Kings of England

Since the Conquest, not more than three succe ive sovereigns have reigned without a crisis: William I, William II., Henry I.    Stephen, usurper. Henry II., Richard I., John.    The pope gives the crown to the dauphin. Henry III., Edward I., Edward II.    Edward II. murdered. Edward III., Richard II.    Richard II. deposed. Henry IV., V., VI.    Lancaster changed to York. Edward IV., V., Richard III.    Dynasty changed. Henry VII., VIII., Edward VI.    Lady Jane Grey. Mary, Elizabeth.    Dynasty changed. James I., Charles I. Charles I. beheaded. Charles II., James II.    James II. dethroned. William III., Anne.    Dynasty changed. George I., II., III.    Regency. George IV., William IV., Victoria (indirect succe ions). Kings of England. Except in one instance (that of John), we have never had a great-grandchild sovereign in direct descent. The exception is not creditable, for in John’s reign the kingdom was given away twice; his son, Henry III., was imprisoned by Leicester; and his great-grandson, Edward II., was murdered. In two other instances a grand-child has succeeded, viz., Henry VI., whose reign was a continued civil war; and Edward VI., the sickly son of Jane Seymour. Stephen was a grandchild of William I., but a usurper; Richard II. was a grandchild of Edward III., and George III. was a grandson of George II.; but their fathers did not succeed to the throne. William I.; his sons, William II., Henry I. Stephen (a usurper). Henry II.; his sons, Richard I., John (discrowned). From John, in regular succe ion, we have Henry III. (imprisoned), Edward I., Edward II. (murdered), Edward III. Richard II., son of the Black Prince, and without offspring. Henry IV., Henry V., Henry VI., (civil wars). Edward IV., Edward V. Richard III. (no offspring). Henry VII., Henry VIII., Edward VI. Mary, Elizabeth (daughters of Henry VIII.). James I., Charles I. Cromwell (called lord protector). Charles II., James II. (two brothers). William III. Anne. George I., George II. George III. (great-grandson of George I., but not in direct descent), George IV. William IV. (brother of George IV.). Victoria (the niece of William IV. and George IV.). Kings of England. Three seems to be a kind of ruling number in our English sovereigns. Besides the coincidences mentioned above, connected with the number, may be added the following:—(1) That of the four kings who married French prince es, three of them suffered violent deaths, viz., Edward II., Richard II., and Charles I. (2) The three longest reigns have been three threes, viz., Henry III., Edward III., and George III. (3) We have no instance, as in France, of three brothers succeeding each other.