An accompanying poster, showing the family trees and dynastic descent of all the kings and queens of England, is also available from the National Portrait Gallery direct. After reigning for approximately 9 weeks, Edgar Atheling submitted to William the Conqueror, who had gained control of the area to the south and immediate west of London. [30] After the death of Queen Elizabeth I without issue in 1603, King James VI of Scotland inherited the English crown as James I of England, joining the crowns of England and Scotland in personal union. By royal proclamation, James styled himself "King of Great Britain", but no such kingdom was actually created until 1707, when England and Scotland united during the reign of Queen Anne to form the new Kingdom of Great Britain, with a single British parliament sitting at Westminster. This marked the end of the Kingdom of England as a sovereign state. Edgar the Peaceful: Totius Albionis finitimorumque regum basileus ("King of all Albion and its neighbouring realms")

I’m trying to read a lot more straight history and kings and queens of England was a big hole in my knowledge. Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary to Philip of Spain (1554)". Document Discovery Project. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011 . Retrieved 14 June 2009.a b c d "Oliver Cromwell 1599–1658". british-civil-wars.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007 . Retrieved 25 October 2007. William I 'The Conqueror' (r. 1066–1087)". royal.gov.uk. 12 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018 . Retrieved 16 January 2018. ; Fryde 1996, p.34. Henry III (r. 1216–1272)". royal.gov.uk. 12 January 2016. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018 . Retrieved 16 January 2018. ; Fryde 1996, p.37. a b c "Aethelred (the Unready)". archontology.org. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007 . Retrieved 17 March 2007.

Edward V (Apr–Jun 1483)". royal.gov.uk. 14 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018 . Retrieved 16 January 2018. ; Fryde 1996, p.41. a b "Ethelred II 'The Unready' (r. 978–1013 and 1014–1016)". royal.gov.uk. 12 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018 . Retrieved 16 January 2018. a b c "Richard Cromwell, Lord Protector, 1626–1712". british-civil-wars.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007 . Retrieved 25 October 2007.Allmand, Christopher (September 2010). "Henry V (1386–1422)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (onlineed.). Oxford, England, UK: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/12952. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.); "Henry V (r. 1413–1422)". royal.gov.uk. 14 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018 . Retrieved 16 January 2018. ; Fryde 1996, p.41. The House of Plantagenet takes its name from Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, husband of Empress Matilda and father of Henry II. The name Plantagenet itself was unknown as a family name per se until Richard of York adopted it as his family name in the 15th century. It has since been retroactively applied to English monarchs from Henry II onward. It is common among modern historians to refer to Henry II and his sons as the "Angevins" due to their vast continental empire, and most of the Angevin kings before John spent more time in their continental possessions than in England.

There really is no wonder that so many works of historical fiction have been based around the lives of various Kings and Queens of England! (For example, the wonderful Wolf Hall trilogy) I had thought that perhaps these non fiction accounts of the English monarchy from the Normans through to the current Elizabeth II might be a bit dry . . . but far from it! Nearly every individual biography is filled with drama of one sort or another! There is intrigue, greed, arrogance, defection, conspiracy, affairs, pride (often unwarranted!), foolishness and, on the other hand, loyalty, compassion, wisdom, sincerity and so on. Enough to make a whole series of soap operas! So many books of this type start with William the Conqueror, when in reality the parade of English kings begins much, much earlier with fifteen men of varying abilities occupying the English throne, beginning with Alfred the Great. The Danish rulers, such as Cnut, were highly influential in the development of what would eventually become England and Britain, and their lives and those of their various family members should not be discounted. They are lively tales - complete with Viking raids, family betrayals and a rich history of Norwegian influences upon the growing country. England, Scotland, and Ireland had shared a monarch for more than a hundred years, since the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when King James VI of Scotland inherited the English and Irish thrones from his first cousin twice removed, Queen Elizabeth I. Although described as a Union of Crowns, until 1707 there were in fact two separate crowns resting on the same head. Harold I". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (onlineed.). Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/12359. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.); "Harold Harefoot (r. 1035–1040)". royal.gov.uk. 12 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018 . Retrieved 16 January 2018.Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth Mortimer, Ian (2007). "Henry IV's date of birth and the royal Maundy". Historical Research. 80 (210): 567–576. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2281.2006.00403.x. ISSN 0950-3471. ; "Henry IV (r.1399–1413)". royal.gov.uk. 14 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018 . Retrieved 16 January 2018. ; Fryde 1996, p.40. a b "Stephen and Matilda (r. 1135–1154)". royal.gov.uk. 12 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018 . Retrieved 16 January 2018. The Principality of Wales was incorporated into the Kingdom of England under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284, and in 1301 King Edward I invested his eldest son, the future King Edward II, as Prince of Wales. Since that time, the eldest sons of all English monarchs, except for King Edward III, [a] have borne this title. Ashley, Mike (2003). A Brief History of British Kings and Queens: British Royal History from Alfred the Great to the Present. Running Press.