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List of British monarchsThis is a list of British monarchs, that is, the monarchs on the thrones of some of the various kingdoms that have existed on, or incorporated, the island of Great Britain, namely:
Since 1559 monarchs have had the title Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
In 1328, on the death of the French king, Charles IV, Edward III (nephew of the Charles IV) claimed the French throne. British monarchs then styled themselves "King/Queen of France" until the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. By then France had been a republic for ten years.
For the small kingdoms which existed prior to the formation of England, Scotland or Wales, see:
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 Britain' 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, as that had no reality in substance 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.
\n* 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.
\n* 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.\nThe relationships that formed the basis for claims to throne are noted where we know them, and the dates of reign indicated.
Monarchs
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\n\n | Monarchs of England\n | Monarchs of Scotland\n |
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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,
\nHenry Dick John Henry three;
\nThen three Edwards Richard two,
\nHenry Four, Five Six then who?
\nEdward four five, Dick the bad,
\nTwo more Henries, Ned the lad;
\nBloody Mary she came next,
\nThen we have our Good Queen Bess.
\nFrom Scotland we got James the Vain;
\nCharlie one, two, James again.
\nWilliam and Mary, Anna Gloria,
\nFour Georges, William, and Victoria.
\nEdward, George, the same again,
\nNow Elizabeth - and the end.
A popular variation
Willy, Willy, Harry, Stee,
\nHarry, Dick, John, Harry Three;
\nOne, two, three Neds, Richard Two,
\nHarries Four Five Six, then who?
\nEdwards Four Five, Dick the Bad,
\nHarries (twain) Ned Six (the lad);
\nMary, Bessie, James ye ken,
\nThen Charlie, Charlie, James again
\nWill and Mary, Anna Gloria
\nGeorges four, Will Fourth, Victoria
\nEdward Seven next, and then
\nCame George the Fifth in nineteen ten
\nNed the Eighth soon abdicated
\nThen George the Sixth was coronated
\nAfter which Elizabeth
\nAnd that's all folks until her death
(Compare with Chinese history mnemonics.)
See also\n*Wikipedia's other lists of incumbents\n* UK topics\n* British monarchs family tree\n* Scottish monarchs family tree\n* List of succession to the British throne
Category:British monarchy
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