Monarchs of England — from the Conquest

Rhyme to Remember them by

 

In

Out

Age

Yrs

Notes

Normans

 

 

 

 

 

William 1 (the Conqueror)

1066

1087

60

21

Buried at Caen

William 2 (Rufus)

1087

1100

43

13

Shot in the New Forest

Henry 1 (Beauclerc)

1100

1135

67

35

Developed the Exchequer

Stephen

1135

1154

50

19

Time of turmoil & many Matildas

Plantagenets

 

 

 

 

 

Henry 2

1154

1189

56

35

Did for Thomas a Becket

Richard 1 (Lion-Heart)

1189

1199

42

10

Largely absent

John (Lackland)

1199

1216

50

17

Sealed the Magna Carta 1215

Henry 3

1216

1272

65

56

Provisions of Oxford 1258

Edward 1

1272

1307

68

35

Hammer of the Scots

Edward 2

1307

1327

43

20

1st Prince of Wales – Deposed

Edward 3

1327

1377

65

50

Crécy 1346; Black Death 1349

Richard 2

1377

1399

34

22

Son of the Black Prince – Deposed

Henry 4

1399

1413

47

13

House of Lancaster

Henry 5

1413

1422

34

9

Agincourt 1415

Henry 6

1422

1461

49

39

English expelled from France – Deposed

Edward 4

1461

1483

41

22

 

Edward 5

1487?

 

1487?

13?

 

 

 

One of the 'princes in the Tower'
Recent research disputes he was murdered at 3m

Richard 3

1483

1485

32

 

Wicked uncle, or wronged by history?

Richard 4?

1487

 

 

2

  One of the 'princes in the Tower' Recent research disputes he was murdered at 3m

Tudors

 

 

 

 

 

Henry 7

1485

1509

53

24

Pacific rule

Henry 8

1509

1547

56

38

Fresh heir fiend!

Edward 6

1547

1553

16

6

Son of Jane Seymour & Henry 8

Jane (Lady Jane Grey)

1553

1553

17

9d

Rapidly deposed & disposed of

Mary 1 (Bloody Mary)

1553

1558

43

5

Burned a few Bishops

Elizabeth 1

1558

1603

69

44

But was she illegitimate?

Stuarts

 

 

 

 

 

James 1 (6 of Scotland)

1603

1625

59

22

Bible & Guy Fawkes

Charles 1

1625

1649

48

24

Executed

Commonwealth

 

 

 

 

declared 19 May 1649

Oliver Cromwell

1653

1658

58

5

Warts and all

Richard Cromwell

1658

1659

32

1

Abdicated in May 1659

Stuarts (restoration)

 

 

 

 

 

Charles 2

1660

1685

55

25

Nell Gwynn

James 2 (7 of Scotland)

1685

1688

68

3

Deposed

William 3 & Mary 2

1689

1702

51

13

‘Glorious Revolution’

 

 

1694

33

6

Mary died of Smallpox

Anne

1702

1714

49

12

Sister of Mary 2 – Union with Scotland

Hanover

 

 

 

 

 

George 1

1714

1727

67

13

Spoke no English

George 2

1727

1760

77

33

Battle of Dettingen 1743

George 3

1760

1820

81

59

Lost American colonies

George 4

1820

1830

67

10

also Prince Regent

William 4

1830

1837

71

7

Brother of George 4

Victoria

1837

1901

81

63

Empress of India

Saxe-Coburg/Windsor

 

 

 

 

 

Edward 7

1901

1910

68

9

Waited a long time!

George 5

1910

1936

70

25

Changed surname to Windsor

Edward 8

1936

1936

 

325d

Abdicated

George 6

1936

1952

56

15

World War 2

Elizabeth 2

1952

2022

96

70

Pandemic of 2020

Charles 3 2022
Waited a long time!


Rhyme to Remember them by

Willy, Willy, Harry, Ste,
Harry, Dick, John, Harry three,
One, two, three Neds, Richard two,
Henries four, five, six – then who?
Edwards four, five, Dick the bad,
Harries twain and Ned the lad,
Mary, Bessie, James the vain,
Charlie, Charlie, James again,
William & Mary, Anna Gloria,
Four Georges, William and Victoria,
Edward, George, then Ned the eighth
quickly goes and abdicat’th,
leaving George, then Lizzie two,
with Charles, Wills, George to see things through.

That’s the way our monarchs lie
since Harold got it in the eye!

PS. Sorry, Lady Jane Grey – you got the chop!


Return to Timeline