British Monarchs in Order

This quiz builds the full line of English and British monarchs, from William the Conqueror to today. The board starts with one monarch already on it. The quiz then gives you one monarch at a time, with a portrait.

You put each monarch in the line, before or after the monarchs that are already there. A correct placement shows the accession year and keeps the card on the board. A wrong placement costs one life. You have 3 lives.

The ends are easy. The middle is the hard part: few people are sure if Stephen comes before or after Henry II, and the painting style is often the best clue you get.

How to play

• The line is sorted by the year each reign began. The earliest monarch is at one end and the latest is at the other end.
• One monarch starts on the board. The accession year is shown.
• The quiz gives you one monarch at a time. Put the card in the gap where you think it belongs.
• A correct placement shows the accession year. The card stays on the board and the quiz gives you the next monarch.
• A wrong placement costs one life. The gap gets a red cross, and you place the same monarch again.
• You have 3 lives. The run ends when all lives are gone. The quiz then shows you the correct gap.
• You cannot move a monarch after you place the card.
• Your score is the number of monarchs on the board at the end. The maximum score is 41.

What counts in this quiz

• 41 cards for 42 monarchs: William III and Mary II took the throne together on one day, so they share one card.
• Henry VI and Edward IV reigned twice. Each is placed by his first accession, and the card's note names the second reign.
• The portraits are the public-domain set from the Name Every British Monarch quiz.

What's not included, and why

• Lady Jane Grey, the Empress Matilda and Oliver Cromwell have no card, the same rule as the picture quiz.
• The kings before 1066 have no card. The line starts at the Norman Conquest.
• The cards show years, not exact days. Sources differ on medieval accession days, so the day never decides a placement.

Good to know

• 1483 and 1936 each saw three monarchs in one year.
• The House of Windsor is the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha renamed, in 1917, during the war with Germany.
• England and Scotland have shared a monarch since 1603 and a parliament since 1707.
• The longest reign in the line is Elizabeth II at 70 years. The shortest is Edward V at 78 days.