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The next three centuries were dominated by the House of Plantagenet (including the Houses of Lancaster and York, most commonly associated with the Wars of the Roses Britain's bloodiest civil war).Īmong the most famous royal houses is the House of Tudor, which came into power in 1485, at the beginning of what we now call modern history. Norman rule ushered in a new era of French influence in the British monarchy, and vice-versa. England was ruled mostly by the House of Wessex until William the Conqueror defeated Harold of House Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, marking the end of the Anglo-Saxon rule over England. The shortest reign on this list belongs to Lady Jane Grey in 1553, who had been named Edward VI's successor in his will, however, Jane was deposed after just nine days by Edward's half-sister Mary I (Bloody Mary), and she was subsequently executed for treason at the age of 16.Įgbert of Wessex was the first ruler to be named "Bretwalda" (Britain-ruler) in 827CE, although his grandson, Alfred the Great, is regarded by historians to be the first widely-accepted ruler of England following his defeat of the Vikings in the late 9th century. The majority of these rulers have inherited their title and crown from their mother or father, or as a result of their family ties, although some of the people on this list obtained their title through marriage or conquest, while others simply made a claim to the throne that was not always acknowledged by their subjects.
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Since this time, there have been 69 rulers of England and (since 1707) Great Britain. With the conquest of the kingdoms Mercia in 827, King Egbert of Wessex became the first ruler of the Anglo-Saxon people. She was succeeded by her son Charles III following her death on September 8, 2022. Length of reign of British monarchs 827-2022īetween 19, Elizabeth II was the Queen of Britain and the Commonwealth, making her the longest serving British monarch in history.
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