With this recent inspiration from William Shakespeare, I think now is as good a time as ever to dive into a historical study of the English Monarchy. It's a topic I've wanted to write about for some time now, as English history has always fascinated me. Over the years I've gone through numerous phases of English appreciation, whether it be influenced from movies, literature, or their very popular English Premiere League.
English history has been an extremely eventful and significant one, at the forefront of civilization since the fall of the Roman Empire. In this post I intend to give a brief outline of the monarchs that reigned from the dawn of the English Kingdom to it's present United Kingdom. While this will ultimately be a study of English history, the focus will be on the kings and queens themselves.
This first section of monarchs will focus on England's Ango-Saxon era. By 450, following the fall of the Roman Empire, much of Europe consisted of barbaric tribes and vikings. One of these tribes were the Anglo-Saxons who began to settle in the land of Britain. With the rapid spread of Christianity this tribe began to develop into a powerful civilization. There were many strong leaders, such as Offa of Mercia, who helped defend and establish a society. However it was in 871, that the Kingdom of England took shape under the leadership of Alfred the Great. The House of Wessex maintained the English throne, with some Danish dispute, until the Norman Conquest of 1066.
The Anglo-Saxon Kings (871-1066)
King Alfred the Great
Reign: 871-899
Dynasty: House of Wessex
Marriage: Ealhswith
Children: Ethelflaed, Edward, Ethelgifu, Ethelweard, Elfthryth
Historical Bio: He was the youngest son of King Ethelwulf of the West Saxons. Following the death of his father in 858, his three elder brothers reigned in succession until the year 871 where he was crowned king. By this point Elfred had won many assaults from the Vikings, most notably at the Battle of Ashdown. He strengthened the kingdom with new military organization as well as a stronger infrastructure centered in London. By this point his vision of an English Kingdom was at full flight. In the final years of his reign, he continued to repel Viking assaults, thus garnered the title Alfred the Great.
King Edward the Eldar
Reign: 899-924
Dynasty: House of Wessex
Marriage: Ecgwynn, Ellflead, Eadgifu
Children: Ethelstan, Eadgifu, Elfweard, Eadgyth, Eadhild, Edmund, Eadred, Edburga
Historical Bio: He was the eldest son of King Alfred the Great and succeeded his father to the throne in 899. Who was well trained by his father and continued to repel attacks from the Danes as well as the Vikings. He extended the control of the kingdom into the lands of Mercia, East Anglia, and Essex.
King Ethelstan
Reign: 924-939
Dynasty: House of Wessex
Marriage: No Marriage or Children
Historical Bio: He was the son of King Edward and succeeded his father to the throne. In 927 he conquered the last of the vikings in York which made him the first Anglo Saxon ruler of all of England. He also waged war on Scotland in 934 and expanded his territories whilst repelling numerous attacks. He is highly regarded as one of the greatest of the Anglo Saxon kings for his territorial conquests as well as his furthering of the English society. After his death in 939, the Vikings were able to seize back control of York. He did not marry not had any children, and was succeeded by his brother, Edmund.
King Edmund
Reign: 939-946
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: Elfgifu, Ethelflead
Children: Eadwig, Edgar
Historical Bio: He was the son of King Edward the Elder, and succeeded his brother Athelstan to the throne. He was successful in repelling several raids from the Mercian Danes, however died at the young age of 25 and was succeeded by his brother, Eadred.
King Eadred
Reign: 946-955
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: No Marriage or Children
Historical Bio: He was the third son of King Edward the Elder to take the throne, after his brother's death. He also dealt with assaults in the north from the Danes. He did not get married or have any children, yet brought up his nephews, Edmund's children, as the rightful heirs to the throne.
King Eadwig
Reign: 955-959
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Historical Bio: He was the elder son of King Edmund, and took the throne at age 13, after the death of his uncle Eadred. His short reign consisted of family feuds and distension among the nobles.
Marriage: Elfgifu
King Edgar the Peaceful
Reign: 959-975
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: Elfthryth
Children: Edward, Eadgyth, Ethelred
Historical Bio: He was the younger son of King Edmund and succeeded his brother to the throne. His calmed dissension among the nobles, as well as the rebels, and his rule was acknowledged by all of Britain. His reign is marked as a peaceful time and a revival of the English monasteries. His wife, Elfthryth, was actually his third wife yet the first queen to be recognized and crowned as Queen of England.
King Edward the Martyr
Reign: 975-978
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: No Marriage or Children
Historical Bio: He was the eldest son of King Edgar, who succeeded his father to the throne, however it was a contested succession and a short reign. Many nobles argued that Edward was not the chosen heir of his father, yet this claim was to fall to his rightful son Ethelred. This distension nearly broke into civil war, and was the likely cause of Edward's assassination in 978.
King Ethelred the Unready
Reign: 978-1013; 1014-1016
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: Elfgifu, Emma
Children: Ethelstan, Edmund, Eadred, Eadwig, Edward, Alfred, Goda
Historical Bio: He was the son of King Edgar the Peaceful, and succeeded his brother Edward to the throne at the age of 10. However his claim to the throne was still very contested due to his young age, and the deposition of Edward. Due to this lack of unity, he was unable to fend of the Dane attacks. In 1013, the Danish King Sweyn successfully invaded England, and Ethelred fled his kingdom. He was however able to return back to throne after the death of the Danish king and peacefully repel the Danish occupation under the rule of Sweyn's son Cnut the Great.
King Sweyn Forkbeard
Reign: 1013-1014
Dynasty Name: House of Denmark
Marriage: Swietoslawa, Sigrid, Gunhild
Children: Harald, Cnut, Estrid
Historical Bio: He was the son of King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark, and revolted against his father in 985. He built up his army to invade the English kingdom, whilst it was vulnerable under the weak leadership of King Ethelred the Unready. In 1013 his invasion was successful, and Sweyn became king of England and Denmark, however he died shortly after and the throne was returned to Ethelred. However two years later, his son Cnut the Great would return with an invasion to the throne.
King Edmund Ironside
Reign: 1016
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: Ealdgyth
Children: Edward the Exile, Edmund
Historical Bio: He was the son of King Ethelred, whose short reign was disrupted by the Danish invasion. In 1016 the kingdom was once again invaded by the Danish armies, of Sweyn's son, Cnut the Great, who were once again successful in defeating the English army. Cnut allowed Edmund to remain ruler of Wessex, however after his death, Cnut become king of all England (as well as Denmark, Norway, and parts of Sweden). Edmund's nickname Ironside came from his valiant effort in several battles to repel the Danish attack.
King Cnut the Great
Reign: 1016-1035
Dynasty Name: House of Denmark
Marriage: Elfgifu, Emma
Children: Svein, Harold, Harthacnut, Gunhilda
Historical Bio: He was the son of the conquering King Sweyn, who continued his father's campaign by seizing the English kingdom in 1016. Upon this conquest he sat on three thrones; England, Denmark, and Norway and even parts of Sweden. It was a vast range of territory that become known as the North Sea Empire. He did not change English law or it's infrastructure, however worked to restore his relations with the church. After his death in 1035, his empire was divided among his sons; Harthacnut become King of Denmark, while Harold succeeded his father as king of England.
King Harold Harefoot
Reign: 1035-1040
Dynasty Name: House of Denmark
Historical Bio: He was the son of Cnut, who succeeded his father as king of England, shared among his brothers. His reign was brief and he was known for his hunting skill as well as repelling an invasion by the children of Ethelred the Unready; Elfred and Edward.
Marriage: No Marriage or children
King Harthacnut
Reign: 1040-1042
Dynasty Name: House of Denmark
Marriage: No marriage or children
Historical Bio: He was the son of Cnut the Great, who assumed the kingdom of Denmark in 1035 after his father's death, and the Kingdom of England in 1040 after his brother Harold's death. Harthacnut struggled to secure all three kingdoms that his father had controlled, and his sudden death in 1042 helped restore the English monarchy back to it's rightful House of Wessex.
King Edward the Confessor
Reign: 1042-1066
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: Edith
Historical Bio: He was the son of Ethelred the Unready, who peacefully reclaimed the English throne after the death of the Danish King Harthacnut. His reign is often described as a peaceful and humble one, with heavy favor towards the church. His title Confessor comes from his canonization by the Roman Church in 1161. He did not have any children and was the last King from the House of Wessex. He was most notable for initiating the construction of the Westminster Abbey.
King Harold Godwinson
Reign: 1066
Dynasty Name: House of Goodwin
Marriage: Edith
Children: Gunhild, Gythia
Historical Bio: He was a noble, selected to the throne by the Witengamot political assembly, following the death of King Edward with no heir from the house of Wessex. Harold's reign is briefly marked as the last of the Anglo-Saxon era. He was defeated by the Norman conquest, led by William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. Which ended the Anglo-Saxon era and ushered in the Norman era.
English history has been an extremely eventful and significant one, at the forefront of civilization since the fall of the Roman Empire. In this post I intend to give a brief outline of the monarchs that reigned from the dawn of the English Kingdom to it's present United Kingdom. While this will ultimately be a study of English history, the focus will be on the kings and queens themselves.
This first section of monarchs will focus on England's Ango-Saxon era. By 450, following the fall of the Roman Empire, much of Europe consisted of barbaric tribes and vikings. One of these tribes were the Anglo-Saxons who began to settle in the land of Britain. With the rapid spread of Christianity this tribe began to develop into a powerful civilization. There were many strong leaders, such as Offa of Mercia, who helped defend and establish a society. However it was in 871, that the Kingdom of England took shape under the leadership of Alfred the Great. The House of Wessex maintained the English throne, with some Danish dispute, until the Norman Conquest of 1066.
The Anglo-Saxon Kings (871-1066)
King Alfred the GreatReign: 871-899
Dynasty: House of Wessex
Marriage: Ealhswith
Children: Ethelflaed, Edward, Ethelgifu, Ethelweard, Elfthryth
Historical Bio: He was the youngest son of King Ethelwulf of the West Saxons. Following the death of his father in 858, his three elder brothers reigned in succession until the year 871 where he was crowned king. By this point Elfred had won many assaults from the Vikings, most notably at the Battle of Ashdown. He strengthened the kingdom with new military organization as well as a stronger infrastructure centered in London. By this point his vision of an English Kingdom was at full flight. In the final years of his reign, he continued to repel Viking assaults, thus garnered the title Alfred the Great.
King Edward the Eldar
Reign: 899-924
Dynasty: House of Wessex
Marriage: Ecgwynn, Ellflead, Eadgifu
Children: Ethelstan, Eadgifu, Elfweard, Eadgyth, Eadhild, Edmund, Eadred, Edburga
Historical Bio: He was the eldest son of King Alfred the Great and succeeded his father to the throne in 899. Who was well trained by his father and continued to repel attacks from the Danes as well as the Vikings. He extended the control of the kingdom into the lands of Mercia, East Anglia, and Essex.
King Ethelstan
Reign: 924-939
Dynasty: House of Wessex
Marriage: No Marriage or Children
Historical Bio: He was the son of King Edward and succeeded his father to the throne. In 927 he conquered the last of the vikings in York which made him the first Anglo Saxon ruler of all of England. He also waged war on Scotland in 934 and expanded his territories whilst repelling numerous attacks. He is highly regarded as one of the greatest of the Anglo Saxon kings for his territorial conquests as well as his furthering of the English society. After his death in 939, the Vikings were able to seize back control of York. He did not marry not had any children, and was succeeded by his brother, Edmund.
King Edmund
Reign: 939-946
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: Elfgifu, Ethelflead
Children: Eadwig, Edgar
Historical Bio: He was the son of King Edward the Elder, and succeeded his brother Athelstan to the throne. He was successful in repelling several raids from the Mercian Danes, however died at the young age of 25 and was succeeded by his brother, Eadred.
King Eadred
Reign: 946-955
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: No Marriage or Children
Historical Bio: He was the third son of King Edward the Elder to take the throne, after his brother's death. He also dealt with assaults in the north from the Danes. He did not get married or have any children, yet brought up his nephews, Edmund's children, as the rightful heirs to the throne.
King Eadwig
Reign: 955-959
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Historical Bio: He was the elder son of King Edmund, and took the throne at age 13, after the death of his uncle Eadred. His short reign consisted of family feuds and distension among the nobles.
Marriage: Elfgifu
King Edgar the PeacefulReign: 959-975
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: Elfthryth
Children: Edward, Eadgyth, Ethelred
Historical Bio: He was the younger son of King Edmund and succeeded his brother to the throne. His calmed dissension among the nobles, as well as the rebels, and his rule was acknowledged by all of Britain. His reign is marked as a peaceful time and a revival of the English monasteries. His wife, Elfthryth, was actually his third wife yet the first queen to be recognized and crowned as Queen of England.
King Edward the Martyr
Reign: 975-978
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: No Marriage or Children
Historical Bio: He was the eldest son of King Edgar, who succeeded his father to the throne, however it was a contested succession and a short reign. Many nobles argued that Edward was not the chosen heir of his father, yet this claim was to fall to his rightful son Ethelred. This distension nearly broke into civil war, and was the likely cause of Edward's assassination in 978.
King Ethelred the UnreadyReign: 978-1013; 1014-1016
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: Elfgifu, Emma
Children: Ethelstan, Edmund, Eadred, Eadwig, Edward, Alfred, Goda
Historical Bio: He was the son of King Edgar the Peaceful, and succeeded his brother Edward to the throne at the age of 10. However his claim to the throne was still very contested due to his young age, and the deposition of Edward. Due to this lack of unity, he was unable to fend of the Dane attacks. In 1013, the Danish King Sweyn successfully invaded England, and Ethelred fled his kingdom. He was however able to return back to throne after the death of the Danish king and peacefully repel the Danish occupation under the rule of Sweyn's son Cnut the Great.
King Sweyn Forkbeard
Reign: 1013-1014
Dynasty Name: House of Denmark
Marriage: Swietoslawa, Sigrid, Gunhild
Children: Harald, Cnut, Estrid
Historical Bio: He was the son of King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark, and revolted against his father in 985. He built up his army to invade the English kingdom, whilst it was vulnerable under the weak leadership of King Ethelred the Unready. In 1013 his invasion was successful, and Sweyn became king of England and Denmark, however he died shortly after and the throne was returned to Ethelred. However two years later, his son Cnut the Great would return with an invasion to the throne.
King Edmund Ironside
Reign: 1016
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: Ealdgyth
Children: Edward the Exile, Edmund
Historical Bio: He was the son of King Ethelred, whose short reign was disrupted by the Danish invasion. In 1016 the kingdom was once again invaded by the Danish armies, of Sweyn's son, Cnut the Great, who were once again successful in defeating the English army. Cnut allowed Edmund to remain ruler of Wessex, however after his death, Cnut become king of all England (as well as Denmark, Norway, and parts of Sweden). Edmund's nickname Ironside came from his valiant effort in several battles to repel the Danish attack.
King Cnut the Great
Dynasty Name: House of Denmark
Marriage: Elfgifu, Emma
Children: Svein, Harold, Harthacnut, Gunhilda
Historical Bio: He was the son of the conquering King Sweyn, who continued his father's campaign by seizing the English kingdom in 1016. Upon this conquest he sat on three thrones; England, Denmark, and Norway and even parts of Sweden. It was a vast range of territory that become known as the North Sea Empire. He did not change English law or it's infrastructure, however worked to restore his relations with the church. After his death in 1035, his empire was divided among his sons; Harthacnut become King of Denmark, while Harold succeeded his father as king of England.
King Harold Harefoot
Reign: 1035-1040
Dynasty Name: House of Denmark
Historical Bio: He was the son of Cnut, who succeeded his father as king of England, shared among his brothers. His reign was brief and he was known for his hunting skill as well as repelling an invasion by the children of Ethelred the Unready; Elfred and Edward.
Marriage: No Marriage or children
King Harthacnut
Reign: 1040-1042
Dynasty Name: House of Denmark
Marriage: No marriage or children
Historical Bio: He was the son of Cnut the Great, who assumed the kingdom of Denmark in 1035 after his father's death, and the Kingdom of England in 1040 after his brother Harold's death. Harthacnut struggled to secure all three kingdoms that his father had controlled, and his sudden death in 1042 helped restore the English monarchy back to it's rightful House of Wessex.
King Edward the ConfessorReign: 1042-1066
Dynasty Name: House of Wessex
Marriage: Edith
Historical Bio: He was the son of Ethelred the Unready, who peacefully reclaimed the English throne after the death of the Danish King Harthacnut. His reign is often described as a peaceful and humble one, with heavy favor towards the church. His title Confessor comes from his canonization by the Roman Church in 1161. He did not have any children and was the last King from the House of Wessex. He was most notable for initiating the construction of the Westminster Abbey.
King Harold Godwinson
Reign: 1066
Dynasty Name: House of Goodwin
Marriage: Edith
Children: Gunhild, Gythia
Historical Bio: He was a noble, selected to the throne by the Witengamot political assembly, following the death of King Edward with no heir from the house of Wessex. Harold's reign is briefly marked as the last of the Anglo-Saxon era. He was defeated by the Norman conquest, led by William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. Which ended the Anglo-Saxon era and ushered in the Norman era.
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