Can You Match These British Kings and Queens to the Correct Historic Period?

By: Kennita Leon
Image: Wiki Commons

About This Quiz

Over the years, there have been more than a few kings and queens of Great Britain. Some of them were first royalty in other countries and then became British rulers, while others stole the crown at the beginning of their rule. How they became kings or queens doesn't matter much in this quiz, because that is not what we're testing. We want to know if you can match the king or queen of the nation (or nations) to the time they ruled either England, Scotland, (northern) Ireland or Wales. 

Now it'll be easy to name the more recent king sand queens and the ones who set records for either the great changes they brought about to their countries or the horrible mistakes they made. You may even remember the longest-reigning monarchs. But do you remember the kids who had to take the throne? Can you tell us about the men who ruled for less than a year? Can you name the ones who gave up the throne for love?

Sometimes it's easy to match the years, not to the face, but to the name, especially if you're a history buff, so we want you to do that today. Can you tell us when these queens and kings ruled? 

At 92 years old in 2018, Elizabeth II is the longest-reigning and longest-lived British monarch. She has overseen several significant constitutional changes.

Richard I ruled over England for nearly ten years. He was known as the Lionheart due to his reputation as a great warrior and military leader.

William I, also known as William the Bastard, was the first Norman monarch of England. His reign spanned from 1066 to 1087.

During his reign, Henry VIII, the second Tudor monarch, was famed for his six marriages and his radical changes to the English constitution.

Anne, Queen of Great Britain, was responsible for uniting the Kingdoms of Scotland and England into a single sovereign state.

Mary I, Queen of England and Ireland, reighed from 1553 to 1558. She was best known for her aggressive attempt to reverse the English Reformation.

From 978 to 1013 and 1014 to 1016, Æthelred II was the King of the English for 37 years; the second longest reign of any Anglo-Saxon King of England.

George III's reign from 1760 to 1820 was marked by a series of military conflicts with much of Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa.

James II ruled over England for three years. He was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution.

Henry V was the second monarch of the House of Lancaster. He reigned as King for nine years, from 1413 to 1422.

George I, who reigned from 1714 to 1727, was the first monarch of the House of Hanover to ascend to the British throne.

Edward the Martyr reigned from 975 to 978. He was murdered at the age of 16.

In 1837, 18-year-old Queen Victoria ascended to the throne. She ruled over the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until her death in 1901.

John, King of England from 1199 to 1216, was the younger brother of Richard I, whom he succeeded after his death.

Henry I of England was the fourth son of William I. During his time as King, he seized control of Normandy from his brother, Robert Curthose.

Elizabeth I, also known as The Virgin Queen, was the last monarch of the House of Tudor. She reigned from 1558 to 1603.

Charles II was the king of England, Ireland and Scotland whose tenure spanned from 1660 until his death in 1685.

Following the death of his father in 899 AD, Edward the Elder assumed the throne and ruled as King of the Anglo-Saxons until 924 AD.

Harold I, also called Harold Harefoot, was the King of England for five years. from 1035 to 1040, following the death of his father, Canute the Great.

In addition to King of England, George VI held other titles such as the first Head of the Commonwealth and the last Emperor of India.

During his reign, Stephen, also known as Stephen of Blois, was noted for the Anarchy - a civil war against his cousin, Empress Matilda.

From 1901 to 1910, Edward VII, the eldest son of Queen Victoria, was the Emperor of India and the King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions.

Throughout his tenancy as King, Alfred the Great earned a reputation as a gracious and level-headed man who improved the quality of life for his people.

Harthacnut was the King of Denmark and England who reigned as the King of England from 1040 to 1042.

Edward IV was the first Yorkist King of England. His tenure was marked by a civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York for the throne.

From 1216 until his death in 1272, Henry III was the King of England as well as the Duke of Aquitaine and the Lord of Ireland.

George II, King of Great Britain and Ireland, was the last British monarch to be born outside of England and the last to lead an army into battle.

Æthelred, who ruled from 866 AD to 871 AD, inherited the throne following the death of his older brother, Æthelbert.

Shortly after the death of James I in 1625, Charles I succeeded to the throne and ruled over England, Scotland and Ireland, until his execution in 1649.

Henry VI, son of Henry V, was the King of England and France which he inherited in 1422 due to the deaths of his father and maternal grandfather. He ruled from 1422 to 1461, then from 1470 to 1471.

William IV was the King of Hanover and the United Kingdom. He succeeded to the throne at 64 years old, after the deaths of his older brothers.

Æthelbald, King of Wessex, was the second son of Æthelwulf. His reign as king spanned for four years, from 856 to 860.

Eadwig, the older son of King Edmund I, assumed the throne in 955 AD at the age of 15. He ruled until his death in 959 AD.

Canute, formally known as Cnut the Great, was the king of Norway, England and Denmark.

Henry IV, also called Henry Bolingbroke, was the Lord of Ireland and King of England from 1399 to 1413. His father was John of Gaunt.

Egbert was an Anglo-Saxon King who assumed the throne in 827 AD and reigned until his death in 839 AD.

Richard III, who ruled from June 26, 1483, to August 22, 1485, was the King of England and the last King of the House of York.

Æthelstan, son of Edward, the Elder, was the King of the Anglo-Saxons, then King of the English, from 924 to 939.

Edmund Ironside, also known as Edmund II, was the son of Æthelrel the Unready and King of England from April 23 to November 30, 1016.

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