List of English monarchs

thumb|upright=1.2|alt=A labelled map of Great Britain. Modern Britain is labelled Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex in red, Cornwall is labelled Dumnonia in grey; Wales is labelled Gwynedd, Powys, Dyfed and Gwent in grey; southern Scotland is labelled Strathclyde and Dal Riata in grey; northern Scotland is labelled Fortriu in green.|Great Britain during the [[Early Middle Ages. Listed in red are The Heptarchy, the collective name given to the seven main Anglo-Saxon petty kingdoms located in the southeastern two-thirds of the island that were unified to form the Kingdom of England.]]

This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled himself king of the Anglo-Saxons from about 886, and while he was not the first king to claim to rule all of the English, his rule represents the start of the first unbroken line of kings to rule the whole of England, the House of Wessex.

Arguments are made for a few different kings thought to have controlled enough Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to be deemed the first king of England. For example, Offa of Mercia and Egbert of Wessex are sometimes described as kings of England by popular writers, but it is no longer the majority view of historians that their wide dominions were part of a process leading to a unified England. The historian Simon Keynes states, for example, "Offa was driven by a lust for power, not a vision of English unity; and what he left was a reputation, not a legacy." That refers to a period in the late 8th century, when Offa achieved a dominance over many of the kingdoms of southern England, but it did not survive his death in 796. Likewise, in 829 Egbert of Wessex conquered Mercia, but he soon lost control of it.

It was not until the late 9th century that one kingdom, Wessex, had become the dominant Anglo-Saxon kingdom. Its king, Alfred the Great, was the overlord of western Mercia and used the title King of the Angles and Saxons though he never ruled eastern and northern England, which was then known as the Danelaw and had been conquered by the Danes, from southern Scandinavia. Alfred's son Edward the Elder conquered the eastern Danelaw. Edward's son Æthelstan became the first king to rule the whole of England when he conquered Northumbria in 927. Æthelstan is regarded by some modern historians as the first true king of England. Alfred the Great – 26 October 899 (13 years)

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| 849<hr/>Son of Æthelwulf of Wessex and Osburh

| Ealhswith of Gainsborough 868 5 children

| 26 October 899 Aged about 50

| Son of Æthelwulf of Wessex<hr/>Treaty of Wedmore

| Edward the Elder 26 October 899 – 17 July 924 ()

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| <hr/>Son of Alfred and Ealhswith

| Ecgwynn 2 children<hr/> Ælfflæd 8 children<hr/> Eadgifu of Kent 4 children

| 17 July 924 Aged about 50

| Son of Alfred

Disputed claimant

There is some evidence that Ælfweard of Wessex may have been king in 924, between his father Edward the Elder and his half-brother Æthelstan, although he was not crowned. A 12th-century list of kings gives him a reign length of four weeks, though one manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says he died only 16 days after his father. However, the claim that he ruled is not accepted by all historians. Also, it is unclear whether—if Ælfweard was declared king—it was over the whole kingdom or of Wessex only. One interpretation of the ambiguous evidence is that when Edward died, Ælfweard was declared king in Wessex and Æthelstan in Mercia. – 2 August 924 ()

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| <hr/>Son of Edward the Elder and Ælfflæd

| Son of Edward the Elder

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| Æthelstan 924 – 27 October 939 (14–15 years)

| 100px|King Athelstan from All Souls College Chapel

| 894<hr/>Son of Edward the Elder and Ecgwynn

| Unmarried

| 27 October 939 Aged about 45

| Son of Edward the Elder

| Edmund I Edmund the Magnificent 27 October 939 – 26 May 946 ()

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| <hr/>Son of Edward the Elder and Eadgifu of Kent

| Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury 2 sons<hr/> Æthelflæd of Damerham 944 No children

| 26 May 946 Pucklechurch Killed in a brawl aged about 25

| Son of Edward the Elder

| Eadred 26 May 946 – 23 November 955 ()

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| <hr/>Son of Edward the Elder and Eadgifu of Kent

| Unmarried

| 23 November 955 Frome Aged about 32

| Son of Edward the Elder

| Eadwig Eadwig All-Fair 23 November 955 – 1 October 959 ()

| 100px|Line engraving of Edwy made by an unknown engraver after an unknown artist

| <hr/>Son of Edmund I and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury

| Ælfgifu No verified children

| 1 October 959 Aged about 19

| Son of Edmund I

| Edgar the Peaceful 1 October 959 – 8 July 975 ()

| 100px|King Edgar of England

| Wessex<hr/>Son of Edmund I and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury

| Æthelflæd 1 son<hr/> Ælfthryth 2 sons

| 8 July 975 Winchester Aged 31

| Son of Edmund I

| Edward the Martyr 8 July 975 – 18 March 978 ()

| 100px|St. Edward the Martyr

| <hr/>Son of Edgar the Peaceful and Æthelflæd

| Unmarried

| 18 March 978 Corfe Castle Murdered aged about 16

| Son of Edgar the Peaceful

| (1st reign) Æthelred the Unready 18 March 978 – 1013 (34–35 years)

| 100px|Image of Æthelred with an oversize sword from the illuminated manuscript "The Chronicle of Abingdon"

| <hr/>Son of Edgar the Peaceful and Ælfthryth

| Ælfgifu of York 991 9 children<hr/> Emma of Normandy 1002 3 children

| 23 April 1016 London Aged about 48

| Son of Edgar the Peaceful

House of Denmark (1013–1014)

England came under the control of Sweyn Forkbeard, a Danish king, after an invasion in 1013, during which Æthelred abandoned the throne and went into exile in Normandy.

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| Sweyn Sweyn Forkbeard Autumn/winter 1013 – 3 February 1014

| 100px|Sweyn Forkbeard, from an architectural element in the Swansea Guildhall, Swansea, Wales

| 17 April 963 Denmark<hr/>Son of Harald Bluetooth and either Tove or Gunhild

| Gunhild of Wenden 7 children<hr/> Sigrid the Haughty 1 daughter

| 3 February 1014 Gainsborough Aged 50

| Right of conquest

House of Wessex (restored, first time) (1014–1016)

Following the death of Sweyn Forkbeard, Æthelred the Unready returned from exile and was again proclaimed king. His son succeeded him after being chosen king by the citizens of London and a part of the Witan, after 23 April 1016 – 30 November 1016

| 100px|Edmund Ironside

| <hr/>Son of Æthelred and Ælfgifu of York

| Edith of East Anglia 2 children

| 30 November 1016 Glastonbury Aged 26

| Son of Æthelred

House of Denmark (restored) (1016–1042)

Following the decisive Battle of Assandun on 18 October 1016, King Edmund signed a treaty with Cnut (Canute) under which all of England except for Wessex would be controlled by Cnut. Upon Edmund's death just over a month later on 30 November, Cnut ruled the whole kingdom as its sole king for nineteen years.

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| Cnut Cnut the Great after 23 Apr 1016 – 12 November 1035

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| <hr/>Son of Sweyn Forkbeard and Gunhilda of Poland

| Ælfgifu of Northampton 2 sons<hr/> Emma of Normandy 1017 2 children

| 12 November 1035 Shaftesbury Aged about 40

| Son of Sweyn<hr/>Treaty of Deerhurst

| Harold Harefoot after 12 November 1035 – 17 March 1040

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| <hr/>Son of Cnut the Great and Ælfgifu of Northampton

| 17 March 1040 Oxford Aged about 24

| Son of Cnut the Great

| Harthacnut after 17 March 1040 – 8 June 1042

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| 1018<hr/>Son of Cnut the Great and Emma of Normandy

| Unmarried

| 8 June 1042 Lambeth Aged about 24

| Son of Cnut the Great

House of Wessex (restored, second time) (1042–1066)

After Harthacnut, there was a Saxon Restoration between 1042 and 1066.

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| Edward the Confessor 8 June 1042 – 5 January 1066 ()

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| Islip<hr/>Son of Æthelred and Emma of Normandy

| Edith of Wessex 23 January 1045 No children

| 5 January 1066 Westminster Palace Aged about 63

| Son of Æthelred<hr/>Step-son of Cnut the Great<hr/>Half-brother of Harthacnut

House of Godwin (1066)

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| Harold II Harold Godwinson 6 January 1066 – 14 October 1066 ()

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| 75px

| <hr/>Son of Godwin of Wessex and Gytha Thorkelsdóttir

| Edith Swannesha 5 children<hr/> Ealdgyth 2 sons

| 14 October 1066 Hastings Died in the Battle of Hastings aged 44

| Named heir by Edward the Confessor<hr/>Brother-in-law of Edward the Confessor<hr/>Elected by the Witenagemot

Disputed claimant (House of Wessex)

After King Harold was killed at the Battle of Hastings, the Witan elected Edgar Ætheling as king, but by then the Normans controlled the country and Edgar never ruled. He submitted to King William the Conqueror.

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| (Title disputed) Edgar Ætheling 15 October 1066 – 17 December 1066 ()

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| <hr/>Son of Edward the Exile and Agatha

| No known marriage

| 1125 or 1126 Aged about 75

| Grandson of Edmund Ironside<hr/>Elected by the Witan

House of Normandy (1066–1135)

In 1066, Edward the Confessor had no direct heir upon his death and several rival claimants to the English throne emerged. Among them were Harold Godwinson (recognised as king by the Witenagemot after the death of Edward the Confessor), Harald Hardrada (King of Norway who claimed to be the rightful heir of Harthacnut) and Duke William II of Normandy (vassal to the King of France, and first cousin once-removed of Edward the Confessor). Harald Hardrada and William both invaded separately in 1066. Godwinson successfully repelled the invasion by Harald Hardrada, but ultimately lost the throne of England in the Norman conquest of England.

Following the death of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, the Anglo-Saxon Witenagemot elected as king Edgar Ætheling, the son of Edward the Exile and grandson of Edmund Ironside. The young monarch was unable to resist the invaders and was never crowned. William was crowned King William I of England on Christmas Day 1066, in Westminster Abbey, and is today known as William the Conqueror, William the Bastard or William I. William made permanent the recent removal of the capital from Winchester to London.

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| William I William the Conqueror 25 December 1066 – 9 September 1087 ()

| 100px|William the Conqueror depicted at the Brief Abridgement of the Chronicles of England, by Matthew Paris.

| rowspan=3 | 75px

| Falaise Castle<hr/>Son of Robert the Magnificent and Herleva

| Matilda of Flanders Normandy 1053 9 children

| 9 September 1087 Rouen Aged about 59

| Supposedly named heir in 1052 by Edward the Confessor<hr/>First cousin once removed of Edward the Confessor<hr/>Right of conquest

| William II William Rufus 26 September 1087 – 2 August 1100 ()

| 100px|William Rufus depicted in the Stowe Manuscript

| Normandy<hr/>Son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders

| Unmarried

| 2 August 1100 New Forest Shot with an arrow aged 44

| Son of William I<hr/>Granted the Kingdom of England over elder brother Robert Curthose (who remained the Duke of Normandy)

| Henry I Henry Beauclerc 5 August 1100 – 1 December 1135 ()

| 100px|Henry I

| September 1068 Selby<hr/>Son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders

| Matilda of Scotland Westminster Abbey 11 November 1100 2 children<hr/> Adeliza of Louvain Windsor Castle 29 January 1121 No children

| 1 December 1135 Saint-Denis-en-Lyons Aged 67

| Son of William I<hr/>Seizure of the Crown (from Robert Curthose)

Henry I left no legitimate male heirs, his son William Adelin having died in the White Ship disaster of 1120. This ended the direct Norman line of kings in England. Henry named his eldest daughter, Matilda (Countess of Anjou by her second marriage to Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, as well as widow of her first husband, Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor), as his heir.

Disputed claimants

Matilda was declared heir presumptive by her father, Henry I, after the death of her brother on the White Ship, and acknowledged as such by the barons. Upon Henry I's death, the throne was seized by Matilda's cousin, Stephen of Blois. During the ensuing "Anarchy", Matilda controlled England for a few months in 1141. She was the first woman to do so, but was never crowned and is rarely listed as a monarch of England.

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders sticky-header-multi" style="text-align: center;"

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| Matilda Empress