The Kings of England

In all countries, once there were monarchies, but in most of them they were at one time abolished. In the UK, the monarchy has survived to this day. Of course, the kings of England no longer possess the power they once possessed. The monarch of Britain today has more symbolic meaning. This symbol is very important for the inhabitants of this country. To date, the monarch is Queen Elizabeth II. In the history of England there was such a period when the monarchy was overthrown, and in England a republic was established. But this did not last long. For many, the kings and queens of England are one of the main symbols of English statehood .

The monarchy in England has deep historical roots. Over the course of history, not a single dynasty of kings of England has changed. The first person to call himself king was Alfred the Great, who ruled from 871 to 899. He remembered his struggle with the Vikings, the strengthening of the state, the strengthening of royal power, well, and, above all, as the one from whom the following kings of England began to take their origin. Alfred the Great belonged to the Wessex dynasty. Later in England, the following dynasties ruled: Wessex, Norman, Plantagenets, Tudors, Stuarts, Hanover, Windsor.

The Wessex dynasty begins even before the advent of England. Before the formation of this country, she ruled the kingdom of Wessex. The dynasty was interrupted several times, and in 1066 its reign ended finally. Her last representative was Harold II Godwinsohn. The new kings of England were not at all English. The new dynasty was formed as a result of the conquest of England by the Normans. This dynasty is called Norman. Its first representative in England was William I. After he invaded England in 1066 and overthrew the previous dynasty, an Anglo-Norman state was created. Wilhelm I - one of the most famous figures of the Middle Ages, he is called William the Conqueror. After his death, this state fell apart, one of his sons became king of Normandy, the other - of England. After a short time, a dynastic crisis will break out, which will lead to the Civil War of 1135 - 1154. In 1154 Henry II became king, he founded the new Plantagenet dynasty.

Since 1362, the lateral branch of the Plantagenets of Lancaster has come to power. From 1455 to 1485 years. In connection with the dynastic crises there was the War of the Scarlet and White Rose. In 1471, the Lancasters were overthrown, and another branch of the Plantagenet, Yorkie, remained in power for some time. With the end of the Wars of the Roses and the White Rose, the Tudor dynasty came to power. Its time is considered the time of the heyday of England, the emergence of absolutism in it. The Tudor dynasty was replaced by the Stuart dynasty. For the period of their reign, there are years of serious trials. In 1640 the English Revolution begins . In 1649, a representative of the Stuart dynasty, Charles I, was executed.

In 1714, the power of the Hanoverian dynasty was established in England. Hanover comes from the Germanic family, the first Hanoverian king did not know English at all. The most famous representative of the Hanoverian dynasty is Queen Victoria, who ruled from 1837 to 1901. The period of her reign is also called the Victorian era. Since 1901, the period of the Windsor dynasty begins. This dynasty is still in power. During the reign of this dynasty, the strongest upheavals of the 20th century took place - two world wars, the emergence of a socialist state, the struggle for civil rights and so on. To date, the monarch of Great Britain is Queen Elizabeth II.
In the UK, a democratic system is established: a parliament is elected, there is a multi-party system, etc. However, the English kings still have a weight in British politics.