The Rulers of England and Great Britain

The House names are often considered their "surnames". Usually a change in House name refers to an occasion when one group of cousins takes over at the death of the last of the ruling group of cousins - sometimes through murder, sometimes through natural death.

Since 1701 the British Constitution has allow Parliament to decide who their Ruler is. Though rarely used, you'll note a couple of instances here.

Saxons and Danes

Egbert
- 802-839
  - King of Essex
Ethelwulf
- 839-858
  - King of Wessex, Sussex, Kent,
  - Essex
Ethelbald
- 858-860
  - King of Wessex
Ethelbert
- 860-865
  - United Kent and Wessex
Ethelred
- 865-871
  - King of Wessex
Alfred (the Great)
- 871-899
  - Defeated the Danes
Edward (the Elder)
- 899-924
  - United England, claimed Scotland
Athestan (the Glorious)
- 924-939
  - King of Mercia and Wessex
Edmund
- 939-946
  - King of Wessex and Mercia
Edred
- 946-955
Edwy (the Fair)
- 955-959
  - King of Wessex
Edgar (the Peaceful)
- 959-975
  - Ruled all England
Edward (the Martyr)
- 975-978
  - murdered by step-mother
Ethelred II (the Unready)
- 978-1016
Edmund (Ironside)
- 1016
  - King of London
Canute
- 1016-1035
  - The Dane, became ruler by conquest
Hardecanute
- 1040-1042
  - son of Canute, King of Denmark
Edward (the Confessor)
- 1042-1066
Harold II
- 1066
  - The last Saxon King
  - cousin of Edward I and William I, killed at battle of Hastings by forces of William I

House of Normandy

William I (the Conqueror)
- 1066-1087
  - became ruler by conquest, but was married to a cousin of Edward I
William II (Rufus)
- 1087-1100
Henry I
- 1100-1135

House of Blois

Stephen
- 1135-1154
  - Matilda, the sister of Henry I waged a long civil war against Stephen to put her son on the throne. It ended with a treaty allowing Stephen to continue as king, but acknowledge her son as his heir.

House of Plantagenet

Henry II
- 1154-1189
  - son of Matilda
Richard I (Cour de Lion - the Lionheart)
- 1189-1199
  - son of Henry II, crusader
John
- 1199-1216
  - son of Henry II, signed Magna Carta, 1215
Henry III
- 1216-1272
  - son of John
Edward I (Longshanks)
- 1272-1307
Edward II
- 1307-1327
  - deposed by parliament, murdered shortly later
Edward III
- 1327-1377
Richard II
- 1377-1399
  - deposed

House of Lancaster

Henry IV
- 1399-1413
Henry V
- 1413-1422
  - victor of battle of Agincourt, 1415
Henry VI
- 1422-1461, 1470-1471

House of York

Edward IV
- 1461-1470, 1471-1483
Edward V1
- 483
  - murdered in Tower of London
Richard III (Crookback)
- 1483-1485
  - fell at battle of Bosworth Field in a battle with the Henry Tudor ( who became Henry VII)

House of Tudor

Henry VII
- 1485-1509
Henry VIII
- 1509-1547
  - created Church of England (Anglican)
Edward VI
- 1547-1553
Mary I
- 1553-1558
Elizabeth I
- 1558-1603

House of Stuart

James I
- 1603-1625
  - also James VI of Scotland, first ruler of both Scotland and England, son of Mary Queen of Scots, ordered translation of Bible (the King James Version). James I and VI was a cousin of Elizabeth I
Charles I
- 1625-1649
  - beheaded

Commonwealth (a revolution over-threw Charles I, these were not Kings)

Oliver Cromwell
- 1649-1660
  - Lord Protector
Richard Cromwell
- 1658-1659
  - Lord Protector, son of Oliver

House of Stuart (restored by counter revolution)

Charles II
- 1660-1685
  - son of Charles I
James II
- 1685-1688
  - deposed
William III
- 1689-1702
  - ruled jointly with wife, Mary II
Mary II
- 1689-1694
  - ruled jointly with husband, William III
Anne
- 1702-1714

House of Hanover - From what is now Germany, but cousins to the House of Stuart

George I
- 1714-1727
George II
- 1727-1760
George III
- 1760-1820
  - lost American colonies from Empire
George IV
- 1820-1830
William IV
- 1830-1837
Victoria
- 1837-1901
  - granddaughter of George III, oversaw issue of worlds first postage stamp

House of Saxe-Coburg

Edward VII
- 1901-1910
  - son of Victoria

House of Windsor

George V
- 1910-1936
  - son of Edward VII
  - changed name of House to Windsor during WWI to sound more English than German
Edward VIII
- 1936
  - abdicated 11 December to marry Wallis Simpson
George VI
- 1936-1952
  - brother of Edward VIII
Elizabeth II
- 1952-present

Return to the History Page

Support our site! Please visit Ecology Designs for gifts and books.