Kings & Queens of Britain

Study focus: You do not need every monarch. Learn the ones linked to major changes: 1066, Magna Carta, the Tudors and Henry VIII’s three children, the Civil War, the Bill of Rights, the Act of Union, Victoria, Elizabeth II, and Charles III. To see them all in order on one screen, use the monarchs timeline on Exam Day.

Why monarchs matter on the test

The Life in the UK test loves monarchs. Questions about who reigned when, what they did, and which laws they introduced appear in almost every sitting. You don’t need to memorise every king and queen — but you do need to know around twenty of them well enough to answer confidently.

This guide walks through every monarch the test expects you to recognise, in chronological order. For each one we highlight the facts examiners ask about most and the details that separate similar rulers. Reign dates are included to help you build a timeline; the handbook itself gives only a few of them.

The test also asks about people who never wore the crown: leaders, scientists, writers, artists and sportspeople. People to know lists each of them with what they did and links to the topic that teaches them.

Before 1066: Alfred the Great, Cnut and Kenneth MacAlpin

The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in England united under King Alfred the Great, who defeated the Vikings. Many Vikings stayed in the east and north of England, in an area known as the Danelaw. Anglo-Saxon kings went on ruling what is now England, except for a short period when there were Danish kings; the first of these was Cnut, also called Canute.

In the north, the threat of Viking attack encouraged people to unite under one king, Kenneth MacAlpin, and the term Scotland began to be used to describe the country.

The Normans and the Middle Ages (1066–1485)

The handbook names only a handful of medieval kings, each tied to one event worth knowing.

William the Conqueror (1066)

William, Duke of Normandy, defeated Harold, the Saxon king of England, at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Harold was killed in the battle, and it was the last successful foreign invasion of England. William sent people all over England to list who lived in every town and village, who owned the land and what animals they kept: the Domesday Book, completed in 1086. The Tower of London was first built by William after he became king. The Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidered cloth nearly 70 metres long that can still be seen in France, tells the story of the battle.

The date 1066 is probably the single most famous date in British history and appears regularly in exam questions.

King John and Magna Carta (1215)

There were few formal limits to the king’s power until 1215, when King John’s noblemen forced him to agree to Magna Carta (the Great Charter). It established the idea that even the king was subject to the law, protected the rights of the nobility, and restricted the king’s power to collect taxes or to make and change laws. Our Magna Carta guide covers it in more depth.

Edward I and Wales (1284)

In 1284 King Edward I introduced the Statute of Rhuddlan, which annexed Wales to the Crown of England. Huge castles, including Conwy and Caernarvon, were built to maintain this power.

Scotland was different. In 1314 the Scots, led by Robert the Bruce, defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn, and Scotland remained unconquered by the English.

Henry V and Agincourt (1415)

Henry V is remembered for his victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, during the Hundred Years War with France (which actually lasted 116 years). His vastly outnumbered English army defeated the French. Shakespeare later dramatised his life: the line “Once more unto the breach” comes from Henry V.

The Tudors (1485–1603)

The Tudors ruled from Henry VII’s victory at Bosworth in 1485 to the death of Elizabeth I in 1603. Learn Henry VIII’s three children in order: Edward, Mary, Elizabeth.

Henry VII — the first Tudor (1485)

Henry Tudor, leader of the House of Lancaster, became King Henry VII after Richard III of the House of York was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. This ended the Wars of the Roses between the Houses of Lancaster (red rose) and York (white rose). Henry married Richard’s niece, Elizabeth of York, to unite the two families and founded the Tudor dynasty. The Tudor rose is a red rose with a white rose inside it.

Henry VII wanted peace and a secure throne, so he strengthened central government, reduced the power of the nobles and built up the monarchy’s financial reserves.

Henry VIII — six wives and the Reformation (1509–1547)

Henry VIII is one of the most tested monarchs on the exam. He is best known for having six wives: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr. Their outcomes were divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.

When the Pope refused to let him divorce Catherine of Aragon, Henry broke with Rome and established the Church of England, in which the king, not the Pope, appointed bishops and ordered how people should worship. He also dissolved the monasteries, seizing their wealth and land. During his reign Wales was formally united with England by the Act for the Government of Wales, and Henry took the title “King of Ireland”.

All three of Henry’s children reigned after him, each with a different mother.

Edward VI — the Protestant boy king (1547–1553)

Edward VI was Henry VIII’s son by his third wife, Jane Seymour, who died shortly after his birth. He became king at the age of nine and was strongly Protestant. During his reign the Book of Common Prayer was written for use in the Church of England, and a version of it is still used in some churches today.

Edward died at the age of 15, after ruling for just over six years.

Mary I — “Bloody Mary” (1553–1558)

Edward’s half-sister Mary I was the daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She was a devout Catholic and persecuted Protestants, which is why she became known as “Bloody Mary”. She also died after a short reign, and the crown passed to her half-sister Elizabeth.

Do not confuse her with Mary, Queen of Scots, a different Catholic queen who ruled Scotland.

Elizabeth I — the Golden Age (1558–1603)

Elizabeth I was Henry VIII’s younger daughter, by Anne Boleyn. A Protestant, she re-established the Church of England but found a balance between the views of Catholics and the more extreme Protestants, avoiding serious religious conflict in England. She became one of the most popular monarchs in English history, particularly after 1588, when the English defeated the Spanish Armada, a large fleet sent by Spain to conquer England and restore Catholicism.

Her reign was a time of growing patriotism. Sir Francis Drake, one of the commanders against the Armada, sailed around the world in the Golden Hind, and English settlers first began to colonise the eastern coast of America. It was also the age of William Shakespeare, whose plays include Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Elizabeth never married and had no children, so she was the last Tudor monarch. When she died in 1603, the crown passed to James VI of Scotland.

Mary, Queen of Scots — the other Mary

Mary Stuart, now usually called Mary, Queen of Scots, was the Catholic queen of Scotland and Elizabeth I’s cousin. She became queen when she was only a week old. When her husband was murdered, Mary was suspected of involvement and fled to England. She gave her throne to her Protestant son, James VI. Elizabeth suspected her of wanting the English throne and kept her prisoner for 20 years. Mary was eventually executed, accused of plotting against Elizabeth.

The Stuarts and the Commonwealth (1603–1714)

The Stuart century brought the union of the crowns, a civil war, eleven years without a monarch, the Bill of Rights and, finally, the Kingdom of Great Britain.

James I — union of the crowns (1603–1625)

James VI of Scotland became King James I of England, Wales and Ireland in 1603, so one monarch now wore both crowns. Scotland remained a separate country until the Act of Union in 1707, which is a common trap. A new translation of the Bible into English, the King James Version (or Authorised Version), was made in his reign and is still used in many Protestant churches.

In 1605 a group of Catholics led by Guy Fawkes failed in their plan to kill the Protestant king with a bomb in the Houses of Parliament. The plot is remembered every year on Bonfire Night, 5 November.

Charles I — the Civil War (1625–1649)

Like his father, Charles I believed in the “Divine Right of Kings”: the idea that the king was appointed by God and should not need Parliament’s approval. He tried to rule without Parliament for 11 years. Later he entered the House of Commons to arrest five parliamentary leaders, who had been warned and were not there; no monarch has set foot in the Commons since.

Civil war began in 1642 between the king’s supporters (the Cavaliers) and Parliament’s supporters (the Roundheads). The king’s army was defeated at the Battles of Marston Moor and Naseby, and Charles I was executed in 1649.

The Commonwealth — no monarch (1649–1660)

After Charles I’s execution, England declared itself a republic called the Commonwealth and had no monarch. The Scots crowned his son, Charles II, but Oliver Cromwell defeated his army at the Battles of Dunbar and Worcester; Charles escaped, famously hiding in an oak tree on one occasion.

Cromwell was given the title of Lord Protector and ruled until his death in 1658. His son Richard could not control the army or the government, and people began to talk about the need for a king.

Charles II — the Restoration (1660–1685)

In May 1660, Parliament invited Charles II back from exile in the Netherlands: the Restoration. He made it clear that he had “no wish to go on his travels again” and accepted that he would sometimes need to reach agreement with Parliament. His reign saw the Great Plague of London in 1665 and the Great Fire of London in 1666, after which Sir Christopher Wren designed the new St Paul’s Cathedral.

The Habeas Corpus Act became law in 1679, guaranteeing that no one could be held prisoner unlawfully. Charles was also interested in science, and the Royal Society, the oldest surviving scientific society in the world, was formed during his reign.

James II — the last Catholic king (1685–1688)

Charles II had no legitimate children, so when he died in 1685 his Catholic brother became James II (James VII of Scotland). James favoured Catholics and did not seek agreement with Parliament. People expected a Protestant monarch to follow him, because his heirs were his two Protestant daughters, but then his wife had a son. In 1688 important Protestants asked William of Orange to invade, and James fled to France.

William III and Mary II — the Bill of Rights (1689)

William of Orange, the Protestant ruler of the Netherlands, was married to James II’s elder daughter, Mary. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688, so called because there was no fighting in England, they ruled jointly as William III and Mary II from 1689.

The Bill of Rights of 1689 confirmed the rights of Parliament and the limits of the monarch’s power: the monarch could no longer raise taxes or administer justice without Parliament’s agreement, and had to be a Protestant. This was the beginning of constitutional monarchy. William defeated James at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland in 1690. Mary died in 1694, and William reigned alone until his death in 1702.

Queen Anne — the Act of Union (1707)

Queen Anne, William and Mary’s successor, reigned from 1702 to 1714 and had no surviving children. The uncertainty over who would succeed her led to the Act of Union in 1707 (known as the Treaty of Union in Scotland), which created the Kingdom of Great Britain. Scotland kept its own legal and education systems and its Presbyterian Church. Anne was the last Stuart monarch.

The Hanoverians (1714–1901)

The German House of Hanover came to the throne in 1714. Its first king relied on his ministers, which gave Britain its first Prime Minister.

George I and George II

When Anne died in 1714, Parliament chose a German, George I, because he was her nearest Protestant relative. George I did not speak very good English, which increased his need to rely on his ministers, and the most important minister became known as the Prime Minister. The first was Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister from 1721 to 1742 under both George I and George II.

In 1745 Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), the grandson of James II, tried to put a Stuart back on the throne in place of George II. He was defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. The composer Handel wrote Water Music for George I and Music for the Royal Fireworks for George II.

George III to William IV (1760–1837)

The handbook does not name George III, George IV or William IV, so learn the events of their reigns rather than the kings. The 13 American colonies declared independence in 1776, and Britain recognised it in 1783. Nelson won the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. Trading slaves in British ships became illegal in 1807, and the Emancipation Act abolished slavery throughout the Empire in 1833. In 1801, after the Act of Union of 1800, Ireland joined England, Scotland and Wales in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with a new Union Flag. The Reform Act of 1832 greatly increased the number of voters.

Queen Victoria (1837–1901)

Victoria became queen in 1837 at the age of 18 and reigned until 1901, almost 64 years. The British Empire grew to be the largest the world has ever seen, with an estimated population of more than 400 million people. Her reign saw the expansion of the railways, the Great Exhibition of 1851 in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, and the Crimean War (1853–1856), during which she introduced the Victoria Cross medal for acts of valour.

Victoria’s reign was the longest in British history until Elizabeth II passed it in 2015.

From Edward VII to Charles III (1901–today)

Four kings reigned between Victoria and Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch, who was followed by the current King.

The twentieth-century kings

Edward VII (1901–1910) succeeded his mother, Victoria. George V (1910–1936) reigned through the First World War (1914–1918). Edward VIII came to the throne in 1936 but abdicated before the end of the year, and his brother became George VI (1936–1952). George VI was king through the Second World War (1939–1945), Indian independence (1947) and the creation of the NHS (1948).

Of these kings, the handbook names only George VI: Sir William Walton wrote marches for his coronation and Elizabeth II’s.

Elizabeth II (1952–2022)

Elizabeth II became queen in 1952 and reigned for 70 years until her death in September 2022, the longest reign of any British monarch. The clock tower of the Houses of Parliament is named the Elizabeth Tower in honour of her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. Her reign saw the move from Empire to Commonwealth, the UK joining the European Economic Community in 1973 and leaving the European Union in 2020.

Charles III — the current monarch

King Charles III has reigned since his mother’s death in September 2022. He is the head of state of the UK and the monarch of many Commonwealth countries. He is married to Queen Camilla, and his eldest son, Prince William (the Prince of Wales), is the heir to the throne. As a constitutional monarch, the King does not rule the country: he appoints the government that the people have chosen and can advise, warn and encourage the Prime Minister, but government decisions are made by the Prime Minister and cabinet.

Key Facts

• 1066 — William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings and ordered the Domesday Book
• 1215 — King John agreed to Magna Carta, which established that even the king was subject to the law
• Henry VII won the Battle of Bosworth Field (1485), ending the Wars of the Roses
• Henry VIII had six wives, broke with Rome, and set up the Church of England
• Edward VI, Jane Seymour’s son, was Protestant; the Book of Common Prayer was written in his reign and he died at 15
• Mary I, Catherine of Aragon’s daughter, was a Catholic who persecuted Protestants — “Bloody Mary”
• Elizabeth I defeated the Spanish Armada (1588) and never married
• James I (James VI of Scotland) united the crowns in 1603, but Scotland remained a separate country
• Charles I was executed in 1649; England was a republic, the Commonwealth, until 1660
• The Bill of Rights (1689) confirmed the limits of royal power under William III and Mary II
• The Act of Union 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain under Queen Anne
• Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901, almost 64 years
• Elizabeth II reigned 1952–2022 — the longest-reigning British monarch
• Charles III is the current monarch, since September 2022