The Kings and Queens of England from 1066 to the present day

• The Normans

  King William the Conqueror 1066 - 1087
  married Matilda of France. Invaded England from Normandy. Defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings.

  King William II 1087 - 1100
  Had a red face. Was killed by an arrow in a forest.

  King Henry I 1100 - 1135
  married Edith. The fourth son of William I.

  King Stephen 1135 - 1154
  married Matilda of Boulogne. Uncle of Henry I. Civil war followed between King Stephen and Matilda, Henry I's daughter.

• The Agevins

King Henry II 1154 - 1189
married Eleanor of Aquitaine. Ruled most of England and France with his fiery temper.

King Richard I 1189 - 1199
married Berengaria of Navarre. Was in England for only four months spending the other time fighting in the Crusades. Known as 'Lionheart'

King John 1199 - 1216
married (1) Isabella, countess of Gloucester
married (2) Isabella of Angoulene. Responsible for the Magna Charta (Great Charter) giving justice to all.

• The Plantagenets

  King Henry III 1216 - 1272
  married Eleanor of Provence. Built Westminster Abbey.

  King Edward I 1272 - 1307
  married (1) Eleanor of Castile
  married (2) Margaret of France. Fought wars against the Scots King Robert the Bruce and was called 'the hammer of the Scots'

  King Edward II 1307 - 1327
  married Isabel of France. His wife raised an army to take over the Kingdom. He was murdered in gaol.

  King Edward III 1327 - 1377
  married Philippa of Hainulut. Fought many battles against the Scots and the French. Set up the Order of the Garter.

  Richard II 1377 - 1399
  married (1) Anne of Bohemia
  married (2) Isabella of France. Ruled at the time of Chaucer the poet. His cousin Henry had him murdered to take over the throne.

• The House of Lancaster

  Henry IV 1399 - 1413
  married Mary Bohun. Haunted by the murder of his uncle.

  Henry V 1413 - 1422
  married Catherine of France. Fought the French in the battle of Agincourt and won.

  Henry VI 1422 - 1461, 1470 - 1471
  married Margaret of Anjou. Very ill during his reign. The war of the roses began between the House of Lancaster and the House of York.

• The House of York

  King Edward IV 1461 -1470, 1471 - 1483
  married Elizabeth Woodville. Won the wars of the roses. Tried to bring peace to the country.

  King Edward V 1483 - 1483
  Was never actually crowned, and killed by his Uncle Richard with his younger brother in the tower. Only about 12 years old when he died.

  King Richard III 1483 - 1485
  married Anne Neville. Murdered his cousins in the tower. Killed in battle against Henry Tudor.

• The Tudors

  King Henry VII 1485 - 1509
  married Elizabeth of York. Kept England peaceful and brought riches to the crown and country.

  King Henry VIII 1509 - 1547
  married (1) Catherine of Aragon
  married (2) Anne Boleyn
  married (3) Jane Seymour
  married (4) Anne of Cleves
  married (5) Catherine Howard
  married (6) Catherine Parr. Argued with the Pope and made himself the head of the new 'Church of England'. The rhyme to remember what happened to his wives goes "Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived"

  King Edward VI 1547 - 1553
  Was never a healthy King and died aged only 15 years.

  Queen Mary I 1553 - 1558
  married Philip II of Spain. Wanted to make England Catholic again. Killed many who opposed her.

  Queen Elizabeth I 1558 - 1603
  During her reign great adventurers discovered many new lands. Fought off the Spanish Armada.

• The Stuarts

  James I 1603 - 1625
  married Anne of Denmark. United the Crowns of Scotland and England. Guy Fawkes tried to kill him.

  Charles I 1625 - 1649
  married Henrietta Maria of France. Fought against the Parliament leading to civil war. Was executed as a result.

  No Monarch for 11 years during the Commonwealth

  Charles II 1660 - 1685
  married Catherine of Bragnanza. Returned from exile to rule the country. Saw London recover from the Plague (1665) and Great Fire (1666).

  James II 1685 - 1688
  married (1) Anne Hyde
  married (2) Mary of Modena. Tried to force people to follow his Roman Catholic faith. Forced to give up the crown.

  William II 1688 - 1702 and Queen Mary II 1688 - 1694
  Daughter of James II and her Dutch husband were invited to be King and Queen following James abdication.

  Queen Anne 1702 - 1714
  married George of Denmark. Sister of Mary II, she enjoyed drinking tea !

• The House of Hanover

  King George I 1714 - 1727
  married Sophia Dorothea. A distant cousin of Queen Anne. First Primeminister during his reign.

  King George II 1727 - 1760
  married Caroline of Brandenburg - Andsbach. Prefered Germany to England, but learned to speak English, unlike his father.

  King George III 1760 - 1820
  married Charlotte of Mecklenburg - Strelitz. Ruled for 50 years and fathered 15 children. Australia was colonised, and slavery abolished.

  King George IV 1820 - 1830
  married Caroline of Brunswick. Became Prince Regent while his father was very ill. Built Brighton Pavillion.

  King William IV 1830 - 1837
  married Adelaide of Saxe - Meiningen. Became known as the "Sailor King" after joining the navy from just 13 years old.

  Queen Victoria 1837 - 1901
  married Albert of Saxe - Coburg Gotha. Ruled during the industrial revolution. The British Empire became powerful, rich and confident.

• The House of Saxe - Coburg Gotha

  King Edward VII 1901 - 1910
  married Alexandra of Denmark. Kept Europe at peace during his life. He enjoyed fine food and horse racing.

• The House of Windsor

  King George V 1910 - 1936
  married Mary of Teck. Ruled Britain during World War One. During his reign women were allowed to vote for the first time.

  King Edward VIII 1936 - 1936
  abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, as he was not able to marry a divorced woman and become King.

  King George VI 1936 - 1952
  married Elizabeth Bowes Lyon. The shy brother of Edward VIII. He didn't expect to become King. Ruled during World War Two and refused to leave London during the blitz.

  Queen Elizabeth II 1952 - present day
  married Philip Mountabatten. Our present day Queen celebrates 50 years of her reign this year (2002). She witnessed the great fire at Windsor Castle in 1992.
  

| Jubilee Home | The Royal Family | School Celebrations | Other Celebrations |Fun and Games | 2002 Commonwealth Games Section |