British Monarchs Quiz
Henry VIII, Victoria, Elizabeth II, Charles III: 15 questions on a thousand years of kings and queens.
Which English king married six times?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Henry VIII
Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr between 1509 and 1543, breaking with Rome to annul his first marriage.
Two of the six, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, were beheaded, while Catherine Parr outlived the king and married for a fourth time.
Which queen's 63-year reign gave its name to an era covering most of the 19th century?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Victoria
Victoria came to the throne in 1837 at the age of 18 and reigned until January 1901, a period of industrial growth and imperial expansion known as the Victorian era.
Victoria's nine children married into royal houses across the continent, earning her the nickname 'the grandmother of Europe'.
Which king gave up the throne in 1936 to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Edward VIII
Edward VIII abdicated on 11 December 1936 after less than a year as king, because the government and the Church of England would not accept a twice-divorced woman as queen.
His younger brother became George VI, which made the ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth heir to the throne.
Who is the longest-reigning monarch in British history?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years and 214 days, from February 1952 until her death in September 2022, overtaking Queen Victoria's record in September 2015.
She was the first British monarch to mark a Platinum Jubilee, celebrated across the UK in June 2022.
Which king was known as 'the Lionheart'?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Richard I
Richard I, who reigned from 1189 to 1199, earned the nickname for his reputation as a warrior and crusader, though he spent only about six months of his reign in England.
Richard was captured near Vienna on his way home from the Third Crusade, and England raised an enormous ransom to free him in 1194.
Which German prince did Queen Victoria marry in 1840?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Albert
Victoria married her cousin Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on 10 February 1840, and after his death in 1861 she wore mourning black for the remaining 40 years of her life.
Albert championed the Great Exhibition of 1851, whose profits helped fund the South Kensington museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Which king was beheaded in January 1649 after losing the English Civil War?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Charles I
Charles I was tried for treason by a court set up by Parliament and executed outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall on 30 January 1649, after which England became a republic for 11 years.
The monarchy was restored in 1660 under his son Charles II, who had the surviving signatories of his father's death warrant hunted down.
Which English king was defeated and killed by William of Normandy at the Battle of Hastings?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Harold II
Harold Godwinson, crowned Harold II in January 1066, marched south after crushing a Norwegian invasion at Stamford Bridge and was killed at Hastings on 14 October 1066.
The Bayeux Tapestry shows a figure struck by an arrow in the eye beside Harold's name, though historians still debate whether it is the king.
In which year was Charles III crowned at Westminster Abbey?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
2023
Charles became king on 8 September 2022 on the death of his mother, and his coronation alongside Queen Camilla took place at Westminster Abbey on 6 May 2023.
At 74, Charles was the oldest person ever crowned British monarch, having been heir apparent for more than 70 years.
Who became the first Tudor monarch after winning the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Henry VII
Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at Bosworth on 22 August 1485 and was crowned Henry VII, founding a dynasty that ruled England until Elizabeth I died in 1603.
Henry married Elizabeth of York to unite the rival houses of Lancaster and York, and the combined red and white Tudor rose became his emblem.
Which king was the first to rule both England and Scotland, succeeding Elizabeth I in 1603?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
James I
James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Queen of Scots, inherited the English throne as James I when Elizabeth I died childless in March 1603, uniting the two crowns in one person.
James sponsored the English translation of the Bible published in 1611 that still carries his name, the King James Version.
Which English queen had around 280 Protestants burned at the stake during her five-year reign, earning a grim nickname?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Mary I
Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, restored Catholicism and burned Protestants as heretics from 1555 until her death in 1558, which earned her the name Bloody Mary.
Mary was England's first crowned queen regnant, and she was succeeded by her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth I.
Which king's remains were unearthed beneath a car park in Leicester in 2012?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Richard III
Archaeologists found Richard III's skeleton on the site of the lost Greyfriars church in August 2012, and DNA testing confirmed the identification in February 2013.
The skeleton showed the curved spine described by Tudor writers, and Richard was reburied in Leicester Cathedral in March 2015.
Which monarch was on the throne when the Acts of Union joined England and Scotland into Great Britain in 1707?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Anne
Queen Anne reigned from 1702 to 1714, and the Acts of Union of 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain with a single Parliament at Westminster during her reign.
Anne was the last Stuart monarch: none of her 17 pregnancies produced a surviving heir, so the crown passed to George I of Hanover.
Which English king was crowned King of France in Paris in 1431, the only English monarch ever to be so?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Henry VI
Henry VI was crowned at Notre-Dame in Paris on 16 December 1431, aged about ten, on the strength of the claim his father Henry V had won at Agincourt and in the Treaty of Troyes.
Henry VI's weak rule and bouts of mental illness helped trigger the Wars of the Roses, and he was killed in the Tower of London in 1471.
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All History quizzes →About the British Monarchs Quiz
Britain's crown has passed through more than 40 heads since William of Normandy won it at Hastings. Along the way, Henry VIII married six times, Charles I lost his head, Edward VIII gave up the throne for love and Elizabeth II reigned for a record 70 years before Charles III was crowned in 2023.
These 15 questions run from the Norman Conquest to the present day. You will meet the Lionheart, the first Tudor, Bloody Mary, the king found under a Leicester car park and the only English monarch ever crowned King of France. Early questions are ones most people know; the last few will test real royal history buffs.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Hard. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
Which monarchs does this quiz cover?
It spans English and British monarchs from William the Conqueror in 1066 to Charles III, including the Tudors, Stuarts, Hanoverians and Windsors.
Who was the longest reigning British monarch?
Elizabeth II, who reigned for 70 years and 214 days from February 1952 to September 2022, ahead of Queen Victoria's 63 years.
Is this quiz suitable for school revision?
Yes. It covers key dates such as 1066, 1485, 1603, 1649 and 1707 that come up in British history lessons, with explanations for each answer.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which English king married six times?
Henry VIII Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr between 1509 and 1543, breaking with Rome to annul his first marriage. Two of the six, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, were beheaded, while Catherine Parr outlived the king and married for a fourth time. - Which queen's 63-year reign gave its name to an era covering most of the 19th century?
Victoria Victoria came to the throne in 1837 at the age of 18 and reigned until January 1901, a period of industrial growth and imperial expansion known as the Victorian era. Victoria's nine children married into royal houses across the continent, earning her the nickname 'the grandmother of Europe'. - Which king gave up the throne in 1936 to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson?
Edward VIII Edward VIII abdicated on 11 December 1936 after less than a year as king, because the government and the Church of England would not accept a twice-divorced woman as queen. His younger brother became George VI, which made the ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth heir to the throne. - Who is the longest-reigning monarch in British history?
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years and 214 days, from February 1952 until her death in September 2022, overtaking Queen Victoria's record in September 2015. She was the first British monarch to mark a Platinum Jubilee, celebrated across the UK in June 2022. - Which king was known as 'the Lionheart'?
Richard I Richard I, who reigned from 1189 to 1199, earned the nickname for his reputation as a warrior and crusader, though he spent only about six months of his reign in England. Richard was captured near Vienna on his way home from the Third Crusade, and England raised an enormous ransom to free him in 1194. - Which German prince did Queen Victoria marry in 1840?
Albert Victoria married her cousin Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on 10 February 1840, and after his death in 1861 she wore mourning black for the remaining 40 years of her life. Albert championed the Great Exhibition of 1851, whose profits helped fund the South Kensington museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum. - Which king was beheaded in January 1649 after losing the English Civil War?
Charles I Charles I was tried for treason by a court set up by Parliament and executed outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall on 30 January 1649, after which England became a republic for 11 years. The monarchy was restored in 1660 under his son Charles II, who had the surviving signatories of his father's death warrant hunted down. - Which English king was defeated and killed by William of Normandy at the Battle of Hastings?
Harold II Harold Godwinson, crowned Harold II in January 1066, marched south after crushing a Norwegian invasion at Stamford Bridge and was killed at Hastings on 14 October 1066. The Bayeux Tapestry shows a figure struck by an arrow in the eye beside Harold's name, though historians still debate whether it is the king. - In which year was Charles III crowned at Westminster Abbey?
2023 Charles became king on 8 September 2022 on the death of his mother, and his coronation alongside Queen Camilla took place at Westminster Abbey on 6 May 2023. At 74, Charles was the oldest person ever crowned British monarch, having been heir apparent for more than 70 years. - Who became the first Tudor monarch after winning the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485?
Henry VII Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at Bosworth on 22 August 1485 and was crowned Henry VII, founding a dynasty that ruled England until Elizabeth I died in 1603. Henry married Elizabeth of York to unite the rival houses of Lancaster and York, and the combined red and white Tudor rose became his emblem. - Which king was the first to rule both England and Scotland, succeeding Elizabeth I in 1603?
James I James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Queen of Scots, inherited the English throne as James I when Elizabeth I died childless in March 1603, uniting the two crowns in one person. James sponsored the English translation of the Bible published in 1611 that still carries his name, the King James Version. - Which English queen had around 280 Protestants burned at the stake during her five-year reign, earning a grim nickname?
Mary I Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, restored Catholicism and burned Protestants as heretics from 1555 until her death in 1558, which earned her the name Bloody Mary. Mary was England's first crowned queen regnant, and she was succeeded by her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth I. - Which king's remains were unearthed beneath a car park in Leicester in 2012?
Richard III Archaeologists found Richard III's skeleton on the site of the lost Greyfriars church in August 2012, and DNA testing confirmed the identification in February 2013. The skeleton showed the curved spine described by Tudor writers, and Richard was reburied in Leicester Cathedral in March 2015. - Which monarch was on the throne when the Acts of Union joined England and Scotland into Great Britain in 1707?
Anne Queen Anne reigned from 1702 to 1714, and the Acts of Union of 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain with a single Parliament at Westminster during her reign. Anne was the last Stuart monarch: none of her 17 pregnancies produced a surviving heir, so the crown passed to George I of Hanover. - Which English king was crowned King of France in Paris in 1431, the only English monarch ever to be so?
Henry VI Henry VI was crowned at Notre-Dame in Paris on 16 December 1431, aged about ten, on the strength of the claim his father Henry V had won at Agincourt and in the Treaty of Troyes. Henry VI's weak rule and bouts of mental illness helped trigger the Wars of the Roses, and he was killed in the Tower of London in 1471.
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