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The history of the Kings of Britain presents one of the most intriguing narratives of achievements and tact, of military glory and diplomatic success, and of tyranny and magnificence. England has presented the world with some of the most famous and illustrious monarchs in human history.
During the first half of 800 AD groups of Danish Vikings, who were originally from northern Europe, started attacking Britain. Thereafter, a large part of Britain came under the dominion of the Germanic invaders, including Anglos, Saxons and Jutes. With the victory of the Alfred the Great, the Saxon King of Wessex against the Danes, Britain was segregated into the Anglo-Saxon Land known as England and the Danish Land or Danelaw. As depicted by the history of British Monarchs, it was Athelstan, the grandson of Alfred who became the first ruler of England in 924, uniting the Danish and Saxon kingdoms. A period of unrest followed after his death, where the relentless raids of the Vikings posed a constant threat. The territorial wars with the Danes, the Nors and the Welsh were also common features that added to the lack of peace in the country.
It was in 1016 that Canute, the Danish king ascended to the throne of England, starting the Danish line of English monarchs. He was succeeded by Herald I, Harefoot, his son by his English mistress Aelgifu. Herald died in 1040, and was succeeded by his half-brother and rightful heir to the throne Hardicanute, who ruled under the moniker of Canute II. However, his reign was short and the House of Wessex soon returned to reclaim the throne through Edward the Confessor. 1066 brought about a watershed in the history of Britain, when the Anglo-Saxon age came to an end. William the Conquerer defeated King Harold of England in the battle of Hastings to assume monarchy as William I, beginning a new episode in British history and starting the Norman dynasty.
The Normans (1066 to 1154): The Normans ruled Britain for about a century. King William I ran the first extensive census in England. Commonly referred to as the Doomsday Book, this document contained every significant information about his new kingdom in great detail. King William II, or William Rufus, succeeded him on the throne, followed by King Henry. From then on, England found itself in the grips of civil war, fighting for the throne. The last monarch of the Norman House was the first female to rule England, Empress Matilda.
The Plantagenet (1154 to 1399): The Plantagenet was one of the most influential dynasties to rule England. Founded by the illustrious and able monarch Henry II who established stable governance in a land torn apart by anarchy and civil wars, the dynasty ruled England for a period of more than two centuries. The important Plantagenet monarchs to rule England were Henry II and the first three Edwards. Richard II was the last of the Plantagenet kings.
The House of Lancaster (1399 to 1461): The House of Lancaster followed the Plantagenet rule in England with Henry IV as its first ruler. He was followed by Henry V and Henry VI. Following the untimely death of Henry V in 1422 at a rather unripe age of 35, Henry VI came to the throne when he was merely nine months old. His rule can be divided into two parts, the firs phase covering 1422 to 1461 and the second from 1470 to 1471. It was during the second phase of his reign that the War of Roses got under way against the House of York. The York army won the battle, and the king was murdered a few days after the victory at the Tower of London.
House of York (1461 to 1485): Edward IV was the first York monarch. He assumed sovereignty after defeating Henry VI in the War of Roses. He was succeeded by King Edward V, his 12 year old son. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London along with his brother Richard, and later murdered presumably by Richard III, their uncle. It remains to be one of the most gruesome and touching moments of British history. Richard III succeeded Edward V in 1483, and lost to Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. His death marked the end of the York rule in England and the beginning of yet another new episode of English history, this time a glorious one with the beginning of the House of Tudor.
The Tudors (1485 to 1603): The Tudor dynasty was started by Henry VII after he defeated Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth, putting an end to the century long rivalries between the York and the Lancaster groups. He put the administrative organization and more importantly the economy of England on a very sound footing. He was succeeded by Henry VIII, whose long and eventful reign was marked by a large number of changes in England's socio-economic structure. The most important of them was the break with Rome and the establishment of the Anglican Church with the King as its Head. His reign was followed by a short reign of boy king Edward VI. The reign of this king was followed by the reign of Queen Mary Tudor, commonly referred to as Bloody Mary because of the large number of prosecutions meted out to Protestants during her reign. She was followed by her half-sister Queen Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen. Her reign was one of the most glorious periods of British history, and saw unprecedented developments in the fields of military achievement, literary and artistic glory and trade, which was bolstered by the discovery of new lands. She never married and died without an heir, marking James I of the Stuart House of Scotland as her heir.
The Stuarts (1603 – 1649/ 1660 – 1714): The Stuart rule brought about the unification between the kingdoms of England and Scotland. James I was the first Stuart ruler and was followed by his son Charles I. However, Charles was executed after his opposition to the Parliament, bringing an end to the Stuart line for the time being. The Stuart line was restored in 1660, with the Restoration of Charles II to the throne of England. The Stuart rule came to an end with Queen Anne who died without an heir after all her 17 children died. The highlight of her reign was the 1707 Act of Union and the formation of Great Britain by bringing together the kingdoms of England and Scotland.
The House of Hanoverians (1714 to 1901): King George I was the first Hanoverian monarch. Neither he nor his son George II spent much time in England and were not freely conversant with the English language. They spent most of their times in Germany. King George III ruled for a long period of 50 years and his reign was extremely eventful, seeing the American independence and the French Revolution. He was succeeded by his son George IV. Queen Victoria was the last Hanoverian rulers in England. She ruled for the longest period in British history, and saw England emerge into a major imperialist power.
The Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1901 to 1910): This dynasty of Britain got its name from the husband of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, the son of Ernst, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. King Edward II was the only King of this dynasty to rule with the family name.
The House of Windsor (1910 – Present): The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha changed its name to the House of Windsor in order to dissociate itself with its German roots at a time, when resentment against the Germans was a common feature in England. King George V was the firs king of this dynasty, and reigned in England during the time of First World War. The year long rule of King Edward VIII followed his rule. After the abdication of Edward VIII, King George VI came to the British throne. He ably guided the country through the post-war years. The present Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II succeeded him in 1952.
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