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Question
#51424. hohohaha
asks:
How many British monarchs have there been since the year 1000, how many of them died natural deaths, and how many died as a result of assassination, execution, or deaths other then natural?
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Stew54
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Do you mean "British" in the sense of monarchs of Britain? If so then the first monarch of Britain was Queen Anne (1707), then there were four Georges, William IV, Victoria, Edward VII, Gerorge V, Edward VIII, George VI and the current incumbent, Elizabeth II: twelve in all, and none of them died of unnatural causes.
If you mean monarchs of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales from 1000, including monarchs of Britain once that came into existence, then there may not be a definitive answer. For example, at the very beginning of that period both Danish and Saxon monarchs maintained plausible claims to the throne of England so the counting begins to become doubtful almost immediately.
Oct 03 04, 3:36 PM
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Baloo55th
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By my reckoning, there have been 168 monarchs in Great Britain (including the Outer Isles and the Isle of Man). This doesn't count people twice (like James VI of Scots also being James I of England). It encompasses the Kingdoms or Principalities of: England, Scots, Powys, Gwynedd, Deheubarth, Morgannwg, Strathclyde, The Isles, and Man. You can add another 2 for the Cromwells. I haven't counted in Ireland as you asked for British, but there were 11 High Kings from 1000 who ruled over the whole of Ireland, including the part still part of the United Kingdom. I also haven't counted Sub Kings in Man, or High Reeves of Bamburgh.
Oct 03 04, 3:43 PM
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gmackematix
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And in case it is just the monarchs of ENGLAND you are really after, there have been 50 since the year 1000 if you count the very brief reigns of Louis and Lady Jane Grey.
Of those, three are usually said to have died accidentally (William I skewered on his pommel, William II "accidentally" hit by an arrow while hunting and William III whose horse tripped over a molehill).
Two were killed in battle (Harold II and Richard III).
Richard I died of gangrene from a crossbow wound after besieging a castle.
Four were probably murdered after abdicating or being deposed (Edward II with a red-hot poker, Richard II who was possibly starved to death, Henry VI who was secretly executed in the Tower of London and Edward V who may have been murdered by Richard III).
Lady Jane Grey and Charles I were executed.
I think everyone else died of natural causes.
Oct 03 04, 7:46 PM
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RickF
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George II was one of the few to die actually "on the throne" when he suffered a stroke sitting on the lavatory, attempting to relieve his constipation!
Oct 04 04, 4:32 AM
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Stew54
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Lovely image, Rick. George II also crops up in a favourite trivia question as the last reigning British monarch to lead his troops in action (against the French at the battle of Dettingen in 1743 if you want to claim full marks in the pub quiz).
Oct 04 04, 6:44 AM
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