List of historic titles of British monarchs
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This list of titles and honours of the British monarch details the current and former titles of the sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and its predecessor states.
The present United Kingdom was formed in 1922 when the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, which had been formed in 1801 from the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland, was partitioned to create the Irish Free State. The Kingdom of Great Britain was itself formed in 1707 from the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. England and Scotland had been in a personal union since 1603, while Ireland had been in a personal union with the Kingdom of England since the elevation of the Lordship of Ireland to the status of a kingdom in 1542. Wales was gradually conquered by England in the Middle Ages, beginning with the Norman invasion of Wales and concluding with the conquests of Edward I in 1277–83. Wales was legally incorporated into England between 1535 and 1542 by King Henry VIII.
The medieval monarchs of England also controlled large parts of France, particularly under the Angevin kings. Several of the listed titles are therefore French, many held as fiefs of the French Crown rather than independently. Also represented is the English claim to the France, maintained for over 400 years before being dropped after the French Revolution.
While the English claim to France was not seriously pursued after the Middle Ages, later monarchs did hold foreign titles. When William III became King alongside his wife Mary II, he maintained his Dutch titles. The Georgian kings ruled as Electors and Kings of Hanover, as well as holding the office of Arch-Treasurer of the Holy Roman Empire. These titles lapsed when Queen Victoria succeeded to the throne.
While the British Empire only gave the monarch one significant new title, that of Emperor of India, its transformation into the Commonwealth of Nations and decolonisation created many new independent states, each with a separate monarchy. Of the thirty-two realms Elizabeth II became queen of on her accession in 1952, only sixteen retain her as their monarch. All current and former Commonwealth realms are listed below.
Titles held by the monarch of the United Kingdom[edit]
Kingdoms[edit]
Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[1] (from 1927 to present only)
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Lordships[edit]
Non-hereditary titles[edit]
- Head of the Commonwealth (from 1949 to present only)
Religious titles[edit]
- Defender of the Faith — granted by Pope Leo X to Henry VIII for his book Defense of the Seven Sacraments, and revoked in 1530 at the beginning of the English Reformation.
Commonwealth realms[edit]
These kingdoms are independent of the British Crown, but are held in personal union with the United Kingdom and follow the same rules of succession.
| Kingdom | Royal standard / national flag | Date established |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 1985 | |
| Australia | 1973 | |
| New Zealand | 1974 | |
| Jamaica | 1962 | |
| The Bahamas | 
|
1973 |
| Grenada | 
|
1974 |
| Papua New Guinea | 
|
1975 |
| Solomon Islands | 
|
1978 |
| Tuvalu | 
|
1978 |
| Saint Lucia | 
|
1979 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 
|
1979 |
| Belize | 
|
1981 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 
|
1981 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 
|
1983 |
Customary titles[edit]
These titles are used by custom in their respective areas, but are not formally held by the monarch.
| Title | Image | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke of Lancaster | 
|
1413 | Used in historic Lancashire to reflect the ownership of the Duchy of Lancaster by the monarch separately from the Crown Estate. |
| Duke of Normandy (Channel Islands) | 1259 | Used on the Channel Islands to reflect their status as the remnants of the Duchy of Normandy controlled by the Kings of England between 1066 and 1259. The role of monarch of the islands is separate from that of the United Kingdom, but there is no specific title for their sovereign. |
Titles formerly held by British monarchs[edit]
The following titles include those held by the monarchs of the predecessor kingdoms to the United Kingdom, and titles formerly used but now abolished.
Kingdoms, empires and equivalent[edit]
 |
| Title | Coat of arms | Date formed | Date abolished | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King/Queen of the United Kingdom | .svg){kind=small}
|
1801 | 1922 | Partitioned into the Irish Free State and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. |
| King/Queen of Great Britain | .svg){kind=small}
|
1707 | 1801 | Merged with Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. |
| King/Queen of England | 
|
927 | 1707 | Merged with Scotland to form Great Britain. |
| King/Queen of Scotland | 
|
843 | 1707 | Merged with England to form Great Britain. |
| King/Queen of Ireland | .svg){kind=small}
|
1542 | 1801 | Merged with Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. |
| King/Queen of France | .svg){kind=small}
|
1422 (disputed) | 1453 (disputed) | Claimed from 1340 to 1360 and 1369–1801 by the Kings of England and their successors. Henry VI disputedly ruled France as Henry II of France but was ultimately defeated by Charles VII of France as part of culmination of the Hundred Years' War. |
| Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel | 
|
1689 | 1702 | William III had held the office of Stadholder as leader of the Dutch Republic since 1672. |
| King of Hanover | 
|
1814 | 1837 | successor to the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Held by the Kings of the United Kingdom from 1814 to 1837. Male-preference Semi-Salic law prevents Queen Victoria from inheriting the Kingdom. |
| Emperor/Empress of India | .svg){kind=small}
|
1876 | 1948 | Created for Queen Victoria and abandoned by George VI. |
Principalities[edit]
| Principality | Coat of Arms | Date formed | Date abolished | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester[3][page needed] | .svg){kind=small}
|
1398 | 1399 | Used exclusively by Richard II |
| Orange[4] | 
|
1650 | 1702 | Title of William III |
Duchies[edit]
|
| Title | Coat of Arms | Date acquired | Date lost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke of Aquitaine | 
|
1154 jure uxoris
1189 suo jure |
1451 | Gained by the marriage of Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine to King Henry II in 1154 and subsequently inherited by Richard I in his own right. Lost by Henry VI during the closing phases of the Hundred Years' War. |
| Duke of Normandy
(Continental Normandy) |
.svg){kind=small}
|
1066 | 1259 | Duke William II of Normandy conquered England in 1066. Henry III renounced his claim to Normandy (besides the Channel Islands) in the Treaty of Paris. |
Electorates[edit]
|
Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg — held by the Kings of Great Britain / the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1807. Merged into the Kingdom of Westphalia during the Napoleonic Wars and re-established as the Kingdom of Hanover in 1814.
.svg){kind=small}
Counties[edit]
- Count of Anjou — held from the King of France by Henry II, Richard I, and John, Kings of England.[5][6]
- Count of Ponthieu— held from the King of France by Edward II and Edward III. Inherited from Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I.[7][page needed][8][page needed]
- Count of Boulogne — held by Stephen.[9][failed verification]
Lordships[edit]
|
Lord of Ireland — used by the Kings of England between 1171 and 1542 to signify their sovereignty over parts of Ireland. Elevated to a Kingdom in 1542.
Religious titles[edit]
- Supreme Head of the Church of England — title used by Henry VIII and Edward VI to reflect their status as head of the English Church.
Offices of the Holy Roman Empire[edit]
Commonwealth realms[edit]
|
These Kingdoms were independent of the British Crown, but were held in personal union with the United Kingdom and followed the same rules of succession. Monarchies listed under 'Queen' only had Elizabeth II as their sovereign, and thus never had a reigning king. Dates indicate the year the monarchy was formed and the year of its dissolution.
- Monarch of the Irish Free State/Ireland — 1931-37 (in practice), -1949 (legally)
- Queen of Ceylon — 1948-72
- King of India — 1947-1950
- Queen of Fiji — 1970-87
- Queen of the Gambia — 1965-70
- Queen of Ghana — 1957-60
- Queen of Guyana — 1966-70
- Queen of Kenya — 1963-4
- Queen of Malawi — 1964-6
- Queen of Malta — 1964-74
- Queen of Mauritius —1968-92
- Queen of Nigeria — 1960-63
- Queen of Pakistan — 1947-56
- Queen of Sierra Leone — 1961-71
- Queen of South Africa — 1931-61
- Queen of Tanganyika — 1961-62
- Queen of Trinidad and Tobago — 1962-76
- Queen of Uganda — 1962-3
- Queen of Barbados — 1966-2021
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Royal Title of Elisabeth II, George V and Edward VIII". Archived from the original on 2012-06-23. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
- ^ "Lord of Mann Elisabeth II". Archived from the original on 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
- ^ The County Palatine Of Chester: 2,2. T. Cadell And W. Davies. 1810.
- ^ "William III | Biography, Mary II, & Prince of Orange". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
- ^ "Henry II | Biography, Accomplishments, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
- ^ "Richard I | Biography, Achievements, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
- ^ Warner, Kathryn (2014-10-15). Edward II: The Unconventional King. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-4132-4.
- ^ Edwards, Edward (1837). The Great Seals of England. From the Time of Edward the Confessor to the Reign of ... William the Fourth, Etc. [Plates. With an Introduction and Notes by E. Edwards.]. Henry Hering.
- ^ "Stephen | king of England". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-07-11.