List of Anglo-Saxon, English, and British Monarchs

The sovereign nations in which encompassed the British Isles have had countless rulers, some naturally better than others. Each monarch having their own impact on the Crown, they made their mark in history as the ruler of one of the strongest imperial states in the known world.

## Kingdom of England (927 – 1707)

Following the unification of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in 927, the Kingdom of England was the first united sovereign state on the British Isles. Each ruling dynasty having their own significant events that culminated into their legacy that was left behind, the Kingdom of England alone has a rich history.

### **The House of Wessex (First Reign) (927 – 1013)**

The House of Wessex was the first royal house to rule the Kingdom of England, following the creation of the title King of the English by Æthelstan, previously the King of the Anglo-Saxons.

#### **Æthelstan, King of the English (894 – 27 October 939)**

Æthelstan was born in 894 to King Edward the Elder and his first wife, Ecgwywnn. He is known by history as the first monarch of what would become the Kingdom of England after he unified the Anglo-Saxons under a central authority after he conquered the last remaining kingdom of the Vikings: York. This made him the first Anglo-Saxon ruler to have complete control over England. He also tried to invade Scotland, which was successful at first (the Scots and the remaining Vikings resented his rule and they invaded England in 937) but turned sour. After the Scots and the Vikings invaded England, Æthelstan managed to be given a decisive victory over them at the Battle of Brunanburh - this would go on to give him recognition on both the European mainland and on the British Isles. After his death in 939, the Vikings seized control of York once more, and it was not re-obtained until 954.

Æthelstan had a centralised government, electing to rule by having important and influential people as his councillors. These important figures often times extended to the Welsh monarchs, hence the acceptance that the Welsh are officially considered part of the Kingdom of England. More legal documents are saved from his reign than any other 10th-century English monarch. These documents contain his concern about the robberies that plagued his kingdom and how they posed threats to the social order. His reign also entailed legal reforms, which were inspired by those of his grandfather, Alfred the Great.

He is also regarded as one of the most pious Saxon kings, having been known for obtaining relics and ordering the construction of and founding churches.

#### **Edmund I, King of the English (921 – 26 May 946)**

Edmund I came to the throne after the death of his half-brother, Æthelstan, in 939, with little opposition. Despite this, his reign was riddled with never-ending warfare, which included the conquest (or reconquest) or the Midlands, Northumbria, and Strathclyde. Strathclyde was eventually ceded to Malcolm I of Scotland.

### **Norman Conquest (1066 – 1154)**

The Norman Conquest began with the invasion of England by William I (1066-1087), who is better known by his epithet, William the Conqueror. The initial reaction was met by major revolts being led against his usurpation, but they were all later suppressed before he marched into north-east England. From there, he established Norman control of York and devastated the region. Like nearly all conquering forces of a nation, the Normans had many challenges set against them. Their primary issue was that they were fewer in number than the native English population. After William successfully conquered and gained ultimate possession of all properties in England, which his strong military had given him de facto control over, he ruled it in the typical feudal tenure in return for military service.

#### **William I, “the Conqueror” (1028 – 9 September 1087)**

William I is renowned in history as the first Norman King of England. He was born to Robert the Magnificent and Herleva of Falaise in Falaise, Duchy of Normandy, speculated to have been around 1028. His official reign began in 1066 following the Norman Conquest, and it ended in 1087, the year of his death. The time before his reign was marked by a long struggle to establish and secure his power, but by 1060, his hold on Normandy was secure, and he saw fit to officially launch the Norman Conquest of England six years later in 1066, which eventually gave way for him to establish himself as King of England - which is where his established epithet, “the Conqueror”, comes from. Though for the most part, he quelled the revolts that threatened his reign, after he became King, it seemed like a never-ending struggle to keep his consolidated power over England.

#### **William II, “the Red” (1056 – 2 August 1100)**

Like his father, William II’s exact date and place of birth are not known. However, it is known that he was born in the Duchy of Normandy around 1056.