Tags
Edgar Atheling, Empress Matilda, Kings and Queens of England, Kings and Queens of Great Britain, kings and queens of Scotland, Lady Jane Grey, Queen Elizabeth II
Since today is the 68th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II acceding to the throne. I’ve decided to update the Length of Reigns of the Kings and Queens of Britain.
One of the decisions I made in compiling this list was including the entirety of a monarch’s reign even when the title changed at some point during their reign. This happened twice. Queen Anne began her reign in 1702 as the Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland (the last to hold those titles). In 1707 England and Scotland we united into one country, the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. I could have chosen to divide her reign between the two kingdoms but decided not to. The same for George III who began his reign as King of Great Britain and Ireland, but in 1801 he became the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
This updated list includes three controversial monarchs, or shall I say, alleged monarchs. Empress Matilda at number 59 and Edgar II at number 76 and Lady Jane Grey respectively are questionable even though they may have held power or were proclaimed or elected king or queen.
1. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom ~ 68 years, 00 days
2. Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom ~ 63 years, 216 days
3. King George III of the United Kingdom ~ 59 years, 96 days
4. King James VI of Scotland ~ 57 years, 246 days*
5. King Henry III of England ~ 56 years, 30 days
6. King Edward III of England ~ 50 years, 147 days
7. King William I of Scotland ~ 48 years, 360 days
8. Queen Elizabeth I of England ~ 44 years, 127 days
9. King David II of Scotland ~ 41 years, 260 days
10. King Henry VI of England ~ 38 years, 185 days
11. King Æthelred II of England ~ 37 years, 362 days
12. King Henry VIII of England ~ 37 years, 281 days
13. King Alexander III of Scotland ~ 36 years, 256 days
14. King Malcolm III of Scotland ~ 35 years, 241 days
15. King Henry I of England ~ 35 years, 120 days
16. King Henry II of England ~ 34 years, 254 days
17. King Edward I of England~ 34 years, 229 days
18. King Alexander II of Scotland ~ 34 years, 214 days
19. King George II of Great Britain ~ 33 years, 125 days
20. King James I of Scotland ~ 30 years, 323 days
21. King James V of Scotland ~ 29 years, 96 days
22. King David I of Scotland ~ 29 years, 31 days
23. King Alfred the Great of England ~ 28 years, 185 days
24. King James III of Scotland ~ 27 years, 313 days
25. King George V of the United Kingdom ~ 25 years, 259 days
26. King James IV of Scotland ~ 25 years, 90 days
27. King Ædward the Elder of England ~ 24 years, 264 days
28. King Charles II of England and Scotland ~ 24 years, 253 days
29. Queen Mary I of Scotland ~ 24 years, 222 days
30. King Charles I of England and Scotland ~ 23 years, 309 days
31. King Henry VII of England ~ 23 years, 242 days
32. King Edward the Confessor of England ~ 23 years, 211 days
33. King James II of Scotland ~ 23 years, 164 days
34. King Robert I of Scotland ~ 23 years, 74 days
35. King Richard II of England ~ 22 years, 99 days
36. King James I of England and Scotland ~ 22 years, 3 days*
37. King Edward IV of England ~ 21 years, 211 days
38. King William I of England ~ 20 years, 258 days
39. King Edward II of England ~ 19 years, 197 days
40. King Robert II of Scotland ~ 19 years, 56 days
41. King Canute II of Denmark and England ~ 18 years, 347 days
42. King John of England ~ 17 years, 196 days
43. King Alexander I of Scotland ~ 17 years, 106 days
44. King Stephen of England ~ 17 years, 99 days
45. King Robert III of Scotland ~ 15 years, 350 days
46. King Edgar I of England ~ 15 years, 280 days
47. King Æthelstan of England ~ 15 years, 86 days
48. King George VI of the United Kingdom ~ 15 years, 57 days
49. King Henry IV of England ~ 13 years, 172 days
50. King William III-II of England and Scotland ~ 13 years, 23 days
51. King George I of Great Britain ~ 12 years, 314 days
52. King William II of England ~ 12 years, 327 days
53. King Malcolm IV of Scotland ~ 12 years, 199 days
54. Queen Anne of Great Britain ~ 12 years, 146 days
55. King George IV of the United Kingdom ~ 10 years, 148 days
56. King Ædred of England ~ 09 years, 181 days
57. King Henry V of Edward ~ 09 years, 163 days
58. King Edward VII of the United Kingdom ~ 09 years, 104 days
59. Empress Matilda “Lady of the English” ~ 07 years, unknown days
60. King William IV of the United Kingdom ~ 06 years, 359 days
61. King Edmund I of England 06 years, 211 days
62. King Edward VI of England ~ 06 years, 159 days
63. Queen Mary II of England and Scotland ~ 05 years, 318 days
64. Queen Mary I of England ~ 05 years, 121 days
65. King James II-VII of England and Scotland ~ 03 years, 309 days
66. King John Balliol of Scotland ~ 03 years, 236 days
67. King Ædwig of England ~ 02 years, 312 days
68. King Ædward the Martyr of England ~ 02 years, 253 days
69. King Harold I of England ~ 02 years, 126 days
70. King Canute III of England and Denmark ~ 02 years, 83 days
71. King Richard III of England ~ 02 years, 57 days
72. King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom ~ 00 years, 326 days
73. King Harold II of England ~ 00 years, 282 days
74. King Edmund II of England ~ 00 years, 221 days
75. King Edward V of England ~ 00 years, 78 days
76. King Edgar II of England ~ 00 years, 63 days
77. Lady Jane Grey “Queen of England” ~ 00 years, 09 days
* James VI-I of England and Scotland. As King James VI of Scotland he ruled Scotland for 57 years. As King James I of England he ruled for 22 years.
European Royal History 