This is a list of rulers in the British Isles. The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles and over six thousand smaller islands.

In 1603, King James VI of Scotland also became James I of England, joining the crowns of England and Scotland in personal union. By royal proclamation, James styled himself "King of Great Britain", but no such kingdom was actually created until 1707, when England and Scotland united to form the new Kingdom of Great Britain, with a single British parliament sitting at Westminster, during the reign of Queen Anne.

List of rulers in the British Isles

England

House of Wessex

Alfred was king of Wessex from 871.

List of rulers in the British Isles

|-

| Alfred the Greatc. 88626 October 899

|

| 849Son of Æthelwulf of Wessexand Osburh

| EalhswithGainsborough8685 children

| 26 October 899Aged about 50

| Son of Æthelwulf of WessexTreaty of Wedmore

|

|-

| Edward the Elder26 October 899–17 July 924() | | Son of Alfredand Ealhswith | Ecgwynn2 children Ælfflæd8 children Eadgifu4 children | 17 July 924Aged about 50 | Son of Alfred |

List of rulers in the British Isles

|}

Disputed

There is some evidence that Ælfweard of Wessex may have been king in 924, between his father Edward the Elder and his brother Æthelstan, although he was not crowned. A 12th-century list of kings gives him a reign length of four weeks, though one manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says he died only 16 days after his father. However, that he ruled is not accepted by all historians. Also, it is unclear whether—if Ælfweard was declared king—it was over the whole kingdom or of Wessex only. One interpretation of the ambiguous evidence is that when Edward died, Ælfweard was declared king in Wessex and Æthelstan in Mercia.

|-

| Ælfweard2 August 924() | | Son of Edward the Elderand Ælfflæd | No children | 2 August 924Aged about 23 | Son of Edward the Elder

|}

|-

| Æthelstan92427 October 939(1415 years) | | 894Son of Edward the Elderand Ecgwynn | Unmarried | 27 October 939Aged about 45 | Son of Edward the Elder |

|-

| 27 October 93926 May 946() | | Son of Edward the Elderand Eadgifu of Kent | Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury2 sons Æthelflæd of Damerham944No children | 26 May 946PucklechurchKilled in a brawl aged about 25 | Son of Edward the Elder |

|-

| Eadred26 May 94623 November 955() | | Son of Edward the Elderand Eadgifu of Kent | Unmarried | 23 November 955FromeAged about 32 | Son of Edward the Elder |

|-

| Eadwig23 November 9551 October 959() | | Son of and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury | ÆlfgifuNo verified children | 1 October 959Aged about 19 | Son of |

|-

| Edgar the Peaceful1 October 9598 July 975() | | WessexSon of and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury | Æthelflæd1 son Ælfthryth2 sons | 8 July 975WinchesterAged 31 | Son of |

|-

| Edward the Martyr8 July 97518 March 978() | | Son of Edgar the Peacefuland Æthelflæd | Unmarried | 18 March 978Corfe CastleMurdered aged about 16 | Son of Edgar the Peaceful |

|-

| (1st reign)ÆthelredÆthelred the Unready18 March 9781013(3435 years) | | Son of Edgar the Peacefuland Ælfthryth | Ælfgifu of York9919 children Emma of Normandy10023 children | 23 April 1016LondonAged about 48 | Son of Edgar the Peaceful |

|}

House of Denmark

England came under the control of Sweyn Forkbeard, a Danish king, after an invasion in 1013, during which Æthelred abandoned the throne and went into exile in Normandy.

|-

| SweynSweyn Forkbeard25 December 10133 February 1014() | | 17 April 963DenmarkSon of Tove of the Obotritesand Harald Bluetooth | Gunhild of Wenden7 children Sigrid the Haughty1 daughter | 3 February 1014GainsboroughAged 50 | Right of conquest |

|}

House of Wessex (restored, first time) Following the death of Sweyn Forkbeard, Æthelred the Unready returned from exile and was again proclaimed king on 3 February 1014. His son succeeded him after being chosen king by the citizens of London and a part of the Witan, despite ongoing Danish efforts to wrest the crown from the West Saxons.

|-

| (2nd reign)ÆthelredÆthelred the Unready3 February 101423 April 1016() | | Son of Edgar the Peacefuland Ælfthryth | Ælfgifu of York9919 children Emma of Normandy10023 children | 23 April 1016LondonAged about 48 | Son of Edgar the Peaceful |

|-

| Edmund Ironside23 April 101630 November 1016() | | Son of Æthelredand Ælfgifu of York | Edith of East Anglia2 children | 30 November 1016GlastonburyAged 26 | Son of Æthelred |