The thrones of England and Scotland often did not pass smoothly from parent to child. Lack of heirs, civil wars, murders and invasions affected the inheritance in ways that a simple list of monarchs does not show. Names are followed by dates of reign.
Scottish monarchs
The kingdom of Scotland is taken to have begun when Kenneth mac Alpin became king of the Picts and the Scots.
- Kenneth I (843-858)
- his brother, Donald I (858-862)
- Kenneth I's son, Constantine I (862-877)
- Kenneth I's son, Aed (877-878)
- his son, Eochaid (878-889)
- Donald II (889-900)
- Constantine II (900-943)
- Constantine II's cousin, Malcolm I (943-954)
- Indulf (954-962)
- Malcolm I's son, Dubh (962-966)
- Indulf's son, Culen (966-971)
- Kenneth II (971-995)
- Constantine III (995-997)
- Kenneth III (997-1005)
- Malcolm II (1005-1034)
- Malcolm II's grandson, Duncan I (1034-1040)
- Malcolm II's grandson, Macbeth (1040-1057)
- Macbeth's stepson, Lulach (1057-1058)
The House of Canmore
- Duncan I's son, Malcolm III (1058-1093)
- Duncan I's son, Donald III (1093-1094 and 1094-1097)
- Duncan II (1094)
- Malcolm III's son, Edgar (1097-1107)
- Malcolm III's son, Alexander I (1107-1124)
- Malcolm III's son, David I (1124-1153)
- Malcolm IV (1153-1165)
- William I (1165-1214)
- his son, Alexander II (1214-1249)
- his son, Alexander III (1249-1286)
- his granddaughter, Margaret (1286-1290)
Without a clear heir, a period of warfare arose as Scotland came under the domination of England. Only one king, originally a puppet of King Edward I of England, was crowned.
The House of Bruce
The House of Stewart (Stuart)
- Robert II (1371-1390)
- Robert III (1390-1406)
- his son, James I (1406-1437)
- James II (1437-1460)
- James III (1460-1488)
- his son, James IV (1488-1513)
- his son, James V (1513-1542)
- his daughter, Mary (1542-1567)
- her son, James VI (1567-1625)
- his son, Charles I (1625-1649)
- his son, Charles II (1660-1685)
- Charles I's son, James VII (1685-1688)
The House of Orange
- his daughter, Mary II (1689-1694) and her husband William II (1689-1702), reigned together during Mary's life as "William and Mary"
- James VII's daughter, Anne I (1702-1714)
In 1707, with the Act of Union, the the thrones of England and Scotland were formally united as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, keeping the numbering system of England. Start at The House of Hanover below.
English monarchs
The Bretwalda
The Bretwalda were chosen from among the rulers of the various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England. There was not always a Bretwalda.
- Ælle of Sussex (477-c500)
- Ceawlin of Wessex (560-591)
- Ethelbert of Kent (591-616)
- Raedwald of East Anglia (616-627)
- Edwin of Deira (627-632)
- Oswald of Bernicia (633-641)
- Oswiu of Northumbria (641-670)
- Æthelbald of Mercia (c735-757)
- Æthelbald's cousin, Offa of Mercia (757-796)
- Egbert of Wessex (829-839)
- his son, Ethelwulf of Wessex (839-855)
- his son, Ethelbald of Wessex (855-860)
- Ethelwulf's son, Ethelbert of Wessex (860-866)
- Ethelwulf's son, Ethelred of Wessex (866-871)
The Saxon kings
By this time, the kings of Wessex had become established as kings of England.
- Ethelwulf's son, Ælfred (871-899)
- his son, Edward the Elder (899-924)
- his son, Athelstan (924-939)
- Edward's son, Edmund I (939-946)
- Edward's son, Edred (946-955)
- Edmund's son, Edwy (955-959)
- Edmund's son, Edgar (959-975)
- his son, Edward the Martyr (975-978)
- Edgar's son, Ethelred II (978-1016)
- his son, Edmund II of England (1016)
The Danelaw
For a period of time, both Danish and Saxon kings claimed the throne of England.
- Svein Haraldsson (1013-1014)
- his son, Canute the Great (1014-1035)
- his illegitimate son, Harold I (1035-1040)
- Canute's son, Harthacanute (1040-1042)
The Saxon restoration
- Ethelred's son and Harthacanute's half-brother, Edward the Confessor (1042-1066)
- Edward's brother-in-law and Svein's nephew, Harold II (1066)
- his half-greatnephew, Edgar Ætheling, uncrowned (1066)
The Norman kings
- Edward's and Harthacanute's first cousin twice removed,William I (1066-1087)
- his son, William II (1087-1100)
- William I's son, Henry I (1100-1135)
- William I's grandson, Stephen (1135-1154)
The Angevins or Plantagenets
- Henry I's grandson, Henry II (1154-1189)
- his son, Richard I (1189-1199)
- Henry II's son, John (1199-1216)
- his son, Henry III (1216-1272)
- his son, Edward I (1272-1307)
- his son, Edward II (1307-1327)
- his son, Edward III (1327-1377)
- his grandson, Richard II (1377-1399)
- Edward III's grandson, Henry IV (1399-1413)
- his son, Henry V (1413-1422)
- his son, Henry VI (1422-1461 and 1470-1471)
The House of York
- Edward III's great-great-grandson, Edward IV (1461-1470 and 1471-1483)
- his son, Edward V, uncrowned (1483)
- Edward IV's brother, Richard III (1483-1485)
The House of Tudor
- Edward III's great-great-grandson and Edward IV's son-in-law, Henry VII (1485-1509)
- his son, Henry VIII (1509-1547)
- his son, Edward VI (1547-1553)
- Henry VII's great-granddaughter, Lady Jane Grey, uncrowned (1553)
- Henry VIII's daughter, Mary I (1553-1558)
- Henry VIII's daughter, Elizabeth I (1558-1603)
The House of Stuart
- Henry VII's great-great-grandson, James I, King of Scotland from 1567, (1603-1625)
- his son, Charles I (1625-1649)
The Commonwealth and Protectorate
There was no king between Charles I's execution in 1649 and the restoration in 1660, but there were two Lord Protectors during the Protectorate.
- Oliver Cromwell (1653-1658)
- his son, Richard Cromwell (1658-1659)
The Stuart restoration
The House of Orange
- his daughter, Mary II (1689-1694) and her husband William III (1689-1702), reigned together during Mary's life as "William and Mary"
- James II's daughter, Anne I (1702-1714)
In 1707, with the Act of Union, the the thrones of England and Scotland were formally united as the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
The House of Hanover
- James I's great-grandson, George I (1714-1727)
- his son, George II (1727-1760)
- his son, George III (1760-1820)
- his son, George IV (1820-1830)
- George III's son, William IV (1830-1837)
The House of Windsor
The name of the royal house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was changed to Windsor in 1917 due to anti-German feelings aroused by World War I.
- his son, George V (1910-1936)
- his son, Edward VIII (1936)
- George V's son, George VI (1936-1952)
- his daughter, Elizabeth II (1952-)
See also Wikipedia's other lists of incumbents.