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Sketch of the British Monarchs 1066 to Present
By John Darling
Normans Plantagenants Tudors Stuarts Hannoverians Windsors
The Normans
William I, 1066-87, defeats Harold II and the Saxons at Hastings, starts Norman dynasty. Invades Scotland, compels king to pay him homage, 1072. Winchester Cathedral started. Refuses to pay homage to Pope, 1080. domesday Book, survey of shires. Dies of fall from horse.
William II, 1087-1100, leads Normandy Invasion against his brother who claimes Normandy. Defeats Malcolm III of Scotland. Invades Wales, 1098. Killed by arrow while hunting.
Henry I, 1100-1135, brother of Wm II. Issues Charter of Liberties, promising good governance. Marries Edith, a Scot. Wars with brother Robert, Duke of Normandy, wins. Henry's son William, 17, drowns; daughter Matilda becomes heir to throne. Henry persuades nobles to accept a queen. Do they stick with their word? I don't think so.
Stephen, 1135-54, usurped throne from Matilda, though he promised support for her. Scots invade England in support of Matilda, but are defeated, 1138. Matilda invades, defeats Stephen at Lincoln, 1141 and is made queen, but is defeated by Stephen's forces, 1148. Matilda's son Henry, count of Anjou, claims throne. Stephen agrees that on his death Henry and not Stephen's son shall reign.
The Plantagenants
Henry II, 1154-89, son of Matilda, the first Plantagenant. Appoints Thomas a Becket Chancellor of England. Trial by jury established. Invades Ireland, beginning English settlement, made Lord of Ireland. Oxford Univ. founded. Beckett killed in quarrel with Henry.
Richard I, 1189-99, goes on 3d Crusade, 1189, leaving government to Richard Longchamp, Chancellor of England. Captures Acre, defeats Saladin. Captured by Austria and ransomed. Dies fighting in France.
John, 1199-1216. England loses almost all its possessions in France. In dispute with Pope, John is excommunicated and declared not rightful king; he submits to Pope's authority. Barons make demands on king, known as Magna Charta, which he signs, limiting the government's right to tax, arrest and infringe religious liberty. Civil War. Barons invite French help. French capture Tower of London.
Henry III, 1216-1272. Crowned at age 9, gains rule in 1227 and has reigned longer that any British monarch. Barons rebel and John signs Provisions of Oxford, which limits Royal powers. Henry later repudiates them, triggering Baron's War in which Henry is defeated by de Montfort, who summons first Parliament.
Edward I, 1272-1307. A Crusader. Conquers Wales. Expels Jews from Britain. Invades Scotland, deposes Baloil, takes Stone of Scone to Westminster (recently returned). Creates first Prince of Wales. Robert Bruce opposes Edward.
Edward II, 1307-27, The first Prince of Wales. Nobles twice rebel against his misgovernment, executing his favorite Piers Gaveston, 1312. Scots win independence in Battle of Bannockburn. Edward's wife plots his demise. Parliament deposes Edward and he is gruesomely put to death.
Edward III, 1327-77. Accedes at 15, but his mother Isabella of France and her lover Roger Mortimer rule til he is 18, after which Mortimer is executed. Edward is tall, red-haired, flayboyant, generous, devoted to his wife Philippa and both are much loved by the people. Parliament is divided into Lords and Commons. Scots defeated at Halidon Hill. Start of Hundred Years' War. Founds Order of Garter. Black Death kills a third of English. Statute of Privisors confirms crown's authority superior to Pope's. His son, the Black Prince defeats French at Poitiers. English displaces French in Parliament and courts. Parliaments gains rights of impeachment. Edward becomes senile.
Richard II, 1377-1399, grandson of Edward III. Poll Tax leads to Peasants' Revolt, 1381, eventually ending feudalism. Duke of Gloucester leads Lords Appelant in taking control of governemnt, 1387. Richard regains control two years later, in revenge exiles Henry Bolingbroke, who as Duke of Lancaster returns to despose Richard, who starves himself to death in prison.
Henry IV, 1399-1413. Brave, energetic, well-educated and well-liked, Henry faced many rebellions of barons and the Welsh, contracted leprosy and died.
Henry V, 1413-22. Thwarts the Cambridge Plot of nobles to depose him in favor of his cousin Edmund Mortimer, 1415. Defeats French at Agincourt, becomes heir to French King Charles VI, marries the French princess Catherine, but dies before he can become King of France.
Henry VI, 1422-61, 1470-71, a gentle, honest, simple and spiritual man, became king of England and France as a baby. Joan of Arc works to expel British from France in Hundred Years War. Richard, Duke of York is regent during Henry's mental illness. Henry dismisses him but York rebels and takes over government, starting War of Roses, 1455. Deposed by Richard's son, Edward IV. Henry murdered in Tower of London, 1471.
Edward IV, 1461-70, 1471-83, defeats Lancastrian army at Mortimer's Cross, proclaimed king by his cousin Warwick the Kingmaker. Briefly driven to exile when Henry VI restored. Wm Caxton's printing press.
Edward V, 1483. Crowned at age 13, with his uncle Richard as Protector. Edward declared illegitimate by Parliament, which declares Richard king. Edward and his brother jailed, vanish.
Richard III, 1483-85, the last Plantagenet, disappears his nephews, Edward V and Richard, 1483. His son and heir Richard dies, 1484. Bail starts. Statutes written in English for first time. Defeated, killed by Henry at Bosworth.
The Tudors
Henry VII, 1485-1509, the first Tudor, defeated Richard III at Bosworth, vanquishing York line. Revives Star Chamber to control nobles. Sponsors Cabot exploration of New World, 1497.
Henry VIII, 1509-47, accedes due to death of his older brother Arthur, 1502, and marries Arthur's widow Catherine, the first of his six wives. He fathered a king, Edward and two queens, Mary and Elizabeth. Broke with Catholic Church when denied annulment from first wife, making England Protestant. Had some 50,000 of his enemies put to death.
Edward VI, 1547-53, sickly son and long-sought male heir of Henry VIII, died of TB at 16 after reign of six years. Mary, 1553-58, "Bloody Mary" to history, sister of Edward VI, married Spanish King Philip who jointly reigned Britian with her 1554-58, bringing Catholic revival and persecution of Protestants. Executed Lady Jane Grey, the queen of nine days.
Elizabeth I, 1558-1603, wise ruler for 45 years, world explorer via Drake and Raleigh. Defeats Spanish Armada, executes Mary, Queen of Scots, reigns during period of enlightenment which includes Shakespeare.
The Stuarts
James I, 1603-25, the first Scot king of Britain, head of the Stuart line and the former James VI of Scotland. Sponsor/namesake of Jamestown, colonizer of Ulster, sponsor of King James Bible and opponent of smoking.
Charles I, 1625-49, son of James, presented with The Petition of Rights by the nobles, 1628, dissolves Parliament 1629 and rules alone til 1640. Civil War 1642-49, Charles tried, executed 1649.
The Commonwealth, 1649-60, presided over by Oliver Cromwell, a general for the Parliament in the Civil War and a Protestant zealot. Defeats Scot Royalists led by Charles II who flees to exile. Refuses throne 1657, dies 1658. Parliament votes Restoration of monarchy.
Charles II, 1660-85, Great Plague 1665, Great Fire of London 1666. Restores Catholicism, creates habeas corpus. Royal Society (scientific) created, Royal Observatory created.
James II, 1685-88, attempts to solidify Catholic Church in England, nobles rebel, invite William of Orange, the son-in-law of James and his wife Mary to rule England. James abdicates and flees to exile.
William & Mary 1689-1702 (William III alone after Mary dies, 1694). On accession, they sign nobles' Declaration of Right and Toleration Act, giving freedom on worship to Protestants. William defeats James at Boyne, 1690. Bank of England founded 1694. France recognizes James III as King of Britain; William allies with Holland and Austria against France.
Anne, 1702-14, wars on France in the War of Spanish Succession. First British newspaper. Act of Union joins England and Scotland, 1707. Last witchcraft execution, 1712.
The Hannoverians
George I, 1714-27, the first Hanover and a distant cousin of Anne. Spoke no English. Creates general elections every 7 years. Robt Walpole is first Prime Minister. First circulating library.
George II, 1727-60, founds Georgia, decriminalizes witchcraft. War with Spain. Defeats Jacobites (supporters of James III). Defeats Scots at Culloden, 1646. British Museum founded 1749. Seven Years War. Acquisition of India begun. William Pitt is P.M.
George III, 1760-1820, grandson of George II. Stamp Act in American colonies, 1765. Capt. Cook voyage around world, 1769-70. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1771. Boston Tea Party, 1773. American colonies revolt, 1775-83. James Watt's steam engine, 1775 begins Industrial Revolution. Lord Nelson destroys French-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar, 1805. George has prophyria, with bouts of mental illness over last 32 years of reign.
George IV, 1820-30. National Gallery opens 1824. World's first railway, 1825. First trade unions legalized, 1825. Wellington is PM.
William IV, 1830-37. Reform Act gives vote to 500,000 people. Slavery abolished in British Empire, 1833. Factory Act bars child labor under age 9. Poor Law creates workhouses.
Victoria, 1837-1901. Marries Prince Albert 1840, starts penny post, 1840. Potato Famine in Ireland kills 1 million, 1845-48. Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, 1851. Smallpox vaccinations made compulsory, 1853. Crimean War 1854-56. Prince Albert dies, 1861. Canada is independent, 1867. Primary education is compulsory, 1870. PMs are Peel, Gladstone, Disreali. Suez Canal purchased, 1876. Victoria is Empress of India, 1876. Boer War 1899-1902.
Edward VII, 1901-10. Triple Entente of Britain, France, Russia. Lloyd George proposed People's Budget hiking takes on rich to fund social reforms. Australia, New Zealand are dominions.
The Windsors
George V, 1910-36, head of House of Windsor (name change to avoid German stigma during WWI), stamp collector. Easter Rising in Dublin, 1916. Women vote, 1918. N. Ireland partitioned off. First Labor government, 1924.
Edward VIII, 1936. Abdicates to marry commonor. No coins.
George VI, 1936-52, Neville Chamberlain appeases Hitler, WWII, Battle of Britain, Normandy Invasion. India independent. National Health Service.
Elizabeth II, 1952-present. PMs are Churchill, Eden, Macmillan, Wilson, Heath, Thatcher. Coins go decimal 1971. Join Euro Community 1973. Prince Charles marries Diana, 1981, has heir, Diana killed in car wreck, 1997.
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