Name | Ruled between | Notes |
William I (The Conqueror) | 1066 - 1087 | AKA William the Bastard. The last big successful invader of the British Isles, apart from India, Pakistan and any Eastern European country that has joined the EU. |
William II (Rufus) | 1087 - 1100 | Third and favourite son of William I. Accidentally killed by an arrow while out hunting - really? |
Henry I | 1100 - 1135 | The youngest and most able of William the Conqueror's sons. Father of Matilda. |
Stephen | 1135 - 1154 | Had problems with his cousin Matilda claiming to be Queen. |
Henry II | 1154 - 1189 | Married Eleanor of Aquitaine. Responsible for the murder of Thomas Becket. |
Richard I (The Lionheart) | 1189 - 1199 | A real Crusader but a poor King. |
John | 1199 - 1216 | Probably the most hated and cruellest monarch in English history. Renaged on the Magna Carta. |
Henry III | 1216 - 1272 | Not a successful King. Couldn't control his Barons. |
Edward I (Longshanks) | 1272 - 1307 | Subdued both the Scottish and Welsh dissidents and ordered the expulsion of Jews from England in 1290. |
Edward II | 1307 - 1327 | Creamed by Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn. Deposed by his wife and her lover in favour of his son. |
Edward III | 1327 - 1377 | Created the first 3 English Dukedoms. His eldest son Edward, the Black Prince (1330 - 1376), was created Duke of Cornwall, the first English Duke, in 1337. Also started the 100 Years War. |
Richard II | 1377 - 1399 | Grandson of Edward III and eldest son of the Black Prince. |
Henry IV | 1399 - 1413 | First Lancastrian King. |
Henry V (The Warrior King) | 1413 - 1422 | Obsessed with getting the French Provinces back under English rule. |
Henry VI | 1422 - 1461 | Lancastrian. His first attempt at being King - well since 1437 |
Edward IV | 1461 - 1470 | Yorkist. His first attempt at being King. |
Henry VI | 1470 - 1471 | Lancastrian. His second attempt at being King. |
Edward IV | 1471 - 1483 | Yorkist. His second attempt at being King. |
Edward V | 1483 - 1483 | Didn't last very long. Probably murdered on orders from his uncle who became Richard III. |
Richard III | 1443 - 1485 | Usurped the throne. Infamous for killing his nephews the Princes in the Tower. Killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field. |
Henry VII | 1485 - 1509 | Married Elizabeth of York ending the 'War of the Roses'. |
Henry VIII | 1509 - 1547 | Probably the most famous of all English Monarchs, something to do with having 6 wives, defying Rome and founding the Church of England. |
Edward VI | 1547 - 1553 | King at 9 years old, dead at 15. His short reign saw the full-scale introduction of Protestantism. |
Lady Jane Grey | 1533 - 1533 | Was Queen for somewhere between 9 and 14 days depending on which account you read. |
Mary I (Queen of Scots) | 1553 - 1558 | The woman who tried to re-catholicise England. |
Elizabeth I | 1558 - 1603 | Most well known for the Elizabethan age, defeating the Spanish Armada, Oh, and killing her sister Mary. |
James I | 1603 - 1625 | Was also James IV of Scotland |
Charles I (The Divine King) | 1625 - 1649 | Executed on January 30th 1649. The Colony of Carolina in the USA (now North & South Carolina) was named in his honour. |
The Lord Protectorates | ||
Oliver Cromwell | 1653 - 1658 | Self appointed protector of virtue. Caused the English Civil War (1642 - 1651) and a puritanical rule |
Richard Cromwell (Tumbledown Dick) | 1658 - 1659 | Lacklustre son of Ollie - no surprise that the Monarchy was re-instated. |
Back to the Royal line | ||
Charles II | 1660 - 1685 | Father of the Duke of Monmouth who was the first Earl of Doncaster. |
James II | 1685 - 1688 | The man who had the first Earl of Doncaster executed. |
William III and Mary II (of Orange) | 1689 - 1702 | The Dutch contingent. Mary died in 1694. |
Anne | 1702 - 1714 | Apparently had very good legs - ask any antique furniture sales person. |
George I | 1714 - 1727 | AKA German George - Elector of Hanover. |
George II | 1727 - 1760 | The last British king to fight in battle. |
George III (Mad King George) | 1760 - 1820 | During his reign we lost the American colonies and founded Australia - So, nothing to brag about. |
George IV | 1820 - 1830 | Very ineffectual as a king but has a lot of Pubs named after him. |
William IV | 1830 - 1837 | The 'Sailor King'. Third son of George III and younger brother of George IV. |
Victoria | 1837 - 1901 | Probably the second most famous English Monarch. The award of occasional crosses for outstanding military gallantry are named after her. |
Edward VII | 1901 - 1910 | Eldest son of Victoria & Albert. Bit of a rake and infamously linked with 'Jersey' Lily Langtry. |
George V | 1910 - 1936 | Meddled in politics. The Irish Free State (Eire) was formed during his reign in 1916. |
Edward VIII | 1936 - 1936 | Abdicated in 1936, couldn't think about anything other than "Wallis". Selfish sod. |
George VI | 1936 - 1952 | Stuttering Bertie - "The Kings Speech" really is worth watching. |
Elizabeth II | 1952 - now | Also awards crosses*. Ah, but who's next - Charles III or William V? And then George VII perhaps... |
* This new award was created in 2009 to provide national recognition for the families of Armed Forces Personnel who have died on operations or as the result of an act of terrorism.