A Brief History of the Throne of England

From the House of Wessex came the first individual to reign over all England. On the 12th July 927 A.D. Æthelstan, King of the Anglo-Saxons became King of the English after the following Kings in the British Isles accepted his dominion. Those men were:

- King Constantine II of Alba

- King Hywel Dda of Deheubarth

- Ealdred of Bamburgh

- King Owain of Strathclyde

Before the formation of England in 927 there were many kingdoms in England but no single Kingdom of England. Some notable others include: The Kingdom of Northumbria, The Kingdom of East Anglia, The Kingdom of Mercia, The Kingdom of Kent, The Kingdom of Sussex, and the Kingdom of Essex, together with the Kingdom of Wessex they made up what we call "The Heptarchy". There were many other kingdoms in England before, but they all eventually merged into the ones listed above, which after many battles, and after many years, eventually were united into the Kingdom of England.

King Æthelstan may have been the first King of England, but he was not the first of the House of Wessex. In fact the House of Wessex had existed for just over four centuries upon Æthelstan's ascension to the throne. 

King Æthelstan was the son of King Edward "the Elder" of the Anglo-Saxons who himself was the son of the most well known of the Anglo-Saxon kings: King Alfred "the Great". 

King Alfred was the first to use the title King of the Anglo-Saxons and the last to use the title King of the West Saxons (hereafter referred to as King of Wessex), this was not because of some loss of control over Wessex, rather he gained control over so much more of what we now consider to be England that the title King of Wessex no longer covered enough of his kingdom and thus needed updating.

King Alfred's father was Æthelwulf, King of Wessex,

King Æthelwulf's father was Ecgberht, King of Wessex, and King of Kent,

King Ecgberht's father was Ealhmund, King of Kent,

King Ealhmund of Kent is thought to have been the son of Eafa, who was the son of Eoppa, who was the son of Ingild, himself a son of Cenred of Wessex. The connection between Ealhmund and Eafa is disputed by some historians who believe it is a fabricated genealogy created in order to give King Ecgberht's claim to the throne of Wessex legitimacy. The pedigree was compiled during the reign of King Alfred who was the grandson of King Ecgberht, it is likely that King Ealhmund's true father would not have been forgotten by this point, and it is considered by many others that King Ealhmund's Wessex descent is indeed genuine.

Cenred was the son of Ceolwald of Wessex (he was never king),

Ceolwald was the son of Cuthwulf of Wessex (he was never king either),

Cuthwulf was the son of Cuthwine of Wessex (who again never sat upon the throne),

Cuthwine was the son of Ceawlin, King of Wessex,

King Ceawlin was the son of Cynric, King of Wessex,

King Cynric was the son of Cerdic, King of Wessex. King Cerdic was the first King of Wessex. Historians still debate the origins of King Cerdic, his name is seemingly of Brittonic origin, perhaps suggesting he was a native Briton. Others suggest he was from the European continent, a Saxon perhaps.

Whatever the origins of King Cerdic, all future members of the House of Wessex would claim descent from him, and thus all monarchs who in later centuries reigned as Kings and Queens of England would too.

King Cerdic's distant descendant King Æthelstan mentioned above had no children of his own so the Kingdom of England passed to his brother: Edmund I, King of the English

Upon King Edmund I's death the throne passed to his brother: King Eadred, who having no children and dying in his early thirties caused the throne to be passed to his elder brother's (the former king's) son: King Eadwig son of King Edmund I. The laws of succession were different back then, with our current rules, King Eadwig would have become the king immediately upon the death of his father, not his uncle. 

Eadwig, King of the English continued the family tradition of having no children so the throne passed to his brother King Edgar I "the Peaceful".

King Edgar was succeeded by his son Edward "the Martyr" King of the English, who being tragically martyred at a young age had no children. He was succeeded by his brother: Æthelred "the Unready", King of the English.

King Æthelred and the House of Wessex was overthrown by the Scandinavian Sweyn Forkbeard, who was from 1013 to 1014 not only King of England, but King of Denmark, and King of Norway as well. His tri-Kingdom is known by historians as the North Sea Empire.

King Sweyn promptly died and was succeeded by his predecessor King Æthelred. The House of Wessex was restored to the throne.

King Æthelred following King Sweyn's example died.

His son Edmund II, King of the English inherited the throne, and then died. He reigned from 23rd April 1016 until 30th November 1016.

King Edmund II did leave two sons but neither would see the crown of England sit upon their heads.

King Cnut "the Great" (also known as King Canute), the son of King Sweyn then came to England and was made King. By the end of his reign the Kingdom's of Norway, and Denmark were both under his control as well. Bringing the aforementioned North Sea Empire to its fullest extent. The below map shows King Cnut's empire.

Harold Harefoot, King of the English and son of King Cnut succeeded his father to the throne of England. He died with no legitimate heir and so the throne passed to his half-brother King Harthacnut who was another son of King Cnut.

Harthacnut, King of the English died without heirs and the throne was inherited by King Edward II remembered today as: Edward "the Confessor".

King Edward II was King Harthacnut's half-brother through his mother Emma of Normandy, King Edward II's father was the previously mentioned Æthelred "the Unready". Emma of Normandy had been married firstly to King Æthelred and upon his death married King Cnut "the Great" with whom she had the aforementioned King Harthacnut.

King Edward II died in 1066 childless. Several people claimed to be his successor, saying he had promised them the crown. King Harold Godwinson was the first to claim it. He became King the same year in 1066. He was to be the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, as King Edward II had been the last of the House of Wessex.

Godwinson defeated the Norwegian Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, he was then forced to march his army back down south to meet the Norman threat. William of Normandy had landed on English soil.

King Harold died of an arrow to the eye at The Battle of Hastings.

A man by the name of Edgar Ætheling was then elected King of the English but never crowned so many historians don't count him in the list of English Kings. Edgar was the son of Edward "the Exile" who was the son of Edmund, King of the English, who had died resulting in King Cnut becoming King of the English all those years prior.

King William I known today as "the Conqueror" who had won the Battle of Hastings was now King of England.

Upon his death he left his kingdom to his son William who became King William II, and the Duchy of Normandy to his eldest son Robert, his youngest son inherited money but no land. This son was named Henry.

King William II "Rufus" died in 1100 in a hunting accident. King Henry I made haste to Winchester, the home of the Royal Treasury, once that was secured he made for London where he was crowned within a matter of days.

England and Normandy were deeply troubled at this time because of tensions between the brothers as well as other descendants of King William I vying for the crown.

To cut a long story short King Henry I was succeeded by King Stephen, the son of his Aunt Adela of Normandy. King Stephen was succeeded by King Henry I's grandson, King Henry II. King Henry II's mother was Matilda more commonly known as "Empress Matilda" (or sometimes Empress Maud).

King Henry II was succeeded by his son King Richard I, who is far more well known by the name "Richard the Lionheart". He spent more time away on the Third Crusade than he did in England.

King Henry II had a famous wife as well, her name you probably know, even if you don't know where you know it from. Eleanor of Aquitaine. She was possibly the most powerful woman in the world at the time. Before she was married to King Henry II she was married to King Louis VII of France (that marriage was annulled in 1152 however).

King Henry II appointed his son Henry "the Young King" Junior King of England during his reign. Unfortunately for them both "the Young King" died before his father.

The next king, another son of King Henry II, proceeded the Lionheart. His name was King John, if you know just one thing about King John it's probably that he's the man who was forced to sign the Magna Carta.

Glossing over much complex English history surrounding King John and the Magna Carta, the throne passed to his son King Henry III who was only nine years old at the time.

King Henry III's reign lasted 54 years and 19 days, the fifth longest of any British monarch ever. (Ahead of him in ascending order: King James VI and I, King George III, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II).

King Henry III's crown passed to his son King Edward I (there were other kings named Edward who reigned over England before him, but the count was reset at the Norman Conquest). King Edward I is known to us today as "Longshanks" or "The Hammer of the Scots". He was famously portrayed in a less than stellar manner in the film Braveheart.

King Edward I's son King Edward II followed next, who was followed by his son King Edward III. King Edward III is to this day the sixth longest reigning monarch in the British isles just behind the aforementioned King Henry III.

King Edward III declared himself King of France and thus started the Hundred Years' War. This is a war that began very well for King Edward III and England, but as his life ticked on, the winds changed and blew in a less favourable direction for him and England.

King Edward III also introduced the Order of the Garter which continues to this day. He outlived his eldest son Edward the "Black Prince" by a single year, so when he died he was succeeded by his grandson King Richard II who was ultimately deposed, and King Henry IV became king. King Henry IV was the son of John of Gaunt, another son of King Edward III.

King Henry IV was succeeded by his son King Henry V who is famed to this day for his defeat of the French at Agincourt. King Henry V's son: King Henry VI was deposed by King Edward IV.

King Edward IV's father was Richard the Duke of York, Richard's father was Richard Earl of Cambridge, Richard's father was Edmund Duke of York, Edmund's father was King Edward III. But this wasn't his only connection to King Edward III. He was also a great-grandson of John of Gaunt via his mother's mother. As well as this his father's mother was Anne Mortimer the daughter of Roger Mortimer 4th Earl of March, who was the son of Philippa Countess of Ulster, the daughter of Lionel Duke of Clarence - who you guessed it, was a son of King Edward III.

King Henry VI was then restored to the throne, lost it again, died, and King Edward IV was restored to the throne.

To understand why everyone was angry take a look at the above pedigree chart.

King Edward IV was succeeded by his son King Edward V who along with his brother soon "disappeared" from the Tower of London and neither were ever seen again.

Their lovely uncle King Richard III, brother of King Edward IV became king as a result.

The Battle of Bosworth then took place where King Henry VII, a man from the Welsh House of Tudor came to England to claim the throne that he said was rightfully his, and King Richard III was slain at the said battle.

King Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV to secure his claim to the throne, as his own claim was rather weak, it relied on being descended from King Edward III through an illegitimate (yet later legitimised) child of John of Gaunt.

King Henry VII had a weak claim through blood, a stronger claim through right of conquest. And an airtight claim when he married the heir of King Edward IV, their relationship was apparently one of true love as he was genuinely heartbroken when she died.

King Henry VII was the last King to win the crown on the field of Battle. He passed the throne onto his son King Henry VIII. King Henry VIII had had an older brother, Prince Arthur, but he had died before his father so England lost out on having a real King Arthur.

King Henry VIII was concerned deeply with having a son, so much so that he annulled his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon (the mother of the future Queen Mary I), he beheaded his second wife: Anne Boleyn for which he gave a number of reasons such as her supposed adultery. Anne was the mother of the future Queen Elizabeth I. Thirdly he married Jane Seymour whom he loved most because it was she who gave him a son, the future King Edward VI. He married again, and then annulled his marriage to Anne of Cleves, had his fifth wife Catherine Howard beheaded, and his sixth and final wife Catherine Parr survived him.

Despite finding time to do away with so many wives King Henry VIII also found time to break with the Catholic Church, the Church of England will celebrate its 500th anniversary in 2034.

King Edward VI succeeded his father under the protectorate of Lord Somerset who essentially took him young boy hostage, King Edward VI wrote: "methinks I am a prisoner here".

Lady Jane Grey upon the early demise of King Edward VI claimed the throne, unfortunately for her, she is known to history as the "Nine Days' Queen". She was executed when Queen Mary I seized the throne, Lady Jane Grey was only sixteen or seventeen years old at her death, needless to say Queen Mary I's nickname "Bloody Mary" isn't completely undeserved.

Queen Mary I married but had no children and so the throne passed to her half-sister Queen Elizabeth I "the Virgin Queen".

This brief history glosses over a lot of complexity of course, King Edward VI was a staunch Protestant and that's why he named Lady Jane Grey (a great-granddaughter of King Henry VII) his heir, because she was also a protestant. Queen Mary I, daughter of the Roman Catholic Catherine of Aragon was herself a Roman Catholic and tried to bring back Catholicism in England, many people were burnt at the stake for their Protestantism during her reign, again contributing to the nickname "Bloody Mary". Queen Elizabeth I was a Protestant and restored Protestantism to England, and it has stayed such ever since.

During Queen Elizabeth I's reign England changed in many ways as many famous explorers explored the world for claiming land for England, such as Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake, the East India Company was founded and the Spanish Armada destroyed. This is to name but a few of the famous figures and events of the time.

Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603 which brung the Tudor dynasty to a close after 118 years.

The throne then passed to her Protestant Scottish Cousin King James VI of Scotland. His father Henry Stuart was the son of Margaret Douglas, the daughter of Margaret Tudor, the daughter of King Henry VII.

King James VI of Scotland then became King James the VI and I. It was under his reign that the now famous Protestant Bible - The King James Bible alternatively known as the King James Version was published. It is still widely used today in Anglicanism and many other Protestant denominations.

It was also during King James VI and I's reign that the Gunpowder Plot took place, Guy Fawkes' effigy is to this day burnt on bonfires on the 5th of November. The famous nursery rhyme goes: "Remember, remember, the fifth of November, Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot".

King James VI and I was succeeded by his son King Charles I who was murdered by Parliamentarians on 30th January 1649.

Oliver Cromwell the hypocrite, hated by the English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish alike ruled, or rather reigned for five years as the "Lord Protector" a job which he passed to his son Richard Cromwell. The Cromwell's acted as King's in all but name. Oliver Cromwell is laughed to scorn nowadays for his banning of Christmas.

Richard Cromwell was done away with and King Charles II was made King. Though King Charles II did not have the boy executed despite what had been done to his father King Charles I. The monarchy was restored. King Charles II left no legitimate heir. And so the throne passed to his Catholic brother King James VII and II, his Catholicism made him very unpopular with the nobility and much of the population.

He was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. When King William III of Orange and his wife Queen Mary II (King James' daughter) were invited to England by the nobility for they were both Protestant. They were crowned co-monarchs. King William III was Queen Mary II's first cousin, his mother was Mary, daughter of King Charles I.

They had no children so were succeeded by Queen Mary II's younger sister: Anne, another Protestant daughter of King James VII and II. Try as she might she was unable to produce an heir that survived childhood. The poor woman had seventeen pregnancies, many miscarried or stillborn, those that survived infancy, did not survive her.

Queen Anne was succeeded by her most closely related Protestant cousin - King George I, Elector of Hanover. King George I was a great-grandson of King James VI and I.

King George I was the father of King George II, Elector of Hanover. His son Frederick, Prince of Wales didn't live long enough to become King, so when King George II died, his grandson King George III began his long reign.

In our modern world King George III is known for two things, firstly the loss of the thirteen colonies, and secondly the loss of his mind. He is referred to by some as "Mad King George". In an age where mental health is at the forefront of conversation, where making light of people's mental struggles is heavily frowned upon, how calling a man "mad" who in his old age suffered from some severe mental condition is considered acceptable I do not know.

It is more fair to remember King George III for his loyalty to his wife, it is well known that many members of the upper classes were less than faithful to their wives. King George III unlike his father and his sons never committed adultery, remaining completely loyal to his wife, when his brother was caught having an affair he was disgusted. It was also during his reign that slavery was abolished, and the Napoleonic Wars were won. Furthermore it was during his reign that the Industrial Revolution began.

His descendants include not only the royal families of most European monarchies today but at least one Prime Minister: David Cameron a distant descendant through illegitimate children of King George III's son: King William IV.

Upon his death his son King George IV ascended to the throne, he died without heirs so his brother King William IV sat upon the throne. Without legitimate heirs the throne passed to his niece, daughter of his brother: Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, his daughter was named Victoria and at the age of 18 she became Queen Victoria. She would enjoy the longest reign of any monarch in the British Isles up to that point, this is a record that wouldn't be surpassed until the reign of her great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Victoria witnessed unparalleled change during her reign, the industrial revolution was going full steam ahead. The whole period is known as the Victorian era even in countries where she never reigned. The changes that occurred during her reign simply cannot be understated.

She had many children with her beloved husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and is today known as the "Grandmother of Europe" due to her descendants sitting on practically every throne in Europe.

The death of Prince Albert affected her greatly and she wore black for the rest of her days. She died in 1901 succeeded by her eldest son King Edward VII.

King Edward VII, only reigned nine years, being followed by his son King George V.

King George V oversaw British victory in World War I, he saw the war unseat monarchs across Europe and it was for this reason that King George V made a terrible mistake. When the opportunity to rescue Tsar Nicholas II (his first cousin) and his family from Bolshevik controlled Russia arose, King George V was hesitant to do it. He feared revolution would come to Britain and as a result Tsar Nicholas II and his family remained in Russia for another year where they were then murdered by the Bolshevik's. Some of the extended Romanov family thankfully survived and the following year a British warship rescued Tsar Nicholas' mother and other relatives of the late Tsar from Crimea.

During the First World War King George V changed the family name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor, the Royal House that remains to this day.

King George V was murdered by his doctor in 1936, this truth was not discovered until long after both the King's and the doctor's death. The doctor murdered him via euthanasia without his consent, neither the King nor his family were told of this for both parties would certainly have said no.

Despite the mistake in regards to his dear cousin of whom he said:

King George V enjoyed a very successful reign, he oversaw the British Empire reach its height, he broadcast the first Christmas message, a tradition Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II continues to this day.

Upon his death in 1936 his son King Edward VIII ascended to the throne. However his being Supreme Head of the Church of England coupled with his wish to marry the twice divorcee Wallis Simpson meant he had to choose either, his country, or Wallis. He chose his future wife and abdicated the throne the same year he got it. Making 1936 "The Year of Three Kings".

Prince Albert, who reigned as King George VI had to oversee the horror that was World War II. At the time there was suggestion that the Queen and her two daughters (Princesses Elizabeth, and Margaret) should evacuate to Canada, to which Queen Elizabeth (whom we know today as "The Queen Mother") remarked the following:

King George VI continued the tradition started by his father of delivering Christmas messages, despite his stammer which he overcame with the help of Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue.

King George VI died in 1952, his wife Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother died just over fifty years later in 2002 aged 101.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith was born 21st April 1926 in Mayfair London, nobody thought she'd ever be Queen, due to her Uncle being first in line at the time, his abdication when she was ten put her first in line after her father who reigned as King George VI.

During her historic reign she has met with every United States President since Truman with the exception of Johnson. She's seen 15th Prime Ministers reside at Downing Street, starting with Churchill.

In 1947 she married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark who would stand by her side for 73 years of marriage; he sadly passed away just two months before his 100th birthday in early 2021.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her platinum jubilee this year, the first monarch in British history to do so and only the fourth monarch of a sovereign nation to do so.

The top three members of the Royal Family in the line of succession are her eldest son, grandson, and great-grandson.

I. Charles, Prince of Wales

II. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

III. Prince George

And to finish, the first verse of the national anthem:

God save our gracious Queen!

Long live our noble Queen!

God save the Queen!

Send her victorious,

Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us,

God save the Queen.

I am very much aware that I glossed over a lot in this history in order to keep it short, some monarch's reigns were glossed over almost completely, their only mention being their name followed by whichever monarch came next.

If I have made any mistakes, which inevitably I will have done, do please let me know, I have tried my best to keep this blog at least someone consistent in layout, and as factually accurate as I could.

Thank you for reading.