List of British monarchs
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom | |
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The Royal Arms since the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837, featuring the arms of England in both the first and fourth quarters, Scotland in the second and Ireland in the third. In Scotland a separate version is used (shown right), whereby the Arms of Scotland take precedence.[1] |
There have been 12 monarchs of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom (see Monarchy of the United Kingdom) since the merger of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland on 1 May 1707. England and Scotland had been in personal union under the House of Stuart since 24 March 1603. On 1 January 1801, Great Britain merged with the Kingdom of Ireland (also previously in personal union with Great Britain) to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. After most of Ireland left the union on 6 December 1922, its name was amended on 12 April 1927 to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
House of Stuart (1707–1714)
Anne had been Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland since 8 March 1702, and so became Queen of Great Britain upon the Union of England and Scotland. (Her total reign was 12 years and 147 days.)
Name | Portrait | Arms | Birth | Marriages | Death | Claim | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anne 1 May 1707 – 1 August 1714 (7 years, 92 days) |
6 February 1665 St James's Palace Daughter of James II and VII and Anne Hyde |
George of Denmark St James's Palace 28 July 1683 No surviving children |
1 August 1714 Kensington Palace Aged 49 |
Daughter of James II and VII Cognatic primogeniture Bill of Rights 1689 |
[2] |
House of Hanover (1714–1901)
The Hanoverian succession came about as a result of the Act of Settlement 1701, passed by the Parliament of England, which excluded "Papists" (i.e. Roman Catholics) from the succession. In return for access to the English plantations in North America and the West Indies, the Hanoverian succession and the Union were ratified by the Parliament of Scotland in 1707.
After the death of Anne with no living children, George Louis, the son of Sophia of Hanover—granddaughter of James VI and I through his daughter Elizabeth—was the closest heir to the throne who was not Catholic.[lower-roman 1]
Name | Portrait | Arms | Birth | Marriages | Death | Claim | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
George I George Louis 1 August 1714[lower-alpha 1] – 11 June 1727 (12 years, 315 days) |
28 May 1660 Leineschloss Son of Ernest Augustus of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia of Hanover |
Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle 21 November 1682 2 children |
11 June 1727 Osnabrück Aged 67 |
Great-grandson of James VI and I Act of Settlement Eldest son of Sophia of Hanover |
[3] | ||
George II George Augustus 11 June 1727[lower-alpha 2] – 25 October 1760 (33 years, 137 days) |
30 October 1683 Herrenhausen Son of George I and Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle |
Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach 22 August 1705 Herrenhausen 8 children |
25 October 1760 Kensington Palace Aged 76 |
Son of George I | [4] | ||
George III George William Frederick 25 October 1760[lower-alpha 3] – 29 January 1820 (59 years, 97 days) |
4 June 1738 Norfolk House Son of Prince Frederick and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha |
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz St James's Palace 8 September 1761 15 children |
29 January 1820 Windsor Castle Aged 81 |
Grandson of George II | [5] | ||
George IV George Augustus Frederick 29 January 1820[lower-alpha 4] – 26 June 1830 (10 years, 149 days) |
12 August 1762 St James's Palace Son of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
(1) Maria Fitzherbert Park Lane 15 September 1785 No verified children (2) Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel St James's Palace 8 April 1795 1 daughter |
26 June 1830 Windsor Castle Aged 67 |
Son of George III | [6] | ||
William IV William Henry 26 June 1830[lower-alpha 5] – 20 June 1837 (6 years, 360 days) |
21 August 1765 Buckingham Palace Son of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen Kew Palace 13 July 1818 2 daughters |
20 June 1837 Windsor Castle Aged 71 |
[7] | |||
Victoria Alexandrina Victoria 20 June 1837[lower-alpha 6] – 22 January 1901 (63 years, 217 days) |
24 May 1819 Kensington Palace Daughter of the Duke of Kent and Strathearn and Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld |
Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha St James's Palace 10 February 1840 9 children |
22 January 1901 Osborne House Aged 81 |
Granddaughter of George III | [8] |
Houses of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1901–1917) and Windsor (from 1917)
Due to his father Albert, Prince Consort, being of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Edward VII inaugurated a new royal house when he succeeded his mother Victoria, the last monarch of the House of Hanover, in 1901. George V changed the name of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the House of Windsor on 17 July 1917,[9] during the First World War, because of wartime anti-German sentiment in the country.
Name | Portrait | Arms | Birth | Marriages | Death | Claim | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Edward VII Albert Edward 22 January 1901[lower-alpha 7] – 6 May 1910 (9 years, 105 days) |
9 November 1841 Buckingham Palace Son of Victoria and Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha |
Alexandra of Denmark St George's Chapel 10 March 1863 6 children |
6 May 1910 Buckingham Palace Aged 68 |
Son of Victoria | [10] | ||
George V George Frederick Ernest Albert 6 May 1910[lower-alpha 8] – 20 January 1936 (25 years, 260 days) |
3 June 1865 Marlborough House Son of Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark |
Mary of Teck St James's Palace 6 July 1893 6 children |
20 January 1936 Sandringham House Aged 70 |
Son of Edward VII | [11] | ||
Edward VIII Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David 20 January 1936[lower-alpha 9] – 11 December 1936 (Abdicated after 326 days) |
23 June 1894 White Lodge Son of George V and Mary of Teck |
Wallis Simpson Château de Candé 3 June 1937 No children |
28 May 1972 Neuilly-sur-Seine Aged 77 |
Son of George V | [12] | ||
George VI Albert Frederick Arthur George 11 December 1936[lower-alpha 10] – 6 February 1952 (15 years, 58 days) |
14 December 1895 Sandringham House Son of George V and Mary of Teck |
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Westminster Abbey 26 April 1923 2 daughters |
6 February 1952 Sandringham House Aged 56 |
[13] | |||
Elizabeth II Elizabeth Alexandra Mary 6 February 1952[lower-alpha 11] – Present (66 years, 250 days) |
21 April 1926 Mayfair Daughter of George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon |
Philip of Greece and Denmark Westminster Abbey 20 November 1947 4 children |
Living Age 92 |
Daughter of George VI | [14] |
Timeline of British monarchs
See also
- British monarchs' family tree
- Succession to the British throne
- Alternative successions of the English crown
- Demise of the Crown
- Mnemonic verse of monarchs in England
- Monarchy of the United Kingdom
- List of British consorts
- List of monarchs in Britain by length of reign
- List of British monarchs by longevity
- List of monarchs of the British Isles by cause of death
- Lists of monarchs in the British Isles
Notes
- ↑ For a family tree showing King George I's relationship to Queen Anne, see George I of Great Britain § Family tree.
Coronations
- ↑ King George I was crowned on 20 October 1714.
- ↑ King George II was crowned on 11 October 1727 with Queen Caroline.
- ↑ King George III was crowned on 22 September 1761 with Queen Charlotte.
- ↑ King George IV was crowned on 19 July 1821.
- ↑ King William IV was crowned on 8 September 1831 with Queen Adelaide.
- ↑ Queen Victoria was crowned on 28 June 1838.
- ↑ King Edward VII was crowned on 9 August 1902 with Queen Alexandra.
- ↑ King George V was crowned on 22 May 1911 with Queen Mary.
- ↑ King Edward VIII was not crowned.
- ↑ King George VI was crowned on 12 May 1937 with Queen Elizabeth.
- ↑ Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on 2 June 1953.
References
- ↑ "Coats of arms". royal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
- ↑ "Anne (r. 1702–1714)". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ↑ "George I (r. 1714–1727)". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ↑ "George II (r. 1727–1760)". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ↑ "George III (r. 1760–1820)". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ↑ "King George IV (r. 1820–1830)". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ↑ "William IV (r. 1830–1837)". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ↑ "Victoria ( r. 1837–1901)". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ↑ "No. 30186". The London Gazette. 17 July 1917. p. 7119.
- ↑ "Edward VII (r.1901–1910)". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ↑ "George V (r. 1910–1936)". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ↑ "Edward VIII (Jan–Dec 1936)". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
- ↑ "George VI (r.1936–1952)". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ↑ "Her Majesty The Queen". royal.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
External links
- "Archontology – English Kings/Queens from 871 to 1707". archontology.org.
- "Britannia: Monarchs of Britain". britannia.com.
- "British Royal Family History – Kings and Queens". britroyals.com.
- "English Monarchs – A complete history of the Kings and Queens of England". englishmonarchs.co.uk.