Lists of monarchs in the British Isles

This is a list of British monarchs, that is, the monarchs on the thrones of England and Scotland. These often did not pass smoothly from parent to child; lack of heirs, civil wars, murders and invasions affected the inheritance in ways that a simple list does not show. The relationships that formed the basis for claims to throne are noted where we know them, and the dates of reign indicated.

Scottish monarchs

The kingdom of Scotland is taken to have begun when Kenneth mac Alpin became king of the Picts and the Scots.

Kenneth I (843-858)
his brother, Donald I (858-862)
Kenneth I's son, Constantine I (862-877)
Kenneth I's son, Aed (877-878)
his son, Eochaid (878-889)
Donald II (889-900)
Constantine II (900-943)
Constantine II's cousin, Malcolm I (943-954)
Indulf (954-962)
Malcolm I's son, Dubh (962-966)
Indulf's son, Culen (966-971)
Kenneth II (971-995)
Constantine III (995-997)
Kenneth III (997-1005)
Malcolm II (1005-1034)
Malcolm II's grandson, Duncan I (1034-1040)
Malcolm II's grandson, Macbeth (1040-1057)
Macbeth's stepson, Lulach (1057-1058)

The House of Canmore

Duncan I's son, Malcolm III (1058-1093)
Duncan I's son, Donald III (1093-1094 and 1094-1097)
Malcolm III's son, Duncan II (1094)
Malcolm III's son, Edgar (1097-1107)
Malcolm III's son, Alexander I (1107-1124)
Malcolm III's son, David I (1124-1153)
Malcolm IV (1153-1165)
David I's grandson, William I (1165-1214)
his son, Alexander II (1214-1249)
his son, Alexander III (1249-1286)
his granddaughter, Margaret (1286-1290)

The Wars of Scottish Independence

When Margaret died, there was no clear heir, and King Edward I of England took over, installing a puppet.

John Balliol (1292-1296)

John Balliol rebelled, and Scotland was plunged into war. In the end, independence was secured under a new dynasty.

The House of Bruce

Robert I (1306-1329)
David II (1329-1371)

The House of Stewart (Stuart)

Robert II (1371-1390)
Robert III (1390-1406)
his son, James I (1406-1437)
James II (1437-1460)
James III (1460-1488)
his son, James IV (1488-1513)
his son, James V (1513-1542)
his daughter, Mary (1542-1567)
her son, James VI (1567-1625)
his son, Charles I (1625-1649)
his son, Charles II (1660-1685)
Charles I's son, James VII (1685-1688)

The House of Orange

his daughter, Mary II (1689-1694) and her husband William II (1689-1702), reigned together during Mary's life as "William and Mary"

In 1707, with the Act of Union, the thrones of England and Scotland were formally united as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, keeping the numbering system of England. See UK monarchs below.

English monarchs

The Bretwalda

The Bretwalda were chosen from among the rulers of the various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England. There was not always a Bretwalda.

Ælle of Sussex (477-c500)
Cerdic of Wessex ( -534)
his grandson, Cynric of Wessex (534-560)
his son, Ceawlin of Wessex (560-591)
Ethelbert of Kent (591-616)
Raedwald of East Anglia (616-627)
Edwin of Deira (627-632)
Oswald of Bernicia (633-641)
Oswiu of Northumbria (641-670)
Æthelbald of Mercia (c735-757)
Æthelbald's cousin, Offa of Mercia (757-796)
Ceawlin's 7x(great)-grandson, Egbert of Wessex (829-839)
his son, Ethelwulf of Wessex (839-855)
his son, Ethelbald of Wessex (855-860)
Ethelwulf's son, Ethelbert of Wessex (860-866)
Ethelwulf's son, Ethelred of Wessex (866-871)

The Saxon kings

By this time, the kings of Wessex had become established as kings of England.

Ethelwulf's son, Ælfred (871-899)
his son, Edward I (899-924)
his son, Athelstan (924-939)
Edward's son, Edmund I (939-946)
Edward's son, Edred (946-955)
Edmund's son, Edwy (955-959)
Edmund's son, Edgar (959-975)
his son, Edward II (975-978)
Edgar's son, Ethelred II (978-1016)
his son, Edmund II (1016)

The Danelaw

For a period of time, both Danish and Saxon kings claimed the throne of England.

Svein, also King of Denmark (1013-1014)
his son, Canute I (1014-1035)
his illegitimate son, Harold I (1035-1040)
Canute's son, Canute II (1040-1042)

The Saxon restoration

Ethelred II's son and Canute II's half-brother, Edward III (1042-1066)
his brother-in-law and Svein's nephew, Harold II (1066)
his half-greatnephew, Edgar Ætheling, uncrowned (1066)

The Norman kings

After the Norman Conquest in 1066, numbering of kings began anew; this affected only the Edwards.

Edward III's and Canute II's first cousin twice removed,William I (1066-1087)
his son, William II (1087-1100)
William I's son, Henry I (1100-1135)
William I's grandson, Stephen (1135-1154), interspersed with Empress Maud, daughter of Henry I and never crowned but titled "Lady of the English"

The Angevins or Plantagenets

Henry I's grandson, Henry II (1154-1189)
his son, Richard I (1189-1199)
Henry II's son, John (1199-1216)
his son, Henry III (1216-1272)
his son, Edward I (1272-1307)
his son, Edward II (1307-1327)
his son, Edward III (1327-1377)
his grandson, Richard II (1377-1399)

The House of Lancaster

Edward III's grandson, Henry IV (1399-1413)
his son, Henry V (1413-1422)
his son, Henry VI (1422-1461 and 1470-1471)

The Houses of Lancaster and York fought the Wars of the Roses over the English crown.

The House of York

Edward III's great-great-grandson, Edward IV (1461-1470 and 1471-1483)
his son, Edward V, uncrowned (1483)
Edward IV's brother, Richard III (1483-1485)

The House of Tudor

Edward III's great-great-grandson and Edward IV's son-in-law, Henry VII (1485-1509)
his son, Henry VIII (1509-1547)
his son, Edward VI (1547-1553)
Henry VII's great-granddaughter, Lady Jane Grey, uncrowned (1553)
Henry VIII's daughter, Mary I (1553-1558)
Henry VIII's daughter, Elizabeth I (1558-1603)