Sovereigns of Britain

▪ Table

Sovereigns of Britain

name dynasty or house reign

Kings of Wessex (West Saxons)

Egbert Saxon 802–839

Aethelwulf (Ethelwulf) Saxon 839–856/858

Aethelbald (Ethelbald) Saxon 855/856–860

Aethelberht (Ethelbert) Saxon 860–865/866

Aethelred I (Ethelred) Saxon 865/866–871

Alfred the Great (Alfred) Saxon 871–899

Edward the Elder (Edward) Saxon 899–924

Sovereigns of England

Athelstan¹ Saxon 925–939

Edmund I Saxon 939–946

Eadred (Edred) Saxon 946–955

Eadwig (Edwy) Saxon 955–959

Edgar Saxon 959–975

Edward the Martyr (Edward) Saxon 975–978

Ethelred II the Unready (Ethelred II) (Aethelred) Saxon 978–1013

Sweyn Forkbeard (Sweyn I) Danish 1013–14

Ethelred II the Unready (Ethelred II) (restored) Saxon 1014–16

Edmund II Ironside (Edmund II) Saxon 1016

Canute (Canute (I)) Danish 1016–35

Harold I Harefoot (Harold I) Danish 1035–40

Hardecanute Danish 1040–42

Edward the Confessor (Edward) Saxon 1042–66

Harold II Saxon 1066

William I the Conqueror (William I) Norman 1066–87

William II Norman 1087–1100

Henry I Norman 1100–35

Stephen Blois 1135–54

Henry II Plantagenet 1154–89

Richard I Plantagenet 1189–99

John Plantagenet 1199–1216

Henry III Plantagenet 1216–72

Edward I Plantagenet 1272–1307

Edward II Plantagenet 1307–27

Edward III Plantagenet 1327–77

Richard II Plantagenet 1377–99

Henry IV Plantagenet: Lancaster 1399–1413

Henry V Plantagenet: Lancaster 1413–22

Henry VI Plantagenet: Lancaster 1422–61

Edward IV Plantagenet: York 1461–70

Henry VI (restored) Plantagenet: Lancaster 1470–71

Edward IV (restored) Plantagenet: York 1471–83

Edward V Plantagenet: York 1483

Richard III Plantagenet: York 1483–85

Henry VII Tudor 1483–1509

Henry VIII Tudor 1509–47

Edward VI Tudor 1547–53

Mary I Tudor 1553–58

Elizabeth I Tudor 1558–1603

Sovereigns of Great Britain and the United Kingdom^{2, 3}

James I (VI of Scotland)² Stuart 1603–25

Charles I Stuart 1625–49

● Commonwealth (1653–59)

● Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector (Cromwell, Oliver)⁴

1653–58

● Richard Cromwell, Lord Protector (Cromwell, Richard)⁴

1658–59

Charles II Stuart 1660–85

James II Stuart 1685–88

William III and Mary II⁵ Orange/Stuart 1689–1702

Anne Stuart 1702–14

George I Hanover 1714–27

George II Hanover 1727–60

George III³ Hanover 1760–1820

George IV⁶ Hanover 1820–30

William IV Hanover 1830–37

Victoria Hanover 1837–1901

Edward VII Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1901–10

George V⁷ Windsor 1910–36

Edward VIII⁸ Windsor 1936

George VI Windsor 1936–52

Elizabeth II Windsor 1952–

¹Athelstan was king of Wessex and the first king of all England.

²James VI of Scotland became also James I of England in 1603. Upon accession to the English throne he styled himself "King of Great Britain" and was so proclaimed. Legally, however, he and his successors held separate English and Scottish kingships until the Act of Union of 1707, when the two kingdoms were united as the Kingdom of Great Britain.

³The United Kingdom was formed on Jan. 1, 1801, with the union of Great Britain and Ireland. After 1801 George III was styled "King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland."

⁴Oliver and Richard Cromwell served as lords protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland during the republican Commonwealth.

⁵William and Mary, as husband and wife, reigned jointly until Mary's death in 1694. William then reigned alone until his own death in 1702.

⁶George IV was regent from Feb. 5, 1811.

⁷In 1917, during World War I, George V changed the name of his house from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor.

⁸Edward VIII succeeded upon the death of his father, George V, on Jan. 20, 1936, but abdicated on Dec. 11, 1936, before coronation.

See as table:

* * *