| William I (The Conqueror) |
Norman |
1066-1087 |
- 1066: Norman Conquest, Battle of Hastings
- 1085-1086: Domesday Book compiled, first comprehensive census of England
- Introduced feudalism and reformed the Church
|
| William II |
Norman |
1087-1100 |
- 1095: First Crusade begins, though William doesn't participate
- Expanded royal forests and imposed harsh forest laws
- 1100: Killed in a suspicious hunting accident
|
| Henry I |
Norman |
1100-1135 |
- 1100: Issues the Charter of Liberties, a precursor to Magna Carta
- 1120: White Ship disaster, Henry's heir William Adelin drowns
- Establishes the Exchequer to manage royal finances
|
| Stephen |
Blois |
1135-1154 |
- 1139-1153: The Anarchy, civil war with Matilda (Henry I's daughter)
- 1141: Stephen briefly imprisoned, Matilda rules for a few months
- 1153: Treaty of Winchester ends the civil war, naming Henry (Matilda's son) as Stephen's heir
|
| Henry II |
Plantagenet |
1154-1189 |
- Establishes English Common Law system
- 1164: Constitutions of Clarendon, attempt to reduce Church power
- 1170: Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, murdered
- 1171: Begins English involvement in Ireland
|
| Richard I (The Lionheart) |
Plantagenet |
1189-1199 |
- 1189-1192: Leads the Third Crusade
- 1192-1194: Imprisoned in Austria, large ransom paid for his release
- Spent only six months of his reign in England
|
| John |
Plantagenet |
1199-1216 |
- 1204: Loses Normandy and most other English holdings in France
- 1209-1213: Conflict with the Pope, England placed under interdict
- 1215: Forced to sign Magna Carta, limiting royal power
- 1216: First Barons' War
|
| Henry III |
Plantagenet |
1216-1272 |
- 1258: Provisions of Oxford, attempted reforms by barons
- 1264-1267: Second Barons' War led by Simon de Montfort
- 1265: De Montfort's Parliament, first representation of commoners
- Rebuilding of Westminster Abbey
|
| Edward I |
Plantagenet |
1272-1307 |
- 1277-1283: Conquest of Wales
- 1292: Before the first Scottish Wars, Edward I chooses John Balliol as king of Scotland
- 1296: First Scottish War of Independence begins
- 1297: Model Parliament, establishing the roots of the modern parliament
- 1305: William Wallace executed
|
| Edward II |
Plantagenet |
1307-1327 |
- 1314: Defeated by Robert the Bruce at Battle of Bannockburn
- 1322: Ordinances of 1311 repealed, briefly strengthening royal power
- 1326: Invasion by Queen Isabella and Roger Mortimer
- 1327: Deposed and later killed, probably murdered
|
| Edward III |
Plantagenet |
1327-1377 |
- 1330: Assumes personal rule, overthrowing Mortimer
- 1337: Hundred Years' War with France begins
- 1348-1350: Black Death ravages England
- 1351: Statute of Laborers tries to freeze wages at pre-plague levels
- 1362: English becomes the official language of law courts
|
| Richard II |
Plantagenet |
1377-1399 |
- 1381: Peasants' Revolt, Richard plays key role in ending it
- 1387-1388: Lords Appellant limit Richard's power
- 1397-1399: Richard's "tyranny" - revenge against Lords Appellant
- 1399: Deposed by Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV)
|
| Henry IV |
Lancaster |
1399-1413 |
- First English monarch to speak English as first language
- 1400-1408: Rebellions, including Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh revolt
- 1401: De Heretico Comburendo act against heresy
- 1406: Establishes the principle that the Commons' consent is needed for taxation
|
| Henry V |
Lancaster |
1413-1422 |
- 1415: Victory at Battle of Agincourt
- 1420: Treaty of Troyes, Henry recognized as heir to French throne
- Suppresses Lollard heresy
- Dies unexpectedly, leaving infant son as heir
|
| Henry VI |
Lancaster |
1422-1461, 1470-1471 |
- 1429-1431: Joan of Arc leads French resistance
- 1455: First battle of Wars of the Roses
- 1461: Deposed by Edward IV
- 1470-1471: Briefly restored to throne
- Founded Eton College and King's College, Cambridge
|
| Edward IV |
York |
1461-1470, 1471-1483 |
- 1461: Wins throne in Wars of the Roses
- 1470: Briefly deposed by Warwick the Kingmaker
- 1471: Regains throne, defeats and kills Warwick
- 1476: William Caxton sets up first printing press in England
- Introduces modern system of naval defenses
|
| Edward V |
York |
1483 |
- Never crowned
- One of the "Princes in the Tower"
- Disappeared (presumed murdered) after only 86 days
|
| Richard III |
York |
1483-1485 |
- 1483: Seizes throne from nephew Edward V
- 1484: Parliament declares Richard the rightful king
- 1485: Killed at Battle of Bosworth Field, ending Wars of the Roses
- Last English king to die in battle
|
| Henry VII |
Tudor |
1485-1509 |
- 1485: Wins throne at Battle of Bosworth Field, ending Wars of the Roses
- 1486: Marries Elizabeth of York, uniting the houses of Lancaster and York
- 1487: Introduces Court of Star Chamber
- 1492: Supports Columbus's first voyage
- Establishes effective taxation system and stabilizes economy
|
| Henry VIII |
Tudor |
1509-1547 |
- 1533: Breaks with Roman Catholic Church over divorce from Catherine of Aragon
- 1534: Act of Supremacy establishes Henry as head of Church of England
- 1536-1540: Dissolution of the Monasteries
- 1542: Royal Navy established
- Famous for his six marriages and execution of two wives
|
| Edward VI |
Tudor |
1547-1553 |
- 1549: First Book of Common Prayer introduced
- 1550: Church of England becomes clearly Protestant
- 1552: Second Book of Common Prayer
- Dies young, attempts to prevent Catholic Mary from succeeding
|
| Jane Grey |
Tudor |
1553 (disputed) |
- Reigns for only nine days
- Put on throne by Protestant nobles to prevent Catholic Mary I from ruling
- Deposed by Mary I and later executed
|
| Mary I |
Tudor |
1553-1558 |
- 1554: Marries Philip II of Spain
- 1555: Begins burning of Protestant heretics, earning nickname "Bloody Mary"
- 1557: England loses Calais, its last possession in France
- Attempts to restore Roman Catholicism in England
|
| Elizabeth I |
Tudor |
1558-1603 |
- 1559: Religious Settlement establishes Church of England as Protestant
- 1571: Conspiracy of Ridolfi plot
- 1587: Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots
- 1588: Defeat of Spanish Armada
- 1601: Poor Law passed, first national welfare system
- Golden Age of English literature and exploration
|
| James I |
Stuart |
1603-1625 |
- 1605: Gunpowder Plot foiled
- 1611: King James Bible published
- 1620: Mayflower sails to America
- Colonization of America begins in earnest
- Union of English and Scottish crowns
|
| Charles I |
Stuart |
1625-1649 |
- 1628: Petition of Right limits royal power
- 1629-1640: Personal Rule (Eleven Years' Tyranny)
- 1642-1646: First English Civil War
- 1648-1649: Second English Civil War
- 1649: Tried for treason and executed
|
| Interregnum (No monarch) |
- |
1649-1660 |
- 1649-1653: Rump Parliament rules
- 1653: Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector
- 1655-1660: Rule of the Major-Generals
- 1658: Cromwell dies, succeeded by son Richard
- 1660: Richard Cromwell resigns, monarchy restored
|
| Charles II |
Stuart |
1660-1685 |
- 1660: Restoration of the monarchy
- 1665: Great Plague of London
- 1666: Great Fire of London
- 1670: Secret Treaty of Dover with France
- 1673: Test Act excludes Catholics from office
- 1678: Popish Plot fabricated by Titus Oates
|
| James II |
Stuart |
1685-1688 |
- 1685: Monmouth Rebellion suppressed
- 1687: Declaration of Indulgence for religious liberty
- 1688: Glorious Revolution; flees to France
- Attempted to restore Catholicism, leading to overthrow
|
| William III & Mary II |
Stuart |
1689-1702 (Mary died 1694) |
- 1689: Bill of Rights establishes constitutional monarchy
- 1690: Battle of the Boyne in Ireland
- 1694: Bank of England founded
- 1694: Mary II dies of smallpox
- 1701: Act of Settlement secures Protestant succession
|
| Anne |
Stuart |
1702-1714 |
- 1702-1713: War of the Spanish Succession
- 1707: Acts of Union unite England and Scotland as Great Britain
- 1710: Copyright Act, first copyright law
- 1711: South Sea Company founded
- Last Stuart monarch; died without surviving children
|
| George I |
Hanover |
1714-1727 |
- 1714: Accession marks beginning of Hanoverian dynasty
- 1715: Jacobite rising in Scotland
- 1716: Septennial Act extends maximum parliamentary term to 7 years
- 1720: South Sea Bubble financial crisis
- Rise of Robert Walpole, often considered first Prime Minister
|
| George II |
Hanover |
1727-1760 |
- 1739: War of Jenkins' Ear with Spain begins
- 1742: Walpole resigns as Prime Minister
- 1745: Second Jacobite rising led by Bonnie Prince Charlie
- 1746: Battle of Culloden ends Jacobite threat
- 1756: Seven Years' War begins
- Last British monarch to lead troops into battle (1743)
|
| George III |
Hanover |
1760-1820 |
- 1765: Stamp Act sparks unrest in American colonies
- 1775-1783: American War of Independence
- 1789: French Revolution begins
- 1801: Act of Union creates United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- 1805: Battle of Trafalgar
- 1811: Regency begins due to King's illness
- 1815: Battle of Waterloo ends Napoleonic Wars
|
| George IV |
Hanover |
1820-1830 |
- 1820: Cato Street Conspiracy to assassinate cabinet ministers foiled
- 1825: World's first public railway opens
- 1829: Catholic Emancipation Act allows Catholics to sit in Parliament
- Known for extravagant lifestyle and troubled marriage to Caroline of Brunswick
|
| William IV |
Hanover |
1830-1837 |
- 1832: Great Reform Act expands voting rights
- 1833: Factory Act limits child labor
- 1834: Poor Law Amendment Act reforms welfare system
- 1834: Slavery Abolition Act outlaws slavery in most of British Empire
- Last monarch of House of Hanover
|
| Victoria |
Hanover |
1837-1901 |
- 1837: Accession at age 18
- 1840: Marries Prince Albert
- 1845-1852: Irish Potato Famine
- 1851: Great Exhibition showcases British technology and culture
- 1854-1856: Crimean War
- 1857: Indian Mutiny leads to direct British rule in India
- 1867: Second Reform Act further expands voting rights
- 1876: Victoria becomes Empress of India
- 1887 and 1897: Golden and Diamond Jubilees
|
| Edward VII |
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
1901-1910 |
- 1902: Balfour Education Act establishes local education authorities
- 1904: Entente Cordiale signed with France
- 1906: HMS Dreadnought launched, revolutionizing naval warfare
- 1908: Old Age Pensions Act introduces first state pensions
- Known as "Peacemaker" for his diplomatic efforts
|
| George V |
Windsor (from 1917) |
1910-1936 |
- 1911: Parliament Act reduces power of House of Lords
- 1914-1918: World War I
- 1916: Easter Rising in Ireland
- 1917: House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha renamed as House of Windsor
- 1918: Representation of the People Act gives votes to women over 30
- 1922: Irish Free State established
- 1924: First Labour government under Ramsay MacDonald
- 1926: General Strike
- 1931: Statute of Westminster gives independence to Dominions
|
| Edward VIII |
Windsor |
1936 |
- January 20: Accedes to throne upon death of his father, George V
- Reign marked by constitutional crisis over his desire to marry Wallis Simpson
- December 11: Abdicates after 326 days, shortest reign of any British monarch
|
| George VI |
Windsor |
1936-1952 |
- 1937: Coronation
- 1938: Munich Agreement with Nazi Germany
- 1939-1945: World War II
- 1945: United Nations founded
- 1947: Indian independence and Partition
- 1948: National Health Service (NHS) established
- 1949: NATO formed
- Oversaw transition from Empire to Commonwealth
|
| Elizabeth II |
Windsor |
1952-2022 |
- 1953: Coronation, first to be televised
- 1956: Suez Crisis
- 1960s-1970s: Decolonization of Africa
- 1973: UK joins European Economic Community (EEC)
- 1982: Falklands War
- 1992: "Annus Horribilis" - family scandals and Windsor Castle fire
- 1997: Death of Princess Diana
- 2002: Golden Jubilee
- 2011: State visit to Republic of Ireland
- 2012: Diamond Jubilee
- 2016: Brexit referendum
- 2020: COVID-19 pandemic
- 2022: Platinum Jubilee; passes away on September 8
|
| Charles III |
Windsor |
2022-present |
- 2022: Accession following death of Elizabeth II
- 2023: Coronation on May 6
- Focuses on environmental issues and sustainable development
- Continues to navigate UK's post-Brexit relationships
- Oversees modernization efforts within the monarchy
|
