British History For Dummies
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The first king acknowledged as king of all England was the Saxon King of Wessex, Athelstan, who came to the throne in 924. Later, Edward I brought Wales under English rule and Henry VIII incorporated it into England. Elizabeth I, who died in 1603, was the last ruler of England not to rule Scotland as well.

House of Wessex

  • Athelstan 924–939

  • Edmund I 939–946

  • Edred 946–955

  • Edwy ‘the Fair’ 955–959

  • Edgar ‘the Peaceful’ 959–975

  • Edward ‘the Martyr’ 975–978

  • Ethelred II ‘the Unredy’ 978–1016

Danish Usurpation

  • Sweyn Forkbeard 1014

House of Wessex

  • Edmund II ‘Ironside’ 1016

Danes

  • Cnut (Canute) 1016–1035

  • Harald I ‘Harefoot’ 1035–1037 (regent); 1037–1040 (king)

  • Cnut II (Harthacnut) 1040–1042

House of Wessex

  • Edward ‘the Confessor’ 1042–1066

  • Harold II Godwinsson 1066

Normans

  • William I ‘the Conqueror’ 1066–1087

  • William II ‘Rufus’ 1087–1100

  • Henry I ‘Beauclerc’ 1100–1135

  • Stephen 1135–1154

Angevins–Plantagenets

  • Henry II 1154–1189

  • Richard I ‘Coeur de Lion’ 1189–1199

  • John ‘Lackland’ 1199–1216

  • Henry III 1216–1272

  • Edward I 1272–1307

  • Edward II 1307–1327

  • Edward III 1327–1377

  • Richard II 1377–1399

House of Lancaster

  • Henry IV 1399–1413

  • Henry V 1413–1422

  • Henry VI 1422–1461

House of York

  • Edward IV 1461–1483

  • Edward V 1483

  • Richard III 1483–1485

Tudors

  • Henry VII 1485–1509

  • Henry VIII 1509–1547

  • Edward VI 1547–1553

  • Lady Jane Grey 1553

  • Mary I 1553–1558

  • Elizabeth I 1558–1603

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book author:

Seán Lang, PhD is the author of the best-selling European History For Dummies. He is a senior university lecturer in history and has been teaching history to school, college, and university students for more than two decades.

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