland) 1685- 1689 Charles I's son Mary II 1689- 1694 James II's daughter Jointly with William III William III (England) William II (Scotland) 1689- 1702 Mary II's husband Jointly with his wife Anne 1702- 1707 James II's daughter Monarchs of Great Britain and Ireland In 1707, the Act of Union combined the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain. The House of Stuart Name Reign Notes Anne 1707- 1714 James II's daughter The House of Hanover Under the Act of Settlement, descendants of Sophia, Electress of Hanover, as the closest Protestant relatives of Anne, became entitled to the throne, and the Royal House name was changed when George, Elector of Hanover became King. George I 1714- 1727 James I's great-grandson George II 1727- 1760 George I's son George III 1760- 1801 George II's grandson Monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland In 1801, the Act of Union combined the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into the United Kingdom. Name Reign Notes George III 1801- 1820 George II's grandson George IV 1820- 1830 George III's son William IV 1830- 1837 George III's son Victoria 1837- 1840 George III's granddaughter The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha The Royal House name was changed to reflect Victoria's marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Victoria 1840- 1901 George III's granddaughter Edward VII 1901- 1910 Victoria's son George V 1910- 1917 Edward VII's son The House of Windsor The name of the Royal House changed from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor in 1917 due to anti-German sentiments during World War I. George V 1917- 1927 Edward VII's son Monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland In 1922, the Irish Free State left the United Kingdom. The name of the Kingdom was amended in 1927 to reflect the change. The House of Windsor Name Reign Notes George V 1927- 1936 Edward VII's son Edward VIII 1936 George V's son George VI 1936- 1952 George V's son Elizabeth II 1952- George VI's daughter

3 Mnemonics

A useful rhyme for memorising the names of the English and UK monarchs since the Norman Conquest in chronological order:
Willy Willy Harry Steve,
Henry Dick John Henry three;
Then three Edwards Richard two,
Henry Four, Five Six then who?
Edward four five, Dick the bad,
Two more Henries, Ned the lad;
Bloody Mary she came next,
Then we have our Good Queen Bess.
From Scotland we got James the Vain;
Charlie one, two, James again.
William and Mary, Anna Gloria,
Four Georges, William, and Victoria.
Edward, George, the same again,
Now Elizabeth - and the end.

3.1 A popular variation

Willy, Willy, Harry, Stee,
Harry, Dick, John, Harry Three;
One, two, three Neds, Richard Two,
Harries Four Five Six, then who?
Edwards Four Five, Dick the Bad,
Harries (twain) Ned Six (the lad);
Mary, Bessie, James ye ken,
Then Charlie, Charlie, James again
Will and Mary, Anna Gloria
Georges four, Will Fourth, Victoria
Edward Seven next, and then
Came George the Fifth in nineteen ten
Ned the Eighth soon abdicated
Then George the Sixth was coronated
After which Elizabeth
And that's all folks until her death

The above version was featured in part in the movie King Ralph.

(Compare with Chinese history mnemonics.)

4 See also

• Wikipedia's other lists of incumbents
• UK topics
• British monarchs family tree
• English monarchs family tree
• Scottish monarchs family tree
• List of succession to the British throne
• British queen consorts
• English queen consorts

* British, Monarchs Scottish people History of Scotland

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