Buy the chart: usefulcharts.com/collections/royal-family-trees/products/european-royal-family-tree

Maybe this is just an American thing, but it's crazy to me that some people can trace their lineage back hundreds of years, from one area of the globe nonetheless. Must be interesting to be like, "oh yeah, my great great great great grand uncle was suspected of being involved in the Gunpowder Plot and was hanged down the block from here. Family was pretty upset for a awhile, but we got over it."

15:20 An interesting point to note is that Richard III was the king whose remains were found buried under a car park in Leicester a few years ago

Something a lot of people miss is that William the Conqueror had also married a direct descendant of Alfred the Great.

This video is fantastic! In 30 minutes, it has helped me to neatly slot the *thousands* of hours I've spent watching period movies and TV shows: _Rome, Vikings, The Tudors, Wolf Hall, Outlander, Braveheart, The King's Speech, The Crown, Reign, The Queen, The White Queen, Victoria, The Young Victoria, Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth, Elizabeth I, The Favourite, Blackadder,_ ... yup, the chart's gonna be worth it.

So happy to see Lady Jane Grey included :) She's often overlooked.

4:12 Harold Godwinson and William weren’t the only claimants Edmund Ironside’s grandson Edgar (Margaret’s brother) also had a claim and was briefly declared King after the Battle of Hastings by the Witen.

I'm actually getting to a place of my life where I'm finally going to be able to justify purchasing some of these charts and I am so looking forward to having them up in my home!!! Been a long time follower and I'm finally about to have my own place that I can decorate however I want. only thing is I don't know how I'm going to be able to narrow down which ones I want now!!! 😅

One interesting aspect is, the Dance of the Dragons, from George RR Martin's ASOIAF universe and book Fire and Blood, is based on the succession conflict between Empress Matilda and Stephen of Blois, the period known as the Anarchy. I thought it would be cool to mention since the series House of the Dragon just aired and is a hot topic now, and shares so many parallels with the Anarchy. How fascinating it is to see these historical events influencing literature and then the fiction blowing up. Great video as always, thank you!

*This calls for a song!* I'm William the Conqueror, my enemies stood no chance They call me the first English king although I come from France 1066, the Domesday Book I gave to history So fat on death, my body burst but enough about me To well remember all your kings I come up with this song A simple rhyming ditty for you all to sing along! Oh, William... Bit short isn't it? We need more kings, who came next?

It wasn't mentioned, but I think worth noting, that the reigning dynasty of the UK from 1901-17 was the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. If the convention had been observed, that would have been the dynastic House until the death of Elizabeth II. Similarly, Charles III would have been the first monarch of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Perhaps "Windsor" *is* better, after all!

Are we entirely sure Elizabeth II’s marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh isn’t just a really long winded Danish reconquest of the British Isles? 😂

I feel like the official royal house name staying the same when a female European monarch dies will become the new normal. The Netherlands have done it several times in the 20th century. And Denmark presumably won't want to ditch its prestigious house for a more minor foreign house when Margrethe dies. Belgium, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands & Norway are all likely to have female monarchs too within the next two generations who are more likely than ever to marry commoners than nobles.

Thank you for showing the best depiction of King John ever.

Just when I was wanting another British royal family tree discussion. The timing is crazyyyy

In some stories, Robin Hood is called Robert of Huntingdon. The Earls of Huntingdon were relatives of the Kings of Scotland. Robin Hood could have been a Scottish King. :) Henry IV had six legitimate children, but only Henry V had any living children of his own, Henry VI. This gave Henry Tudor his chance to take the throne.

The research you do is incredible because when I tried to trace down the King of Spain’s lineage, I started seeing Wikipedia pages on Greek mythology 😅

Always know it’s gonna be a good morning when usefulcharts uploads! Cheers ☕️Thanks for another great video!

Robert the Bruce's tale is much better told in the netflix movie Outlaw/King, one of my favorite medieval movies and pretty solid from an accuracy POV, excepting some hollywoodisms.

4 months later and I only now notice this. William III should be double numbered because while he was the 3rd William of England and the Dutch Republic he was only William II of Scotland. William IV and Elizabeth II are however properly numbered as GB and UK tend to go by the largest number, however if the Acts of Union never happened, William IV would've been William III of Scotland, and Elizabeth II would've been Elizabeth I of Scotland. Thus when William becomes king he will be William V of all of the UK even though if dual numbering was a thing, he'd only be William IV of Scotland. The Jacobites still follow this double numbering so Bonnie Prince Charlie's brother Henry claimed the thrones as Henry IX of England and Henry I of Scotland. Rupprecht the Crown Prince of Bavaria is also considered Robert I of England and Robert IV of Scotland so that double numbering still exists. Wow, that was some tangent. Great video as always!

Another pertinent comment is that Henry the seventh had royal lineage through his mother, but not his father. He succeeded to the throne based on conquest from the paternal side and royal lineage, through his maternal side. The exact lineage of the war of the roses is fascinating.

This is truly an amazing production, and many congratulations on the work you have done to create the chart and all the incredible information. The history is beyond fascinating and so incredibly interesting. 👏👏 Well done, and I am looking forward to viewing your other works.

So much detail! Thank You I’m British and learned so much about the monarchy from this video

Slightly bothered that Mary II doesn't have a picture, she was a joint ruler with William III not a queen consort. I am glad to see a new video, I like these geneology videos!

11:37 - Worth noting, as always, that Edward III was not the rightrul heir under male preference promogeniture. All three french kings (Louis X, Phillip V and Charles IV) had daughters, some of whom had sons that would come before Edward III in the line of succession. His claim was mostly by "right of conquest"

Correction: William II was NOT the father of Henry I. They were brothers

This is all very interesting -- and thank you for making clear why Scotland is referred to as "yr Alban" in Welsh. I'd always wondered where that name came from and figured it had its origins in the mists of the distant past.

Love these videos, but one correction: Your chart shows Edward I as married to "Violant" of Castile. Her name was Eleanor, Leonor in Spanish, not Violant. She is the namesake of the "Eleanor Crosses" that Edward I built in eastern England to commemorate her after her death.

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, was also a direct descendant ( grandson) of Margaret of England, as was Mary I, his wife. He was also a direct descendant from James II of Scotland via the daughter Mary.

I’m amazed, I’ve never heard such an understandable explanation about the cause of the war of the roses until now. Great video

Another really good video with a lot of quality information thank you for sharing it with us 👍🏻 keep up the great work

I never have much time to watch videos, but I find your presentations to be consistently engaging and informative. Thanks!!

I’m William the Conqueror My enemies stood no chance. They call me the first English king Although I come from France. Ten Sixty Six, the Doomsday book I gave to history. So fat on death my body burst, But enough about me! To help remember all your kings I’ve come up with this song- A simple rhyming ditty For you all to sing along….Oh! William! (Bit short init? We need more kings. Who came next?) William second, cheeks were red- Killed out hunting, so it’s said. I took over, Henry one. That’s my next eldest son. Then King Stephen, it’s true check it! Hi, Henry two, killed Thomas Beckett Richard Lionheart? That’s right! Always spoiling for a fight. Oh King John, what a disaster- Rule restrained by Magna Carta! William, William, Henry, Stephen Henry, Richard, John, oi! Time for my mate, King Henry eight To take up this song Henry three built the abbey, Ed one hated Scots. A red hot poker killed Ed two, That must have hurt him lots! Edward third was a chivalry nerd Began the hundred years war. Then Richard two was king aged ten, Then Henry, yes one more. King Henry four, plots galore Not least from Henry five, why? Killed ten score at Agincourt Then Henry six arrived. Edward four, Edward five, Richard the third, he’s bad. ‘Cause he fought wars with Henry seventh, First Tudor and my dad. So Henry eight, I was great Six wives, two were beheaded. Edward the sixth came next But he died young and so my dreaded Daughter Mary ruled, so scary, Then along came… me! I’m Liz the first, I had no kids So Tudors RIP. William, William, Henry, Stephen Henry, Richard, John, oi! Henry, Ed, Ed, Ed, Rich two Then three more Henrys join our song Edward, Edward, Rich the third Henry, Henry, Ed again Mary one, good Queen Bess That’s me, time for more men. James six of Scotland next As England’s James the first he led. Then Stuarts ruled, so Charles the first The one who lost his head! No monarchy until came me- Charles two, I liked to party! King Jimmy two was scary, woooh, Then Mary was a smarty. She ruled with Bill, their shoes were filled By sourpuss Queen Anne Gloria, And so from then, you were ruled by men. ‘Till along came me Victoria! William, William, Henry, Stephen Henry, Richard, John, oi! Henry, Ed, Ed, Ed, Rich two Then three more Henrys join our song Edward, Edward, Rich the third Henry, Henry, Ed again Mary one, good Queen Bess Jimmy, Charles and Charles and then Jim, Will, Mary, Anna Gloria Still to come, it’s Queen Victoria! And so began the Hanover gang George one and George two (grim). Then George the third was quite absurd Till I replaced old him! King George the fourth and known henceforth As angry, fat and cross (hang on). It’s true you beat Napoleon, But for mostly a dead loss (bang on). Old William four was a sailor (ahoy). It’s nearly the end of the story-a As onto the scene comes the best loved queen- Hail to Queen Victoria! William, William, Henry, Stephen Henry, Richard, John, oi! Henry, Ed, Ed, Ed, Rich two Then three more Henrys join our song Edward, Edward, Rich the third Henry, Henry, Ed again Mary one, good Queen Bess Jimmy, Charles and Charles and then Jim, Will, Mary, Anna Gloria George, George, George, George Will, Victoria …Victoria…Victoria…Victoria… (I ruled for sixty four years, you know.) Ed seven, George five, Then Ed, George sixth, ‘Liz two then reigned and how! And so our famous monarch song Is brought right up to now, oh…! William, William, Henry, Stephen Henry, Richard, John, oi! Henry, Ed, Ed, Ed, Rich two Then three more Henrys join our song Edward, Edward, Rich the third Henry, Henry, Ed again Mary one, good Queen Bess Jimmy, Charles and Charles and then Jim, Will, Mary, Anna Gloria George, George, George, George Will, Victoria Edward, George, Edward, George six And Queen Liz two completes the mix! That’s all the English Kings and Queens Since William first that there have been!

Incredible work. I looked this up to find some missing pieces and discovered some gigantic pot-holes I didn't know about. Thank you for putting it online.

Matt, Your point about Magna Carta being an "important legal document in the UK" is not strictly being true. It is the US legal which puts far more emphasis on the power of "Magna Carta" than we do in the UK. It is almost never referred to in a legal sense in England and Wales and it never applied at all in the Scottish legal system. Other documents such as the "Act of Settlement" and the "Acts of Union" are exactly that, Acts of Parliament and therefore law which "Magna Carta" is not; however copies were circulated by William Marshal (about 1319 and after Johns death ) as a "basis for Future government", such that the king discussed law with a council of nobles (- a precursor to parliament). If you read the document is does not provide freedoms for all - just the nobility (the peasant revolt of 1381 tried to get the rights extended to the common man - and which brutally failed for the peasants); it also is more about which noble's the king should be listening to and names certain favorites of the king who were to be banished from the kingdom. It is telling that within 6 months of signing it, John had petitioned the Pope to have the "contract annulled"- which leads to the start the 2nd Baron's, a war where the Barons asking Louis of France to invade and ultimately in John's death (nobody knows if he was poisoned or if he just died from wounds, Illness/stress etc) in 1316. So an important sign-post on the road to modern Western democracy- YES, legal in the document in the UK- NO

I joined as a member today. I have severe ADHD and have been hyper focusing on English/British Monarchs for two weeks. I'm also itching to revisit the American Presidents too. I doubt my obsessions will last more than 6 months, but until then, I"m going to watch the hell out of every freaking video. Thanks for such great content.

There would be considerable interest in the intertwined landed families in England who provided the underlying wealth and strength which supported the British monarchy. Bowes-Lyon, Cecils, Churchills, Cavendish, Fiennes, Fox-Pitt, Howards, Montagues, Percy, Spencers, Villiers.

Great video! 👍 There's *just one thing* that I'd like to add. 7:51 Around this time, what would become the English Common Law (and later, American law) first began to manifest. In 1189-the first regnal year of Richard the Lionheart-English judges started hiring literate priests to *write down* legal precedents and judgments for posterity. Though the Magna Carta, habeas corpus, and double jeopardy were still a long way off, this marked the advent of *stare decisis et no quieta movere* `the decision stands and you must not disturb it`. Though courts throughout the English-speaking world give *persuasive authority* to all cases from Common Law jurisdictions, anything that occurred before 1189 is regarded-in both America and England-as "Time Immemorial" and thus legally null and void.

Great job with A another fantastic video. I gotta know; between Edward of Middleham and Edward V; who would have been A more effective king ?

Scotland's first "official" Queen was Queen Margaret who was proclaimed Queen in 1286 on the death of her grandfather Aleander III. Also, Scotland was never a republic. When Charles I was executed the Scottish Parliament proclaimed his son, Charles II. King. In Scotland his reign is counted from 1649.and not 1660 as in England.

Brilliant work & explanation - thank you 💜💐

LOVE LOVE LOVE that you put Mary Queen of Scots as Mary I !!! Not many people know that she is also known as Queen Mary I of Scotland!!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I have done my tree and Alfred the Great is my 41st great grandfather. But saying that, most of us watching this video will have him in our tree if you can trace it back far enough

Brilliant video as always Matt. Long time follower.

Excellent video! I was interested all the way through. Thank you so much for this.

As a finn, i have noble blood relating to a german nobleman who moved into the western finnish coast in the 18th century. We still have some relatives who carry on ”german” surnames long into the present day.

Bravo! I really commend your efforts in making this chart and how long it must have taken. It's insane how one family line has ruled the whole country for 900 ish years! Also majority of the kings and queens were decided by cousins fighting each other for the throne because they all have a claim to the throne! It's like one of the Queen's other grandchildren challenging William for the throne lol

4:30 there were actually 3, one of them being harald haardrada

Thanks for the upload!

Why did you cut out soooo much detail from the chart? So many little connections, links troughs multiple generations ect. That is what made the chart great and fun to rediscover over and over .

The name Alba is pronounced “AL-a-pa,” with the “b” sounding like a “p,” and an interpolated syllable in the middle. The interpolated syllable between certain consonants that are awkward to pronounce when they are adjacent to each other (like L and P, or R and M) is an interesting phenomenon in Scots Gaelic, but it’s easy once you get the feel for it. Germanic languages just jam, consonants together any which-way, but Celtic languages try to smooth things out.

Thank you for your hard work - your copious research! You are favourite UKposts channel!

I am so grateful you decided to narrate this video yourself

love the content, super useful.

Amazing work! 👍

Another correction- the 100 years war did NOT end all English possessions on the continent. They still had Calais, which was lost under Mary I in 1558

Alfred the Great was not King of England. He ruled Wessex and had strong influence in Mercia, but that's it. He never conquered Northumbria, East Anglia and everthing in between. His grandson Aethelstan was the first to rule all english lands.

5:07 “But his nephew Stephen said, that crown should be upon my head”

at 9:57 it should say eleanor of castile, not violant of castile

11:22 she was also a descendant of both king Stephen and Harold II

❤ I thought the video was outstanding. The use of the family tree was excellent. Very well done!

Great work. A minor point of interest (to me anyway) the Stuarts from James II on are also descendents of the Beaufort family, James the first having married a Joan Beaufort, a relative of Lady Margaret Beaufort, Henry VII's mother. Hmmm, which makes Margaret Tudor and James IV distant cousins (they married and had James V), I don't know how many times removed.

The saga between Stephen and Matilda sounds a lot like House of the Dragons....

Thank you for helping me understand Outlander better.

Wow! Thank you! I have to see more! Never got this at School! If I did it was boringly told.

I would love for you to explore the longest direct line from a modern person. Essentially how far back can a person trace their ancestry. With no assumptions, names in every place. I am so curious.

It’s interesting to hear about lord Oliver Cromwell being related to him. I love the history thanks:)

Great job!! Please make a video about oldest ancestor of the european royal families

Thank you that was thoroughly interesting! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Absolutely fascinating history! Have you by any chance researched the Ottoman Empire, particularly about their battles around 1600 - 1650 in Hungary now Slovakian territory?

With the side mention of the Jacobites, some may find it interesting to note that the current Jacobite claimant (who has never publicly asserted a claim), based on male preference primogeniture, is himself a descendant of George I

Excelent explanation! Tks a lot!

wow.. this is amazing!! very thorough!!

It makes me sad that somehow it’s become Æthelræd Unready - the actual shade throwing nickname was Æthelræd Unræd which is a funny word play because the name Æthelræd means “good counsel” and Unræd means “bad counsel”. The humor is lost when we replace unræd with unready which is a totally different and I think completely unrelated word, although maybe ready comes from ræd - I’m not certain of the etymology.

Have you ever read "The Daughter of Time" by Josephine Tey? It's a detective novel wherein a bedridden detective explores the mystery of the murder of the Princes in the Tower and uses a lot of real-world theories and research. I highly recommend it if you haven't read it!

Sooo useful finally understand the whole family line ! Please do more

This helps me understand my Family Tree with ease which this all makes sense and also matches up with dna results

I'd be curious to see an alternative history on this: obviously the rules changed about 10 years ago from male preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture for succession - who would the monarch be today if these rules had been in place from earlier in history i.e. from William the Conqueror, or James I etc

People in power usually never lose much of their inherited wealth and power do they? While the majority of people on earth are always one mistake away from destitution.

Interesting and well explained presented thank you

Thank you for this!

I noticed a little inconsistency. Charles I's daughter Mary is correctly titled "Princess Royal", but Georger II's daughter Anne is not.

I'm descended of James III and Margaret of Denmark 👑 Nothing unusual there, most people are descended from monarchy

Thanks for the video, family tree history is fun. Know I know more about my family tree relatives thanks.

21:37 "both Mary and William were grandsons of Charles I"; that explains why they had no heirs

Can you please make a family tree on the norman House of de Burgh?

You have a really nice office. Great view of Big Ben. 😉

Been watching these types of videos ever since I've found out i mite have a family line to the Norman's. my family line was called Vasey and what ive read up about them and due how much ive traced back its looking more and more. some of the Vasey family moved to northern England were I am from, then some moved to northeast of northern Ireland, where some of my family lives, then they moved to American. I've been in contact with my relation over in America called William Vasey. So the arrows are pointing to that. Cant wait to find out more.

Excellent great work!!!!

0:10 Charles III doesn’t just reign over England and Scotland. He reigns over all of the United Kingdom (don’t forget about Wales and Northern Ireland), its overseas territories, and the Commonwealth realms.

Hi, I really liked this video! I have another video idea. “Were the modern Greek royals related to Byzantine royalty?”

thank you for the great info

Dispassionate, factual and correct. Very good video, thank you.

A suggestion. If you want to indulge in a little bit of infamy, you might tackle the chart of Prince Heinrich XIII, figurehead of the reichsburger movement in Germany.

Would you ever consider putting the Sumerian Kings List into an easy to follow chart?

Fascinating

15:22 would've thought it'd be funny to mention that Richard III is also that one king that was found under a parking lot in Leicester in 2012

Am from UK 🇬🇧 I love these ones👍

Blows me away that Richard III's bones were found in a carpark.

Funny how this whole thing started from the kingdoms of Aphinids & Cerdisings. Before even man set foot in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England, there were Centipedes and Aphids roaming around the place.