How Many English Monarchs Have There Been Since 1066?
We all know who the king is, and we can all name the other rulers, but where did they come from? This infographic shows every English monarch since 1066 and gives us a few hints as to why some are famous, others are obscure, and how they all ended up on the throne.
An English monarch is the monarch of England. The term has been used since 1066 when William the Conqueror crowned himself King of England. English monarchs are also called kings, or simply kings or queens. To date, there have been 17 English monarchs. Of the 17, 14 have died as reigning monarchs.
A total of 60 English monarchs have reigned over England since William the Conqueror was crowned King of England in 1066, and he reigned until he died in 1087. Some monarchs were born in other countries and adopted English titles.
1. The Early Years (1066-1307)
In 1066, England was part of the Germanic Kingdoms. In the late 12th century, King Henry II defeated the Norman invaders and united the Saxons, Normans, and Welsh into one kingdom, England. In 1307,
Edward, I succeeded his father and became the longest-reigning monarch in English history, at 37 years. The year 1337 marked the start of the Hundred Year's War. The Hundred Years War ended in 1453 with the victory of the House of Lancaster. In 1485, Henry VII came to power.
He was the first Tudor King. In 1527, Mary Tudor succeeded her cousin, Elizabeth I, the first Protestant Queen. The early Tudor reign was dominated by the Wars of the Roses,
2. The Wars of the Roses (1455-1504)
“The Wars of the Roses” was an extremely long and complex war fought between two rival factions of the royal House of Plantagenet.
The war began when Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485
The Wars of the Roses (1455-1504) were a series of wars fought between two royal houses of England. These wars are often referred to as the War of the Roses because the main characters were the two kings of England,
Edward IV, and Richard III, were the sons of Henry VI, the King of England at the time. The two kings ruled during the first period of the Wars of the Roses.
These two brothers were the only two to survive the Wars of the Roses. Richard was crowned King of England in 1485 and the following year he fought off a rebellion by his younger brother,
Henry Tudor took the throne as Henry VII. After his brother died, Richard became king.
3. Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1509-1547)
Henry VIII, who reigned from 1509 to 1547, was born the first child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, but only two children survived into adulthood. In the eyes of history, he was an imperfect monarch, who was never considered a true successor to his father.
While he was an admirable king, his rule was marked by constant power struggles and civil wars, and his final marriage broke down due to his adultery. The divorce of Henry’s fifth wife, Catherine Howard, led to her execution and a temporary split in the royal family.
Henry was King of England from 1509 to 1547. He died on April 14, 1547, leaving behind 6 wives and 20 children. That’s a lot of wives! He started with Catherine of Aragon and had two sons.
He then went to his second wife, Anne Boleyn, and gave her four children. He got rid of her and married Jane Seymour. In turn, Jane gave birth to three children. He got rid of Jane too and married Catherine Howard, who gave birth to a son.
But, Henry’s sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr, didn’t give birth to any children. So, Henry went ahead and divorced her. He married Anne of Cleves,
4. The Stuarts and Charles I (1603-1727)
"The Stuart monarchy was a period of instability in Britain. After the death of Elizabeth I, her eldest son became King James VI of Scotland and I of England and James' son became King Charles I.
James VI was known as a tolerant monarch who made many changes to British law but was unable to control Parliament which forced Charles to take action. Charles was arrested and charged with treason and beheaded in 1649.
Charles I's brother, Charles II, reigned from 1660 to 1685. He was succeeded by his son, William III, and grandson, Queen Mary II. William ruled until 1688 when he was deposed by his sister Mary II and her husband, William, and Mary.
5. Queen Victoria (1837-1901)
Queen Victoria was born Victoria Alexandrina Emily of Kent, England on May 24, 1819. She was the only daughter of Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Her father died in 1834, when she was just eight years old, and was succeeded by his brother, King William IV.
The young princess was named after her mother, but her title remained "Princess Royal" as she had no male siblings.
Victoria's father had been a strong supporter of her cousin, the future Charles, Prince of Wales, who was the son of her aunt, Princess Caroline of Brunswick. He hoped to see Victoria married to his nephew to provide the British throne with a legitimate link
Queen Victoria (1837-1901), the longest-reigning British monarch, was born into a family with a strong military tradition. Her father was Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and Strathearn. Her mother was Princess Victoria. Her grandfather was Prince Regent.
Final Thoughts
Henry III ruled for 40 years until 1377. Edward II ruled for only 9 months. Richard II ruled for 2 years, 3 months, and 16 days. Henry IV reigned for 33 years, 8 months, and 3 days. Henry V died at 14. Henry VI ruled for 19 years, 4 months, and 3 days.
Mary I reigned for 42 years, 1 month, and 21 days. Charles I ruled for 49 years, 8 months, and 25 days. James I ruled for 46 years, 5 months, and 30 days. Charles II ruled for 47 years, 5 months, and 2 days.
William III reigned for 56 years, 2 months, and 12 days. Mary II reigned for 37 years, 11 months, and 17 days. George III ruled for 66 years, 8 months, and 25 days. Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years, 7 months, and 20 days. Edward VII reigned for 45 years, 1 month, and 6 days.
The Anglo-Saxon kings were a fairly uneventful bunch. Most of them were petty rulers who ruled their lands peacefully, and only two kings managed to rise to any real power before being deposed.
This is because most of them were rather unpopular, either because they were too brutal, or because their rule was unstable. Some were even assassinated. That is, until the Norman invasion in 1066.
The Normans, led by William the Conqueror, were a formidable military force. They used their wealth and influence to persuade the other Anglo-Saxons to grant them the title Duke of Normandy.
After becoming the Duke, he turned his attention to England, where he managed to capture London and depose King Harold Godwinson. In 1066,
William conquered all of England and established the Norman dynasty. From then on, the Normans became the Anglo-Norman kings. They were the ruling elite, and the rest of the English nobility and people were gradually reduced
Frequently Asked Questions
How many female monarchs have England had since 1066?
eight queen
However England / Britain has also seen eight queen remnants and these eight women have managed to notch up quite an impressive list of records between them,
with two having had the country longest ever reigns, one achieving the world record as the longest-ever reigning queen, and two who have had the country's shortest
How many monarchs has England seen in the 100 years?
There have been 13 British monarchs since the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland on 1 May 1707
Has any monarch reached 100 years old?
As it happens, Prince Philip was not the oldest ever member of the Royal Family. The Guinness World Record for the Oldest Royal actually belongs to Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester.
Who was England's most loved king?
King Henry VIII is the most famous monarch this country has ever had: instantly recognizable from Holbein's portrait of him as a great fat figure, hands on hips, shoulders padded, legs wide, hat tilted over his broad, bearded face.