sign in sign up
<<
Home , Edward VII, Edward VIII, George III, George V, George VI, Lady Jane Grey

I WISH I KNEW THAT SPREADS_I WISH I KNEW THAT SPREADS 25/07/2011 08:34 Page 55

HISTORY STUFF

BRITISH KINGS AND QUEENS

Here are Britain’s kings and queens, with the dates of their , starting with back in the 9th century when was divided into several different kingdoms. Read more about the ones in bold on the following pages: Alfred the Great 871-899 Henry V 1413-1422 899-924 Henry VI 1422-1461, 1470-1471 Athelstan 924-939 Edward IV 1461-1470, 1471-1483 Edmund the Magnificent 939-946 Edward V 1483 946-955 Richard III Crookback 1483-1485 (or Edwy) the Fair 955-959 Henry VII Tudor 1485-1509 Edgar the Peacemaker 959-975 Henry VIII 1509-1547 975-978 Edward VI 1547-1553 Aethelred the Unready 978-1016 1553 Swein Forkbeard 1013 Mary I Tudor 1553-1558 Edmund 1016 1558-1603 Canute the Great 1016-1035 James I 1603-1625 1035-1040 Charles I 1625-1649 Hardicanute 1040-1042 * 1653-1658 1042-1066 ** 1658-1659 Harold II 1066 Charles II 1660-1685 William I the Conqueror James II 1685-1688 1066-1087 William III, Mary II † 1689-1702 William II ‘Rufus’ 1087-1100 Anne 1702-1714 Henry I Beauclerc 1100-1135 I 1714-1727 Stephen 1135-1154 George II 1727-1760 Henry II Curtmantle 1154-1189 George III 1760-1820 Richard I the Lionheart 1189-1199 George IV 1820-1830 John Lackland 1199-1216 William IV 1830-1837 Henry III 1216-1272 1837-1901 Edward I Longshanks 1272-1307 Edward VII 1901-1910 Edward II 1307-1327 1910-1936 Edward III 1327-1377 Edward VIII 1936 Richard II 1377-1399 George VI 1936-1952 Henry IV Bolingbroke 1399-1413 Elizabeth II from 1952 * Between 1649 and 1653, following the , Britain had no . Cromwell ruled England as from 1653 (see page 63). ** Oliver Cromwell’s son ruled England briefly after his father died, until Charles II was invited to be king. † Ruled jointly until Mary’s death in 1694. 55 I WISH I KNEW THAT SPREADS_I WISH I KNEW THAT SPREADS 25/07/2011 08:34 Page 56

I WISH I KNEW THAT

Alfred The Great Alfred was King an area in the southwest of England called Wessex. When Vikings from Scandinavia invaded, Alfred fled and legend says he hid with a peasant woman before returning to defeat the invaders. England was then divided into two areas – one ruled by Alfred, who was called ‘King of the English’ and one, known as the Danelaw, ruled by the Vikings. Alfred’s son and grandson went on to gain control of even more land until England was finally united. Canute The Great Canute was a Viking warrior who became King of England through conquest. He was also King of and , so was able to stop the Vikings attacking England. This made things much more peaceful. Legend says that Canute once had his throne put on the seashore, where he sat and commanded the incoming tide to halt – which, of course, it didn’t. Some say he did it to prove to his subjects that kings were ordinary people and not gods. William of Normandy (in France) invaded England in 1066 and was crowned William I of England. He ruthlessly crushed uprisings and gave English lands to other Normans. The Bayeux Tapestry, a 70-metre-long embroidery, which dates from this time, describes the invasion in pictures.

STICK TO THE STORY!

56 I WISH I KNEW THAT SPREADS_I WISH I KNEW THAT SPREADS 25/07/2011 08:34 Page 57

HISTORY STUFF

Richard I King Richard was believed to be so brave, he was known as ‘the Lionheart’. He was king for 10 years, but only ever spent a few months in England. In 1190, he set off on an expedition called a Crusade (see page 59) to capture the holy city of from the Muslims, who were led by a man named Saladin. After fierce fighting, he made a truce with Saladin and returned to England. However, he set off again before long, this time to wage war with France where he was killed. Henry VIII Henry VIII wanted a son and, when he failed to have one with his first wife, , he wished to have the marriage annulled (a kind of cancelling, rather than divorce). Britain was a Catholic country at that time and the , head of the Catholic Church, refused. So Henry made himself head of the Church in England and married . However, when he grew tired of her, he had her head chopped off and married Jane Seymour next. After Jane died, he married and

57 I WISH I KNEW THAT SPREADS_I WISH I KNEW THAT SPREADS 25/07/2011 08:34 Page 58

I WISH I KNEW THAT

divorced Anne of Cleves. He then married , but had her beheaded so that he could marry . She was lucky enough to outlive him. Lady Jane Grey Lady Jane’s reign is perhaps the saddest in English history. The royal court was a place of scheming and plotting, and it suited a few powerful people to have Lady Jane made queen. Unfortunately, this didn’t everybody and a rebellion broke out. The poor 15-year-old girl was queen for only nine days, before she was taken to the Tower of and later beheaded. Victoria Victoria became queen at the age of 18 and remained on the throne for almost 64 years, making her Britain’s longest- serving . Her reign was a time of great scientific and technological advances. Perhaps the best proof of Britain’s success during Victoria’s reign was the Great Exhibition, held in 1851. It was designed to show off Britain’s power, wealth and achievements to the world. During Victoria’s reign, Britain was at the height of its powers and had built a huge empire. In 1876, Victoria was also made Empress of , when the British took full control of the country after several (rebellions) against their rule. 58