Timeline of Kings and Queens

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  Timeline Series

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  Timeline of Kings and Queens

  Timeline of War

  Contents

  Intoduction

  Charlemagne to Medieval Kingdoms

  800–1399

  Renaissance Monarchs

  1400–1599

  Rise of Empire

  1600–1799

  Rebellion and Revolution

  1800–1918

  The Struggle to Survive

  1919–Present Day

  Appendix

  Glossary of Royal Terms

  Introduction

  “The first art of a monarch is the power to endure hatred.”

  Seneca, Roman Philosopher 1st century CE

  Even royal families themselves agree that the concept of monarchy is a curious one. The word itself has no clear definition. It can mean different things in different countries, and a monarch's job description also changes over time, depending on the changing will of their subjects. In some places the king or queen wields unlimited political power, and in others, they do little more than appear on postage stamps.

  Today 'absolute' monarchy – where a sole ruler has complete control over the populace, regardless of any written constitution or elected parliament – tends to be associated with tyrannical and less progressive societies. However, there was a time when Europeans generally believed that their rulers had been chosen by God, and nurtured a direct relationship with the divine. In the eyes of the people this gave them a right to rule their subjects with an iron fist. The appalling acts of Vlad the Impaler and Ivan the Terrible are famous examples, while Henry VIII was so convinced of his ordination by God, that he was willing to renounce the pope and reject his own children in order to reinforce his position as head of the brand new Church of England.

  The French revolution, and the ideological changes of the Enlightenment, as well as the rise of secularism, helped put an end to this kind of thinking in Europe, and as a result, 'constitutional', or limited monarchy has become the most prevalent form of European monarchy. Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom have a parliamentary system – the head of which is a prime minister, or a president. The king or queen is the 'head of state', thus echoing the ideas of Napoleon Bonaparte, the first man to proclaim himself as the embodiment of a nation rather than as its divinely appointed ruler.

  The history of Europe can be characterised, and categorised, by the personalities and actions of the ruling monarchs of the time. Rich, powerful, influential, sometimes murderous, inbred or just plain insane – these eccentric individuals give European history colour, not to mention some much needed glamour and intrigue. This book explores the lives of some of the most influential men and women who have ever lived, and through the timeline, shows the fascinating connections between the royal houses of Europe.

  Charlemagne to Medieval Kingdoms

  800–1399

  800

  Holy Roman Empire Pope Leo III’s coronation of Charles I the Great (Charlemagne), king of the Franks, founding father of both the French and German monarchies, as Imperator Romanorum (Emperor of the Romans), in St Peter’s church, Rome, marks the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire.

  802

  England Egbert, driven into exile by Offa of Mercia, returns from Charlemagne’s court to become king of Wessex; he maintains the independence of Wessex against Mercia. Bulgaria Around this time, Krum becomes khan and embarks upon expansion of his territory. Byzantine Empire Finance minister Nikephoros I deposes and exiles Empress Irene to become emperor; he reorganizes the empire.

  804

  Denmark Godfred becomes king. Venice Giovanni Galbaio, according to tradition, the eighth doge – chief magistrate and leader of the ‘Most Serene Republic of Venice’ – flees, with his family, to Mantua, in the face of opposition from the pro-Frankish Obelerio degli Antenori, who becomes doge; he accepts Frankish protection and war with Byzantium ensues.

  810

  Denmark King Godfred is murdered by a servant; his nephew, Hemming, becomes king. Italy Pepin, son of Charlemagne and king of the Frankish Kingdom of Italy (north Italy), dies; his son, Bernard, succeeds him.

  811

  Venice Obelerio degli Antenori goes into exile in Constantinople; Agnello Participazio becomes doge, and during his reign he reclaims land and refortifies the city; the Venice we know today emerges, a city of canals centred on the Rialto. Bulgaria Khan Krum defeats the Byzantines and kills Emperor Nikephoros I. Byzantine Empire On the death of Nikephoros, Staurakios I, who has been co-emperor with his father, becomes emperor, but abdicates in favour of his brother, Michael I Rangabe, another co-ruler since 803.

  812

  Denmark On the death of King Hemming, Sigfred and Anulo dispute the crown; Anulo dies in battle; the throne is fought over until the 10th century, when Denmark is unified.

  813

  Holy Roman Empire Louis the Pious is crowned co-emperor of the Franks with his father, Charlemagne. Byzantine Empire Michael I Rangabe is heavily defeated by the Bulgarians and abdicates in favour of the general, Leo V the Armenian; Michael II the Amorian becomes emperor.

  814

  Holy Roman Empire The death of Charlemagne; Louis the Pious succeeds him as Holy Roman Emperor and king of the Franks. Bulgaria On the death of Krum, Omurtag becomes ruler and concludes a 30-year peace treaty with the Byzantine Empire.

  816

  Rome Stephen IV is elected pope.

  817

  Bavaria Holy Roman Emperor Louis the German becomes king. Rome Paschal I is elected pope; he tries to curb the increasing power of the Roman nobility.

  818

  Italy Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious makes King Bernard of Italy a vassal of his cousin, Louis’ son, Lothair; Bernard plots against him and is discovered and blinded, as a result of which he dies; Lothair becomes king of Italy.

  820

  Byzantine Empire Supporters of Michael II the Stammerer, assassinate Emperor Leo V during Christmas mass in Hagia Sophia, to become the first emperor of the Phrygian dynasty; his direct descendants will rule the Byzantine Empire for more than 200 years.

  824

  Rome Eugene II is elected pope. Holy Roman Empire The nine articles of the Constitutio Romana establish the authority of the Holy Roman Emperors in Rome, advancing imperial pretensions there. Pamplona Íñigo Arista revolts against the Franks and establishes the Kingdom of Navarre.

  825

  England Egbert defeats Beornwulf of Mercia at the battle of Ellendun, and takes control of the Mercian dependencies in south-eastern England; Kent, Surrey, Sussex, East Anglia and Essex submit to Wessex.

  827

  Venice Giustiniano Participazio, son of previous doge, Agnello, exiles his younger brother, Giovanni, to become doge; during his reign, work is b
egun on the construction of the first Basilica di San Marco. Rome Valentine becomes the 100th pope, but dies after a few months; Gregory IV succeeds him.

  829

  England Egbert of Wessex conquers Mercia, and Northumberland accepts his overlordship; he is recognized as Bretwalda, or overlord of Britain. Venice Giovanni I Participazio, brother

  of Giustiniano Participazio, becomes doge. Byzantine Empire Theophilus, becomes the sixth and last of the iconoclast emperors.

  830

  England Egbert of Wessex defeats the Welsh, but loses Mercia again.

  831

  Scotland The legendary date of the genesis of the flag of Scotland; it is said to have appeared to King Óengus II the night before a battle against the Angles. Byzantium Byzantine emperor, Theophilus, forbids the usage of icons. Holy Roman Empire Louis the Pious is reinstated as emperor of the Franks, following the end of the first civil war of his reign. Bulgaria Malamir, grandson of Krum, becomes ruler.

  832

  Venice The former doge, Obelerio degli Antenori, tries to reclaim the dogeship – he fails; Doge Giovanni Participazio kills him and displays his head in the marketplace.

  833

  Great Moravia The Central European Slavic Principality of Great Moravia is founded when Prince Mojmír I unifies the two neighbouring principalities of Nitra and Moravia.

  836

  England Egbert of Wessex is defeated by the Danes. Venice Giovanni Participazio is deposed following a revolt; Pietro Tradonico is elected doge; he is a warrior doge who is also illiterate. Bulgaria Presian, nephew of Malamir, becomes khan; he extends Bulgarian control over Slavic tribes in Macedonia.

  The Stone of Destiny

  838

  The Stone of Destiny – also known as the Stone of Scone – is a block of sandstone which measures 40 cm (16 in) wide, 66 cm (26 in) long and 28 cm (11 in) high. It weighs 152 kg (336 lb), and the passion this stone has inspired over the past 700 years far outweighs its rather drab appearance. It has been revered for centuries as a holy relic, it has been fought over by nations and has been used successively as an important part of enthronement ceremonies by Dalriadic, Scottish, English and British monarchs. On St Andrews Day, 30 November 1996, the Stone of Destiny returned to Scotland. It can be seen here in Edward I’s coronation throne.

  838

  England At Hingston Down, Egbert of Wessex beats the Danes and the west Welsh. Scotland The Stone of Destiny, the coronation stone of the kings of Scotland, is placed at Scone Palace, Scotland. Ireland Feidlimid mac Cremthanin becomes high king of Ireland.

  840

  England Egbert dies, having consolidated West Saxon domination of the south-west and south-east of England; Æthelwulf, who has been his father’s sub-king, is crowned, at Kingston upon Thames, as king of Wessex, Kent, Cornwall, the West Saxons and the East Saxons. Holy Roman Empire Lothair I succeeds Louis the Pious as Holy Roman Emperor. Venice Holy Roman Emperor Lothair I recognizes the independence of Venice and its authority over its lagoon.

  842

  Asturias Alfonso the Chaste dies, after reigning for 51 years, having secured his realm against the Moors and taken Lisbon in 798; Visigoth Count Nepocian, briefly usurps the throne, but is defeated by Ramiro I at the Battle of the Bridge of Cornellana; Ramiro changes the system of succession by removing the election process, which could see his family ousted from the monarchy. Pamplona Basque chieftain Íñigo Arista is chosen as the first king of Pamplona, which would later become the Kingdom of Navarre. Holy Roman Empire Louis the German, king of East Francia and Charles the Bald, king of West Francia, swear the Oaths of Strasbourg, an alliance against Holy Roman Emperor Lothair. Byzantine Empire Following the death of Emperor Theophilus, his widow, Theodora, becomes empress, serving as regent for her son, Michael III the Drunkard; she reintroduces the veneration of icons.

  “The Holy Roman Empire is neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.”

  Voltaire

  843

  Scotland Kenneth MacAlpin is thought to have united the Kingdom of Scotia, becoming described by some as being the first king of Scotland (Alba) as well as king of the Picts. West Francia In keeping with the custom of partible or divisible inheritance, as opposed to inheritance by primogeniture, in the Treaty of Verdun, the three sons of Louis the Pious divide the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms; the Kingdom of France becomes a distinct state for the first time; Charles II the Bald becomes king. Middle Francia Lothair is given the central portion comprising the Low Countries, Lorraine, Alsace, Burgundy, Provence and the Kingdom of Italy, which consists of the northern half of the country; he receives the title of emperor, but is only nominal overlord of his two brothers. Eastern Francia Louis the German becomes king of East Francia, which would eventually evolve into modern-day Germany.

  844

  Wales Rhodri Mawr becomes the first ‘Prince of all Wales’. Italy Louis II the Younger, son of Emperor Lothair I, is crowned king of Italy. Rome Sergius II is elected pope without seeking the authority of Holy Roman Emperor Lothair; Lothair invades, but is pacified when he is crowned king of Lombardy.

  846

  Great Moravia Following the death of Mojmír I, East Francia king, Louis the German confirms Rastislav as the second king of Great Moravia; King Rastislav attempts to limit the interference of Louis in his country’s affairs.

  847

  Rome Leo IV is elected pope; he improves Rome’s fortifications to thwart the Saracen menace.

  850

  Asturias Ordoño I, son of Ramiro I, founder of the Pérez dynasty, becomes the first king of Asturias to ascend the throne without an election; during his reign, Asturias becomes more commonly known as León.

  852

  Pamplona García Íñiguez becomes king; he has been regent since his father, Íñigo Arista, was paralysed in battle against the Vikings, in 842; he continues his father’s fight against the Vikings and the Moors. Bulgaria Boris I becomes khan.

  855

  Provence Charles, youngest son of Holy Roman Emperor, Lothair I, becomes king when Lothair divides his realm of Lotharingia between his three sons. Holy Roman Empire Louis II succeeds Lothair as Holy Roman Emperor. Rome Benedict III is elected pope. Byzantine Empire Empress Theodora is displaced from her regency; her son, Michael III, rules alone.

  856

  England Æthelbald, second son of Æthelwulf, becomes king of Wessex after forcing his father to abdicate; he marries his widowed 16-year-old stepmother, Judith, and her father, Charles the Bald, Holy Roman Emperor, is furious; the marriage is annulled on the grounds of consanguinity.

  858

  Scotland Domnall mac Ailpín, brother of Kenneth I, becomes king of the Picts, as Donald I. Rome Nicholas I is elected pope; he consolidates the power of the papacy.

  860

  England Ethelbert, third son of Æthelwulf, becomes king of Wessex; unlike his predecessors, he does not appoint another member of his family as under-king of Kent; his reign is blighted by Viking raids. Kievan Rus’ Around this time, Rurik, a Viking chieftain, comes to power in Ladoga and Novogorod, founding the Rurik dynasty that will rule Kievan Rus’, the state centred on the city of Kiev, and then Russia, for the next 700 years.

  862

  Scotland Constantine I, son of Kenneth MacAlpin, becomes king of the Picts; his son, Donald II, and his descendants, will represent the main line of the kings of Scotland.

  863

  Provence When King Charles dies childless, the kingdom is split between his brother, Lothair II, and Emperor Louis II.

  864

  Bavaria Carloman, son of Louis the German, becomes king. Venice Pietro Tradonico is assassinated; Orso I Participazio is elected doge. Bulgaria Boris I converts to Christianity, following an invasion by the Byzantine Empire. Great Moravia King Rastislav has to acknowledge the supremacy of Louis the German, after the East Franks invade.

  865

  England Ethelred, fourth son of Æthelwulf, becomes king of Wessex.

  866

  Galici
a and Asturias Alfonso III the Great becomes king; he consolidates his kingdom.

  867

  Rome Adrian II is elected pope. Byzantine Empire Basil I, Michael III’s former courtier and chamberlain, is crowned co-emperor; Basil assassinates Michael to become sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire; he is the first ruler of the Macedonian dynasty that who transform the empire into the greatest power in Europe.

  868

  Portugal The First County of Portugal is declared by Christian warlord Vímara Peres, as a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Asturias, after the reconquest of the region north of the Douro river from the Moors; at the time, counties possess the same status as kingdoms in Iberia; Vímara, first count of Portugal of the House of Vímara Peres, rules over a city – today’s Porto – known as Portucale; the County of Portugal will survive for two centuries.

  869

  Holy Roman Empire Emperor Louis II allies with eastern Emperor Basil I against the Saracens. Byzantine Empire Basil I begins to secure his family’s tenure on the throne by crowning his son, Constantine, co-emperor.

  870

  Byzantine Empire Basil I crowns another son, Leo, co-emperor. Great Moravia Louis the German, king of East Francia, has King Rastislav blinded and imprisoned; Svatopluk I is chosen as king; during his reign, the country will achieve its maximum territorial expansion.

  871

  England Ethelred dies at the Battle of Merton; his brother, Alfred the Great, becomes king of Wessex, the fifth and youngest son of Æthelwulf to become king; he styles himself ‘King of the Anglo-Saxons’ and spends his reign defending his kingdom against the Danish Vikings.

  872

  Rome John VIII is elected pope; he reorganizes the papal Curia, the governing body of the Roman Catholic Church.

  873

  Portugal Lucídio Vimaranes takes his father’s place in Portucale, but dies shortly after; Count Diogo Fernandes inherits the title through marriage to Lucídio’s daughter.