United Kingdom/Catalogs/Kings and Queens

Scotland and England

In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I of England died and was succeeded by the then King of Scotland, James VI. Though James had united the Crown, he did not unite the Kingdoms. Famously he compared his rule of two kingdoms to the polygamy of a man with two wives. It was around this time that the first Union Flags were used. The century to follow was full of constitutional turmoil and civil war. For a brief period during Cromwell's Protectorate, there was just one Great Britain (though a republic not a kingdom) but with the re-instatement of the crown in the form of Charles II the two kingdoms were one again politically separate. It was not until Queen Anne of the House of Orange in that the two kingdoms were finally and permanently united to make the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

With that history explained, we shall start our list with the Union of the crowns. For details prior to 1603, refer to: Kings and Queens of England, Kings and Queens of Scotland, Kings and Queens of Ireland and Kings and Queens of Wales

House of Stuart

Date of Reign	Name	Comment
1603-1625	James I and VI
1625-1649	Charles I

Commonwealth/protectorate

Date of Reign	Name	Comment
1649-1651	Commonwealth in England; Charles II in Scotland
1651-1653	Commonwealth
1653-1658	Oliver Cromwell	Protectorate
1658-1659	Richard Cromwell	Protectorate

House of Stuart restored

Date of Reign	Name	Comment
1660-1685	Charles II
1685-1688	James II and VII
1688-1689	English throne vacant; James VII in Scotland
1689	William and Mary in England; James VII in Scotland
1689	William and Mary in England; Scottish throne vacant
1689-1694	William and Mary	jointly

House of Orange

Date of Reign	Name	Comment
1694-1702	William III	sole ruler
1702-1714	Anne

United Kingdom of Great Britain

House of Bruce

Date of Reign	Name	Comment
1702-1714	Anne

House of Hanover

Date of Reign	Name	Comment
1714-1727	George I
1727-1760	George II
1760-1820	George III
1820-1830	George IV
1830-1837	William IV
1837-1901	Victoria

House of Saxe-Coburg

Date of Reign	Name	Comment
1901-1910	Edward VII

House of Windsor

Date of Reign	Name	Comment
1910-1936	George V	(Saxe-Coburg until 1917)
1936-1936	Edward VIII	1936-1952	George VI
1952	Elizabeth II	Current monarch.