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Sovereigns of Britain

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Also known as: Britain, Great Britain, U.K., United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The table provides a chronological list of the sovereigns of Britain.

Sovereigns of Britain
Kings of Wessex (West Saxons)
name dynasty or house reign
1Athelstan was king of Wessex and the first king of all England.
2James VI of Scotland became also James I of England in 1603. Upon accession to the English throne, he styled himself "King of Great Britain" and was so proclaimed. Legally, however, he and his successors held separate English and Scottish kingships until the Act of Union of 1707, when the two kingdoms were united as the Kingdom of Great Britain.
3The United Kingdom was formed on January 1, 1801, with the union of Great Britain and Ireland. After 1801 George III was styled "King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland."
4Oliver and Richard Cromwell served as lords protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland during the republican Commonwealth.
5William and Mary, as husband and wife, reigned jointly until Mary's death in 1694. William then reigned alone until his own death in 1702.
6George IV was regent from February 5, 1811.
7In 1917, during World War I, George V changed the name of his house from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor.
8Edward VIII succeeded upon the death of his father, George V, on January 20, 1936, but abdicated on December 11, 1936, before coronation.
Egbert Saxon 802–839
Aethelwulf (Ethelwulf) Saxon 839–856/858
Aethelbald (Ethelbald) Saxon 855/856–860
Aethelberht (Ethelbert) Saxon 860–865/866
Aethelred I (Ethelred) Saxon 865/866–871
Alfred the Great Saxon 871–899
Edward the Elder Saxon 899–924
Sovereigns of England
name dynasty or house reign
Athelstan1 Saxon 925–939
Edmund I Saxon 939–946
Eadred (Edred) Saxon 946–955
Eadwig (Edwy) Saxon 955–959
Edgar Saxon 959–975
Edward the Martyr Saxon 975–978
Ethelred II the Unready (Aethelred) Saxon 978–1013
Sweyn Forkbeard Danish 1013–14
Ethelred II the Unready (restored) Saxon 1014–16
Edmund II Ironside Saxon 1016
Canute Danish 1016–35
Harold I Harefoot Danish 1035–40
Hardecanute Danish 1040–42
Edward the Confessor Saxon 1042–66
Harold II Saxon 1066
William I the Conqueror Norman 1066–87
William II Norman 1087–1100
Henry I Norman 1100–35
Stephen Blois 1135–54
Henry II Plantagenet 1154–89
Richard I Plantagenet 1189–99
John Plantagenet 1199–1216
Henry III Plantagenet 1216–72
Edward I Plantagenet 1272–1307
Edward II Plantagenet 1307–27
Edward III Plantagenet 1327–77
Richard II Plantagenet 1377–99
Henry IV Plantagenet: Lancaster 1399–1413
Henry V Plantagenet: Lancaster 1413–22
Henry VI Plantagenet: Lancaster 1422–61
Edward IV Plantagenet: York 1461–70
Henry VI (restored) Plantagenet: Lancaster 1470–71
Edward IV (restored) Plantagenet: York 1471–83
Edward V Plantagenet: York 1483
Richard III Plantagenet: York 1483–85
Henry VII Tudor 1485–1509
Henry VIII Tudor 1509–47
Edward VI Tudor 1547–53
Mary I Tudor 1553–58
Elizabeth I Tudor 1558–1603
Sovereigns of Great Britain and the United Kingdom2, 3
name dynasty or house reign
James I (VI of Scotland)2 Stuart 1603–25
Charles I Stuart 1625–49
Commonwealth (1653–59)
Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector4 1653–58
Richard Cromwell, Lord Protector4 1658–59
Charles II Stuart 1660–85
James II Stuart 1685–88
William III and Mary II5 Orange/Stuart 1689–1702
Anne Stuart 1702–14
George I Hanover 1714–27
George II Hanover 1727–60
George III3 Hanover 1760–1820
George IV6 Hanover 1820–30
William IV Hanover 1830–37
Victoria Hanover 1837–1901
Edward VII Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1901–10
George V7 Windsor 1910–36
Edward VIII8 Windsor 1936
George VI Windsor 1936–52
Elizabeth II Windsor 1952–2022
Charles III Windsor 2022–

Prime ministers of Great Britain and the United Kingdom

The table provides a chronological list of the prime ministers of Great Britain and the United Kingdom.

Prime ministers of Great Britain and the United Kingdom*
name party** term
*The origin of the term prime minister and the question of to whom it should originally be applied have long been issues of scholarly and political debate. Although the term was used as early as the reign of Queen Anne (1702–14), it acquired wider currency during the reign of George II (1727–60), when it began to be used as a term of reproach toward Sir Robert Walpole. The title of prime minister did not become official until 1905, to refer to the leader of a government.
**Before the development of the Conservative and Liberal parties in the mid-19th century, parties in Britain were largely simply alliances of prominent groups or aristocratic families. The designations Whig and Tory tend often to be approximate. In all cases, the party designation is that of the prime minister; he might lead a coalition government, as did David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill (in his first term).
Robert Walpole
(from 1725, Sir Robert Walpole; from 1742, earl of Orford)
Whig 1721–42
Spencer Compton,
earl of Wilmington
Whig 1742–43
Henry Pelham Whig 1743–54
Thomas Pelham-Holles,
1st duke of Newcastle (1st time)
Whig 1754–56
William Cavendish,
4th duke of Devonshire
Whig 1756–57
Thomas Pelham-Holles,
1st duke of Newcastle (2nd time)
Whig 1757–62
John Stuart,
3rd earl of Bute
1762–63
George Grenville 1763–65
Charles Watson Wentworth,
2nd marquess of Rockingham (1st time)
Whig 1765–66
William Pitt,
1st earl of Chatham
1766–68
Augustus Henry Fitzroy,
3rd duke of Grafton
1768–70
Frederick North,
Lord North (from 1790, 2nd earl of Guilford)
1770–82
Charles Watson Wentworth,
2nd marquess of Rockingham (2nd time)
Whig 1782
William Petty-Fitzmaurice,
2nd earl of Shelburne (from 1784, 1st marquess of Lansdowne)
1782–83
William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck,
3rd duke of Portland (1st time)
Whig 1783
William Pitt, the Younger
(1st time)
Tory 1783–1801
Henry Addington
(from 1805, 1st Viscount Sidmouth)
Tory 1801–04
William Pitt, the Younger
(2nd time)
Tory 1804–06
William Wyndham Grenville,
1st Baron Grenville
1806–07
William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck,
3rd duke of Portland (2nd time)
Whig 1807–09
Spencer Perceval Tory 1809–12
Robert Banks Jenkinson,
2nd earl of Liverpool
Tory 1812–27
George Canning Tory 1827
Frederick John Robinson,
1st Viscount Goderich (from 1833, 1st earl of Ripon)
Tory 1827–28
Arthur Wellesley,
1st duke of Wellington (1st time)
Tory 1828–30
Charles Grey,
2nd Earl Grey
Whig 1830–34
William Lamb,
2nd Viscount Melbourne (1st time)
Whig 1834
Arthur Wellesley,
1st duke of Wellington (2nd time)
Tory 1834
Sir Robert Peel,
2nd Baronet (1st time)
Tory 1834–35
William Lamb,
2nd Viscount Melbourne (2nd time)
Whig 1835–41
Sir Robert Peel,
2nd Baronet (2nd time)
Conservative 1841–46
John Russell,
Lord Russell (from 1861, 1st Earl Russell) (1st time)
Whig-Liberal 1846–52
Edward Geoffrey Stanley,
14th earl of Derby (1st time)
Conservative 1852
George Hamilton-Gordon,
4th earl of Aberdeen
1852–55
Henry John Temple,
3rd Viscount Palmerston (1st time)
Liberal 1855–58
Edward Geoffrey Stanley,
14th earl of Derby (2nd time)
Conservative 1858–59
Henry John Temple,
3rd Viscount Palmerston (2nd time)
Liberal 1859–65
John Russell,
1st Earl Russell (2nd time)
Liberal 1865–66
Edward Geoffrey Stanley,
14th earl of Derby (3rd time)
Conservative 1866–68
Benjamin Disraeli
(1st time)
Conservative 1868
William Ewart Gladstone
(1st time)
Liberal 1868–74
Benjamin Disraeli,
(from 1876, earl of Beaconsfield) (2nd time)
Conservative 1874–80
William Ewart Gladstone
(2nd time)
Liberal 1880–85
Robert Cecil,
3rd marquess of Salisbury (1st time)
Conservative 1885–86
William Ewart Gladstone
(3rd time)
Liberal 1886
Robert Cecil,
3rd marquess of Salisbury (2nd time)
Conservative 1886–92
William Ewart Gladstone
(4th time)
Liberal 1892–94
Archibald Philip Primrose,
5th earl of Rosebery
Liberal 1894–95
Robert Cecil,
3rd marquess of Salisbury (3rd time)
Conservative 1895–1902
Arthur James Balfour,
(from 1922, 1st earl of Balfour)
Conservative 1902–05
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman Liberal 1905–08
H.H. Asquith,
(from 1925, 1st earl of Oxford and Asquith)
Liberal 1908–16
David Lloyd George,
(from 1945, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor)
Liberal 1916–22
Bonar Law Conservative 1922–23
Stanley Baldwin
(1st time)
Conservative 1923–24
Ramsay Macdonald
(1st time)
Labour 1924
Stanley Baldwin
(2nd time)
Conservative 1924–29
Ramsay Macdonald
(2nd time)
Labour 1929–35
Stanley Baldwin,
(from 1937, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley) (3rd time)
Conservative 1935–37
Neville Chamberlain Conservative 1937–40
Winston Churchill
(1st time)
Conservative 1940–45
Clement Attlee,
(from 1955, 1st Earl Attlee)
Labour 1945–51
Winston Churchill,
(from 1953, Sir Winston Churchill) (2nd time)
Conservative 1951–55
Sir Anthony Eden,
(from 1961, 1st earl of Avon)
Conservative 1955–57
Harold Macmillan,
(from 1984, 1st earl of Stockton)
Conservative 1957–63
Sir Alec Douglas-Home,
(until 1963, Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, 14th earl of Home; from 1974, Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home)
Conservative 1963–64
Harold Wilson
(1st time)
Labour 1964–70
Edward Heath Conservative 1970–74
Harold Wilson,
(from 1976, Sir Harold Wilson) (2nd time)
Labour 1974–76
James Callaghan Labour 1976–79
Margaret Thatcher Conservative 1979–90
John Major Conservative 1990–97
Tony Blair Labour 1997–2007
Gordon Brown Labour 2007–10
David Cameron Conservative 2010–16
Theresa May Conservative 2016–19
Boris Johnson Conservative 2019–22
Liz Truss Conservative 2022
Rishi Sunak Conservative 2022–24
Keir Starmer Labour 2024–