KINGS & 
QUEENS

Who Was Charles II? Charles II was the son of Charles I, the king who had been defeated in the Civil War and publicly executed outside Banqueting House. When his father died, Charles was only 18 and suddenly found himself a king without a kingdom. Charles II He spent much of the next decade in exile while England experimented with life without a monarch under Oliver Cromwell. After Cromwell died, the republican government began to fall apart and Parliament eventually invited

Who Was Charles I? Charles I Charles I inherited the throne from his father, James I, in 1625. He was intelligent, cultured and a great lover of art, but he also inherited something rather less useful from his father: a very strong belief that kings had been chosen by God and shouldn't have to answer to Parliament. Charles was also quite different from his father. James could be argumentative and untidy but was usually a skilled political survivor. Charles was more reserved,

Who Was James I? James I was the man who followed Elizabeth I onto the English throne—and with him came an entirely new royal family. The Tudors were out and the Stuarts were in. James I of England But James wasn't new to being a king. He had already been James VI of Scotland for almost his entire life. His mother was Mary, Queen of Scots—the same Mary whom Elizabeth I had kept prisoner for nearly 19 years and eventually executed. When Elizabeth died without children in 1603,

Who Was Elizabeth I? Elizabeth I Elizabeth I is one of the most famous monarchs in English history. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn—the woman Henry had executed when Elizabeth was only two years old. Elizabeth had been declared illegitimate, survived the dangerous reigns of her brother Edward VI and sister Mary I, and had even spent time imprisoned in the Tower of London. Yet in 1558, aged 25, she became Queen of England. She would rule for 44 years, defeat

Who Was Mary I? Mary I Mary I has gone down in history with one of the most chilling royal nicknames: "Bloody Mary." But her story is more complicated than the nickname suggests. Mary was the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. She grew up a Catholic princess and was once the adored daughter of the king. Then Henry fell in love with Anne Boleyn. Henry's marriage to Catherine was annulled, Mary was declared illegitimate, separated from her mother and pressured to a

Who Was Edward VI? After six wives, two executions and years of desperate attempts to produce a son, Henry VIII finally got the male heir he wanted. That boy was Edward VI. Edward VI Edward was the son of Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. He was born in 1537, but Jane died just 12 days after giving birth. When Henry VIII died in 1547, Edward inherited the throne aged only nine. He was intelligent, exceptionally well educated and fiercely Protestant—but he was still

Who Was Henry VIII? Henry VIII is probably the most famous king in English history. Henry VIII We remember the enormous king with six wives, extravagant clothes and a fearsome temper. But the young Henry who inherited the throne in 1509, aged just 17, was very different. Young Henry Tudor He was tall, athletic, handsome and highly educated. He loved jousting, hunting, music, dancing and parties and was considered one of the most glamorous princes in Europe. Henry had never ex

Who Was Henry VII? Henry VII was the man who defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, ended the rule of the Plantagenets and founded one of the most famous royal dynasties in English history: The Tudors. But Henry was not an obvious choice for king. His claim to the throne was actually quite weak, and he had spent much of his life in exile. What he did have was Lancastrian blood, determination—and the ability to take advantage of England's exhaustion after decades of f

Who Was Richard III? Few English kings have a reputation quite like Richard III. He ruled for just two years, yet his name has become associated with murder, betrayal, the mysterious Princes in the Tower and one of the most famous battles in English history. Richard was the younger brother of Edward IV and uncle of the 12-year-old Edward V. After Edward IV died, Richard was appointed protector of the young king. Within weeks, Edward V and his younger brother were declared ill

Who Was Edward V? Edward V has one of the shortest—and most mysterious—stories of any English king. The Princes in the Tower He was just 12 years old when his father, Edward IV, died suddenly in April 1483. Edward immediately became king and travelled towards London for his coronation. But he would never be crowned. Within weeks, Edward was living inside the Tower of London. His younger brother joined him there soon afterwards. Then both boys simply disappeared. Their fate ha

Who Was Edward IV? Edward IV was just 18 years old when he emerged as the great hope of the House of York during the Wars of the Roses. Tall, handsome, charismatic and an excellent soldier, Edward was almost the complete opposite of the troubled Henry VI. His father, Richard, Duke of York, had argued that the York family had a stronger hereditary claim to the throne than Henry VI's Lancastrian family. But Richard was killed in battle before he could become king. Edward inheri

Who Was Henry VI? Henry VI became king in 1422 when he was just nine months old, making him the youngest monarch ever to inherit the English throne. He was the only son of the great warrior king Henry V, but the two men could not have been more different. While his father was a brilliant soldier and inspiring leader, Henry VI was gentle, deeply religious and preferred peace to war. His reign would see England lose almost all of its lands in France and descend into a bitter ci

Who Was Henry V? Henry V Henry V is remembered as one of England's greatest warrior kings. He transformed England from a kingdom troubled by rebellion into a nation feared across Europe, thanks to his extraordinary victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. The eldest son of Henry IV, Henry had already proved himself as a brave soldier before becoming king. As a teenager, he fought at the Battle of Shrewsbury, where he survived an arrow wound to the face that would have kill

Who Was Henry IV? Henry IV was born Henry Bolingbroke, the son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and the grandson of Edward III. In 1399, he did something almost unthinkable—he overthrew his cousin, Richard II, and took the English throne for himself. He became the first king of the House of Lancaster, creating a new royal dynasty. Although Henry was an experienced soldier and respected nobleman, many people believed he had no right to be king. For the rest of his reign, h

Who Was Richard II? Richard II became King of England in 1377 at just 10 years old, following the death of his grandfather, Edward III. His father, the famous Edward, the Black Prince, had died the year before, so the crown passed to young Richard instead. Richard was intelligent, artistic and deeply religious. He loved magnificent ceremonies, beautiful buildings and fine clothing, believing that a king should inspire awe and command respect. He also believed strongly in the

Who Was Edward III? Edward III became king at just 14 years old after his father, Edward II, was forced to abdicate. At first, the country was ruled by his mother, Queen Isabella, and her ally, Roger Mortimer. But at the age of 17, Edward dramatically seized power, arrested Mortimer, and began one of the greatest reigns in English history. Portrait of Edward III During his 50-year reign, Edward transformed England into a military powerhouse, founded the Order of the Garter, a

Who Was Edward II? Edward II inherited the throne from his formidable father, Edward I, in 1307. Unlike his father, who was a brilliant soldier and administrator, Edward II struggled to rule. His reign was marked by military defeat, political conflict, and rebellion, eventually ending with his forced abdication—the first English king to be removed from the throne. Edward II Medieval Portrait The Battle That Changed Scotland Edward II's greatest failure came in 1314 at the Bat

Who Was Edward I? Edward I became King of England in 1272 following the death of his father, Henry III. Tall, powerful and an outstanding soldier, he earned the nickname "Longshanks" because of his impressive height of around 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m)—exceptionally tall for a medieval king. Edward was a determined ruler who strengthened royal authority, reformed English law, conquered Wales and fought long, bitter wars against Scotland. His reign helped shape the borders and g

Who Was Henry III? Henry III became king in 1216 at just nine years old, after the death of his father, King John. England was in the middle of a civil war, with many barons supporting Prince Louis of France as the rightful king. Too young to rule himself, Henry's kingdom was saved by the famous knight William Marshal, often called the greatest knight who ever lived. Marshal defeated the rebels, secured Henry's throne and reissued Magna Carta, helping unite the kingdom once a

Who Was King John? King John became King of England in 1199 following the death of his brother, Richard the Lionheart. The youngest son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, John inherited a powerful kingdom but soon gained a reputation as one of England's most unpopular monarchs. Unlike his warrior brother, John spent much of his reign dealing with political crises at home. Heavy taxes, military defeats and bitter disputes with both the Church and his own barons eventually f