Descent of Elizabeth II from William I

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This list shows the most senior line of direct royal lineal descent of the United Kingdom to the current monarch from William the Conqueror. Each person on the list is the son or daughter of the person above him or her on the list. There are many other more junior lines of descent of the family, but the crown in theory at least only descends through the most senior line. Due to extinct lines, large parts of entire royal houses (Lancaster, Tudor, Stuart) are bypassed in the current most senior line. The numbers can be used to calculate the number of generations between two individuals on this list.

Contents 1 The senior direct royal line 2 Monarchs not in the direct royal line, and why 3 Monarchs of each generation 4 Genealogical Relationships to Elizabeth II 5 Family tree 6 Descent of Elizabeth II from other British royal lines 6.1 The descent from the Saxon kings 6.1.1 The descent through the West Saxon royal line 6.1.2 The descent through Alfred the Great's daughter Aelfthryth 6.1.3 The descent through Harold Godwinson (Harold II of England) 6.2 The descent from the Kings of Scotland 6.3 The descent from the Danish Kings of England 6.4 The Descent from King Stephen of England

[edit] The senior direct royal line

There are 18 monarchs of England, Great Britain, or United Kingdom in the senior direct line.

1. William I of England
2. Henry I of England
3. Empress Matilda (Maud)
4. Henry II of England
5. John of England
6. Henry III of England
7. Edward I of England
8. Edward II of England
9. Edward III of England
10. Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence
11. Philippa Plantagenet
12. Roger de Mortimer, 4th Earl of March
13. Anne Mortimer
14. Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
15. Edward IV of England
16. Elizabeth of York
17. Margaret Tudor
18. James V of Scotland
19. Mary I of Scotland
20. James I of England
21. Elizabeth of Bohemia
22. Sophia of Hanover
23. George I of Great Britain
24. George II of Great Britain
25. Frederick, Prince of Wales
26. George III of the United Kingdom
27. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
28. Victoria of the United Kingdom
29. Edward VII of the United Kingdom
30. George V of the United Kingdom
31. George VI of the United Kingdom
32. Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

[edit] Monarchs not in the direct royal line, and why

There are 23 monarchs not in the direct royal line. The generation number corresponds to the generation number in the direct line.

Gen	Monarch	Reason	Line Passed Through:
2	William II	died without issue.	younger brother, Henry I
3	Stephen	Son and daughter bypassed by Treaty of Wallingford	daughter of Henry I
5	Richard I	died without legitimate issue.	younger brother, John
11	Richard II	murdered and his throne usurped by his cousin Henry IV	uncle, Lionel, Duke of Clarence
11	Henry IV	established House of Lancaster	" "
12	Henry V	from House of Lancaster	" "
13	Henry VI	from House of Lancaster	" "
16	Edward V	murdered in the Tower	sister, Elizabeth of York
15	Richard III	killed in battle	elder brother's daughter, Elizabeth of York
14	Henry VII	from a junior branch of the family.	Consort, Elizabeth of York, is from the senior branch. Their marriage ended the War of Roses and united the houses.
17	Henry VIII	Tudor heirs all died without issue.	sister, Margaret Tudor Scottish throne
18	Edward VI	died without issue	" "
18	Mary I	died without issue.	" "
18	Elizabeth I	died without issue.	" "
21	Charles I	Protestant Stuart line dies out	sister, Elizabeth, Electress Palatine, House of Hanover
22	Charles II	Protestant Stuart line dies out	" "
22	James II	Catholic king deposed	" "
23	Mary II	Protestant Stuart line dies out	" "
23	William III	Protestant Stuart line dies out	" "
23	Anne	Protestant Stuart line dies out	" "
27	George IV	daughter dies in childbirth (grandchild stillborn)	younger brother, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
27	William IV	died without legitimate issue	" "
31	Edward VIII	abdicated (died without issue anyway)	younger brother, George VI

[edit] Monarchs of each generation

This table shows the generation of each monarch based on their descent from William I via the royal line.

The generational jump between Henry VII and Henry VIII is an interesting case shown on this list. Henry VIII is the son of Henry VII (generation 14 through an illegitimate junior line of John of Gaunt) as well as the son of Elizabeth of York (generation 16 through the senior Lionel, Duke of Clarence line). Henry VIII is counted as generation 17 because the royal line passes through his mother, who is of the senior line.

This process will continue in the future. Prince William of Wales, if he becomes king, will add lines to Charles II and James II, from whose illegitimate children he is descended through his mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

1. William I
2. William II, Henry I, siblings
3. Stephen, Empress Matilda, cousins
4. Henry II
5. Richard I, John, siblings
6. Henry III
7. Edward I
8. Edward II
9. Edward III
10. none (Prince of Wales predeceased his father, but left legitimate issue)
11. Richard II, Henry IV, cousins
12. Henry V
13. Henry VI
14. Henry VII
15. Edward IV, Richard III, siblings
16. Edward V
17. Henry VIII
18. Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I, siblings
19. Lady Jane Grey
20. James I
21. Charles I
22. Charles II, James II, siblings
23. Mary II, William III, Anne, George I, cousins & siblings
24. George II
25. none (Prince of Wales predeceased his father, but left legitimate issue)
26. George III
27. George IV, William IV, siblings
28. Victoria
29. Edward VII
30. George V
31. Edward VIII, George VI, siblings
32. Elizabeth II

[edit] Genealogical Relationships to Elizabeth II

The closest relationships between Elizabeth and each king or queen of England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom are given below. Here, the relationship is counted backwards from Elizabeth.

Note that the closest relationship deviates from the senior direct royal line starting with George III's children. In the junior collateral line, the Queen's grandmother, Mary of Teck was only 3 generations from George III through her mother, while her consort George V was 4 generations. These junior lines become more frequent the further back you go. For instance, Elizabeth's mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, brings in a closer descent to the Seymour monarchs, Edward VI and Lady Jane Grey.

Monarch	Relation to Elizabeth II	Note on Closest Relationship
William I of England	22nd Great-Grandfather
William II of England	21st Great-Granduncle
Henry I of England	21st Great-Grandfather
Stephen of England	20th Great-Grandfather
Henry II of England	19th Great-Grandfather
Richard I of England	18th Great-Granduncle
John of England	18th Great-Grandfather
Henry III of England	19th Great-Grandfather
Edward I of England	18th Great-Grandfather
Edward II of England	18th Great-Grandfather
Edward III of England	17th Great-Grandfather	6th Great-Grandfather of James I (through Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley)
Richard II of England	16th Great-Granduncle
Henry IV of England	17th Great-Grandfather	16th Great-Grandfather of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon through Humphrey of Gloucester
Henry V of England	16th Great-Granduncle	Son of Henry IV
Henry VI of England	½-14th Great-Granduncle	Half-brother of Edmund Tudor, the father of Henry VII
Edward IV of England	14th Great-Grandfather	Father of Elizabeth of York, the wife of Henry VII and shares all his descendents
Edward V of England	13th Great-Granduncle	Son of Edward IV
Richard III of England	14th Great-Granduncle	Brother of Edward IV
Henry VII of England	13th Great-Grandfather	2nd Great-Grandfather of James I
Henry VIII of England	12th Great-Granduncle	Son of Henry VII
Edward VI of England	1st Cousin, 12 times Removed	Grandson of John Seymour, the 11th Great-Grandfather of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Jane of England	10th Great-Grandaunt	Sister of Catherine, the 9th Great-Grandmother of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Mary I of England	1st Cousin 13 times Removed	Granddaughter of Henry VII
Elizabeth I of England	1st Cousin 13 times Removed	Granddaughter of Henry VII
James I of England	9th Great-Grandfather	Great-Grandfather of George I
Charles I of England	8th Great-Granduncle	Son of James I
Charles II of England	1st Cousin 9 times Removed	Grandson of James I
James II of England	1st Cousin 9 times Removed	Grandson of James I
William III of England	1st Cousin 9 times Removed	Grandson of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, the 7th Great-Grandfather of Mary of Teck
Mary II of England	2nd Cousin 8 times Removed	Great-Granddaughter of James I
Anne of Great Britain	2nd Cousin 8 times Removed	Great-Granddaughter of James I
George I of Great Britain	6th Great-Grandfather
George II of Great Britain	5th Great-Grandfather	Grandfather of George III
George III of the United Kingdom	3rd Great-Grandfather	Great-Grandfather of Mary of Teck
George IV of the United Kingdom	2nd Great-Granduncle	Son of George III
William IV of the United Kingdom	2nd Great-Granduncle	Son of George III
Victoria of the United Kingdom	2nd Great-Grandmother
Edward VII of the United Kingdom	Great-Grandfather
George V of the United Kingdom	Grandfather
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom	Uncle	Brother of George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom	Father
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

[edit] Family tree

This tree shows the descent of all British monarchs from William I, and their relationships with each other. Only branches that led to a monarch are shown. The direct royal line can be followed as the leftmost line.

William I

Henry I

William II

Adela of Normandy

Empress Matilda

Stephen

Henry II

John

Richard I

Henry III

Edward I

Edward II

Edward III

Lionel of Antwerp

Edmund of Langley

Edward the Black Prince

John of Gaunt

Philippa of Ulster

Richard of Conisburgh

Richard II

Henry IV

John Beaufort (earl)

Roger de Mortimer

Henry V

John Beaufort (duke)

Anne de Mortimer

Henry VI

Margaret Beaufort

Richard, Duke of York

Edward IV

Richard III

Elizabeth of York

Edward V

Henry VII

Margaret Tudor

Henry VIII

Mary Tudor

James V of Scotland

Edward VI

Mary I

Elizabeth I

Lady Frances Brandon

Mary I of Scotland

Jane

James I

Elizabeth Stuart

Charles I

Sophia of Hanover

Mary Stuart

James II

Charles II

George I

William III

Mary II

Anne

George II

Frederick, Prince of Wales

George III

Edward, Duke of Kent

George IV

William IV

Victoria

Edward VII

George V

George VI

Edward VIII

Elizabeth II

[edit] Descent of Elizabeth II from other British royal lines

The generation numbering of the primary list above is maintained in the lines below for comparison purposes. The last person listed on each of the lines belows is an English monarch listed on the primary list above, and the line continues from that point down to Elizabeth II following the primary list above.

[edit] The descent from the Saxon kings

[edit] The descent through the West Saxon royal line

This list shows the joining of the royal families of England, the West Saxon kings descended from Alfred the Great and the Norman kings. Empress Matilda (Maud), granddaughter of William I (Norman), great-great-granddaughter of Edmund II (Saxon), is the first person to unite the families in this line. Her son, Henry II, is the first monarch descended from both these families.

-8. Egbert of Wessex First King of England

-7. Aethelwulf of Wessex

-6. Alfred the Great

-5. Edward the Elder

-4. Edmund I

-3. Edgar

-2. Ethelred II (Ethelred the Unready)

-1. Edmund II (Edmund Ironside)

0. Edward the Exile

1. Saint Margaret of Scotland

2. Edith of Scotland

3. Empress Matilda (Maud)

4. Henry II

[edit] The descent through Alfred the Great's daughter Aelfthryth

This is not a royal line, but is a closer relationship of the earliest Norman kings to the previous dominant line of kings in England. William I married Matilda of Flanders, who was descended from Alfred the Great's daughter Aelfthryth. This means that Henry I is a descendant of Alfred the Great through this line.

-6. Alfred the Great

-5. Ælfthryth

-4. Arnulf I, Count of Flanders

-3. Baldwin III of Flanders

-2. Arnulf II, Count of Flanders

-1. Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders

0. Baldwin V, Count of Flanders

1. Matilda of Flanders

2. Henry I

[edit] The descent through Harold Godwinson (Harold II of England)

The British royal house traces itself back to William, who took the throne by conquest, but Elizabeth is also descended from Harold Godwinson, the last crowned Saxon king (and himself a descendant (probably 6 x great grandson) of Ethelred I, elder brother of Alfred the Great & grandson of Egbert of Wessex) who died fighting William at the Battle of Hastings. Harold's daughter Gytha escaped after the conquest and married Vladimir II Monomakh of Kievan Rus', thus preserving the Godwin bloodline. This line rejoins William the Conqueror's bloodline with King Edward III.

-1. Harold Godwinson

0. Gytha of Wessex

1. Mstislav I of Kiev

2. Euphrosyne of Kiev

3. Béla III of Hungary

4. Andrew II of Hungary

5. Violant of Hungary

6. Isabella of Aragon

7. Philip IV of France

8. Isabella, Queen of England

9. Edward III

[edit] The descent from the Kings of Scotland

Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII, married into the Scottish royal family by marrying James IV of Scotland. Elizabeth II thus also descends from Kenneth MacAlpin, the semi-legendary first King of Scotland. It is important to note that this line is senior to the one that leads to William I, because it goes through the father of Mary Queen of Scots, and not the mother.

-5. Kenneth MacAlpin (Kenneth I)

-4. Constantine I

-3. Donald II

-2. Malcolm I

-1. Kenneth II

0. Malcolm II

1. Bethoc

2. Duncan I

3. Malcolm III

4. David I (the Saint)

5. Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon

6. David of Scotland, 8th Earl of Huntingdon

7. Isobel of Huntingdon

8. Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale

9. Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale

10. Robert I (the Bruce)

11. Marjorie Bruce

12. Robert II

13. Robert III

14. James I

15. James II

16. James III

17. James IV

18. James V

19. Mary I

20. James VI (James I of England)

Following the same line of descent through the Scottish royal line but changing at the mother of David I, instead of the father leads back to Egbert the first King of England. This duplicates the descent through the West Saxon royal line, but the generation numbering is different.

The Official Royal website says that Her Majesty is 38th in direct line of descent from Egbert (c. 775-839), King of Wessex from 802 and of England 827 to 839. They are referring to this line of descent that goes through the Scottish Kings. This line is the senior line because it goes through the father of Mary Queen of Scots (generation #20) and not the mother.

-6. Egbert First King of England

-5. Aethelwulf

-4. Alfred the Great

-3. Edward the Elder

-2. Edmund I

-1. Edgar

0. Ethelred II (Ethelred the Unready)

1. Edmund II (Edmund Ironside)

2. Edward the Exile

3. Saint Margaret of Scotland

4. David I (the Saint)

From Egbert, it is possible to trace Queen Elizbeth's ancestry back to Cerdic, the original Anglo Saxon conqueror who invaded the country and established the kingdom of Wessex. The historical record is less reliable at this time period. At over 50 generations this bloodline is one of the longest known in the western world, but still is relatively short compared to the bloodlines of Confucius.

-18. Cerdic,1st King of Wessex

-17. Creoda ,

-16. Cynric, King of Wessex

-15. Ceawlin, King of Wessex

-14. Cuthwine

-13. Cutha Cathwulf

-12. Ceolwald of Wessex

-11. Coenred of Wessex

-10. Ingild of Wessex

-9. Eoppa

-8. Eafa

-7. Ealhmund of Kent

-6. Egbert First King of England

[edit] The descent from the Danish Kings of England

King Sweyn of Denmark invaded England in 1013, and after the flight to Normandy of King Aethelred the unready, the Witenagemot proclaimed Sweyn, King of England. Sweyn reigned in England till his death in 1014. After his death, the house of Wessex was briefly restored to the throne under King Aethelred and his son Edmund II Ironside. However, after the death of Edmund Ironside, the House of Denmark was restored under Sweyn's son Canute and continued to rule England for the next 26 years. However, after Sweyn's male line ended the English throne reverted back to the house of Wessex in 1042. Sweyn's descendents through his daughter Estrid continued to rule Denmark and one of his Descendents Margaret of Denmark married James III of Scotland introducing Sweyn's bloodline into the Scottish Royal blood line and after James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne in 1603 into the English royal bloodline as well.

1. Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, Norway and England

2. Estrid Margarete Svendsdatter of Denmark

3. Sweyn II of Denmark

4. Eric I of Denmark

5. Canute Lavard, Duke of Schleswig

6. Valdemar I of Denmark

7. Valdemar II of Denmark

8. Eric IV of Denmark

9. Sofia of Denmark, Queen consort of Sweden

10. Ingeborg Valdemarsdotter of Sweden

11. Gerhard IV, Count of Holstein

12. Ineborg, Countess of Oldenburg

13. Christian V, Count of Oldenburg

14. Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg

15. Christian I of Denmark

16. Margaret of Denmark

17. James IV of Scotland

18. James V of Scotland

19. Mary I of Scotland

20. James VI (James I of England)

[edit] The Descent from King Stephen of England

Stephen of Blois was the grandson of William the Conqueror through his mother Adela of Normandy. In 1141, on the death of Henry I he ursurped the English throne even though King Henry's designated heir was his daughter, Empress Matilda. Matilda did not give up her claim however, and waged a long protracted war against Stephen, which was known as the Anarchy. The conflict ended when Stephen recognized Matilda's son Henry as his successor. As a result on the death of Stephen in 1154, he was succeeded by Henry II. Stephen's bloodline however was re-introduced to the English Royal bloodline through Isabella of France, wife of Edward II who was descended from Stephen through his daughter Marie I, Countess of Boulogne.

1. Stephen of England

2. Marie I, Countess of Boulogne

3. Maud of Boulogne, Duchess of Brabant

4. Henry II, Duke of Brabant

5. Matilda of Brabant, Countess of Artois

6. Blanche of Artois , Queen Regent of Navarre

7. Joan I of Navarre, Queen Consort of France

8. Isabella of France, Queen consort of England

9. Edward III of England

v • d • e English, Scottish and British monarchs   Kings of the English 886–1066 Alfred the Great · Edward the Elder · Ælfweard · Athelstan the Glorious1 · Edmund the Magnificent1 · Eadred1 · Eadwig the Fair1 · Edgar the Peaceable1 · Edward the Martyr · Æthelred the Unready · Sweyn Forkbeard · Edmund Ironside · Cnut1 · Harold Harefoot · Harthacnut · Edward the Confessor · Harold Godwinson · Edgar the Ætheling Kingdom of England 1066–1649 William I · William II · Henry I · Stephen · Matilda · Henry II2 · Henry the Young King · Richard I · John2 · Henry III2 · Edward I2 · Edward II2 · Edward III2 · Richard II2 · Henry IV2 · Henry V2 · Henry VI2 · Edward IV2 · Edward V2 · Richard III2 · Henry VII2 · Henry VIII2 · Edward VI2 · Jane2 · Mary I2 with Philip2 · Elizabeth I2 · James I3 · Charles I3 · Interregnum Kingdom of Scotland 889–1651 Donald II · Constantine II (III) · Malcolm I · Indulf · Dub · Cuilén · Amlaíb · Kenneth II · Constantine III (IV) · Kenneth III · Malcolm II · Duncan I · Macbeth · Lulach · Malcolm III Canmore · Donald III · Duncan II · Donald III · Edgar · Alexander I · David I · Malcolm IV · William I · Alexander II · Alexander III · Margaret  · First Interregnum · John · Second Interregnum · Robert I · David II · Robert II · Robert III · James I · James II · James III · James IV · James V · Mary I · James VI3 · Charles I3 · Charles II3 Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland 1653–1659 Oliver Cromwell4 · Richard Cromwell4 Kingdom of England & Kingdom of Scotland 1660–1707 Charles II3 · James II & VII3 · William III & II3 with Mary II3 · Anne3 Kingdom of Great Britain 1707–1801 Anne2 · George I2 · George II2 · George III2 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801–1927 George III · George IV · William IV · Victoria · Edward VII · George V United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 1927 George V · Edward VIII · George VI · Elizabeth II 1Overlord of Britain. 2Also ruler of Ireland. 3Rulers of England, Scotland and Ireland. 4Lord Protector. Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics.