Theory:Timeline - British monarchy

This page lists the British monarchy in chronological order. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories.

Years given for their reign are the ones confirmed by DWU stories.

English monarchs

 * The Doctor
 * ‘Apparently,’ he said as he chewed, ‘Arthur was supposed to take the sword out of the stone himself. Lot of fuss about nothing, if you ask me. But I did get to be King of England for a day before I abdicated in his favour. No real harm done.’ (PROSE: Silhouette)


 * King Arthur
 * 785: King Egfrith
 * 'I dab oil onto your er, hands, your breast and the crown of your head. This is the most sacred part of the ceremony. It was first performed in 785 on Egfrith, King of Merc-' (PROSE: The Dying Days)


 * Late 8XX: King Alfred the Great
 * 'My father Ethelwulf died of his worries...' the King continued in a flat emotionless drawl. 'Ethelred... Ethelbald... All my older brothers... All have died fighting the Danish invaders before I became king. Five good men have had to lose their lives for me to stand here before you.' (PROSE: The Man Who Wouldn't Give Up)


 * 924: King Athelstan of England
 * Doctor: "...the Court of King Athelstan in 924 AD." "It's the Cup of Athelstan, given to the first King of Britain as a coronation gift from Hywel, King of the Welsh." (TV: Planet of the Dead)


 * 1016: King Ethelred
 * 'Ethelred; said the Doctor sternly before Tegan could reply, 'died in the year 1016. So we know roughly when we are.' (PROSE: The Immortals)


 * King Cnut
 * 1055-1066: King Edward the Confessor
 * DOCTOR: Ah, one of my favourite times and places. London in the year 1055. The court of King Edward, known as the Confessor. During the time known as the Rule of Solomon. (AUDIO: Seasons of Fear)


 * 1066: King Harold Godwinson
 * DOCTOR: Now, if Harold is king, and Edward was laid to rest at the beginning of the year, then it must be 1066! (TV: The Time Meddler)


 * 1066: King William the Conqueror
 * DOCTOR: And King Harold will defeat them. Yes, and then in a few weeks time, he loses the battle of Hastings to William the Conqueror. Well, at least that's what the history books said happened. (TV: The Time Meddler)
 * "She had been born in Canterbury the day William the Conqueror died." (PROSE: Vampire Science)


 * King Stephen
 * THOMAS: I am Thomas Aspley, son of Lord Godfred Aspley, my father fights for the Empress Maude, but when our lands were taken by Stephen, I was forced to flee. I hoped to make it to the Welsh border, but my horse was maimed.
 * SISTER PATRICK: The church has swung back once again, sister, and now we officially support Stephen's claim to the throne. Besides, many of the sisters were from noble families who fought for him. (AUDIO: Abbey of Heretics)


 * 1190?-1199: King Richard I
 * 1199-1216: King John
 * DOCTOR: Oh, Tegan. 1215? King John, of course.
 * TEGAN: The one who lost something in the Wash?
 * DOCTOR: Well, you could put it like that. This particular shirt turned out to be the Crown Jewels, but that's next year. (PROSE: The King's Demons)


 * 1216: King Henry III
 * RUTH: In 1216, the cathedral hosted the coronation of King Henry III, and he was only nine at the time! (TV: Fugitive of the Judoon)


 * 1399: King Richard II
 * 1399-1400: King Henry IV
 * 1415: King Henry V
 * "The clearing burst momentarily into light as another rocket raced high into the night sky, seeding the clouds above with chemicals causing the downpour that, the next day, would bring King Henry V his famous victory." (PROSE: The Reign Makers)


 * King Edward IV
 * 1483: King Edward V
 * 1483-1485: King Richard III
 * 1485-1509: King Henry VII (TV: The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo)
 * 1509-1547: King Henry VIII (TV: The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo)
 * 1547-1553: King Edward VI (TV: The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo)
 * 10-19 July 1553: Lady Jane Grey
 * Rani: On this the nineteenth day of July, 1553, Lady Mary makes just claim to the Crown of England. And she calls upon all of her subjects to reject any unlawful claimants.
 * Jane: We each have a path that we must tread, and this is mine. All I hope is that I will be remembered even though I was Queen just nine days. (TV: Lost in Time)


 * 1553-1558: Queen Mary I
 * 1558-1603: Queen Elizabeth I
 * 1603-1625: King James I
 * 'They arrived at London in 1603 to a glorious parade, a magnificent spectacle, according to family legend. It was seen as the glorious union of the English and Scottish crowns. James the Sixth of Scotland would become James the First of the United Kingdom.' (PROSE: The Roundheads)
 * Reign given in WC: Case File Eight.


 * 1625?-1649: King Charles I
 * "The morning of January the thirtieth 1649 was a cold one and Charles Stuart insisted upon wearing an extra shirt so that his enemies would not mistake his shivering for fear." (PROSE: The Roundheads)

Lord Protector

 * c. 1649-1658: Oliver Cromwell
 * "Oliver Cromwell, the man who was soon to become Lord Protector of the Kingdom, stared into the bright winter morning as though gazing through time itself."
 * ‘Oliver Cromwell,’ he murmured, ‘1599 to 1658.’ (PROSE: The Roundheads)


 * 1658: Richard Cromwell
 * ‘It says I will be known as “Tumbledown Dick”! That I shall rule for only a few scant months after my father’s death and I shall never be half the man he is!’ (PROSE: The Roundheads)

English monarchs

 * c. 1658-?: King Charles II
 * ‘The Protectorate will end with you. Your side will realise too late that they should not have used the hereditary principle and Charles the Second will be invited to take the throne.’ (PROSE: The Roundheads)


 * ?-1688: King James II
 * DOCTOR: Mary of Modena. Queen Mary of England, which means her husband must be..
 * JAMIE: King James VII!
 * DOCTOR: You see Zoe, in this year 1688, there was what they call the glorious revolution. A few miles away, William of Orange has an army preparing to march on London, hence the local unrest. (AUDIO: The Glorious Revolution)


 * 1688-1702: King William of Orange & 1688-?: Queen Mary II
 * DOCTOR: In fact, William was invited here by some members of the parliament. The king has made himself rather unpopular, you see, so they've asked for William's help in persuading him to reconsider some policies. Although he would later replace him as King. His wife is King James' daughter, and they'll rule as joint monarchs, William and Mary.
 * CROWD: God bless King William the third! (AUDIO: The Glorious Revolution)
 * DOCTOR: The King's just died. How very convenient.
 * DOCTOR: No, I suppose not, but very handy for us. King William, Prince of Orange.
 * DOCTOR: It's the eighth of March seventeen hundred and two. (AUDIO: Phantasmagoria)


 * 1702- : Queen Anne
 * EVELYN: Queen Anne, last of the Stuarts, reigned 1702 to 1714.

British monarchs

 * -1714: Queen Anne
 * King George I
 * 1746: King George II
 * DOCTOR: They were singing it to drive me out of my mind, as I'm a loyal subject to King George the Second!


 * 1760?-1820?: King George III
 * King George IV
 * She campaigned for the Whig party in the great London elections of 1784, became the mistress of the Prince of Wales (later King George IV) (PROSE: The Adventuress of Henrietta Street)


 * 1837?-1901?: Queen Victoria
 * 1901?-1910: King Edward VII
 * "It was a Saturday in May, and the hotel was sombre and quiet. The King had died the day before. Edward VII had finally given out and given up." (PROSE: In Case of Emergencies)


 * 1910-c. 1936: King George V
 * "I listened all day to people in muted conversations, staff and guests alike, everyone discussing the new king, George V, and how the family would be coping at this tragic time." (PROSE: In Case of Emergencies)


 * 1936: King Edward VIII
 * "As both the Doctor and von Ribbentrop knew perfectly well, King Edward VIII, formerly the fantastically popular Prince of Wales, had only recently succeeded to the throne."


 * 1936-1952: King George VI
 * 1952-20XX: Queen Elizabeth II
 * ‘For the coronation next Summer.’ Mary and Mrs Ramsey exchanged a look of bemusement at this display of ignorance.
 * ‘Oh, of course!’ Sarah said, embarrassed. ‘Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. Stupid of me to forget!’ (PROSE: Amorality Tale)
 * ROSE: It's the Queen's. Queen Elizabeth. (TV: The Idiot's Lantern)
 * NOTE: One source says Queen Elizabeth is reigning in 2015. (PROSE: The Last Pharaoh) Others indicate she left the throne by the 1990s, (TV: Battlefield) the 2000s, (AUDIO: The Longest Night) 2010, (PROSE: Mad Dogs and Englishmen) 2012, (PROSE: The Shadows of Avalon) 2020, (AUDIO: Black and White), and 2027. (AUDIO: A Death in the Family)


 * King Charles III
 * 'No Elizabeth the Second, God bless her, and no King Charles the Third and Queen Camilla, no King William the Fifth - no, you haven't got there yet, have you?' (PROSE: Revenge of the Judoon)
 * 2027: Unnamed King (AUDIO: A Death in the Family)


 * King William V
 * 'No Elizabeth the Second, God bless her, and no King Charles the Third and Queen Camilla, no King William the Fifth - no, you haven't got there yet, have you?' (PROSE: Revenge of the Judoon)
 * 2050: Unnamed King
 * Interviewer: Apologies to all those who complained about missing the broadcast of the King's birthday message, and to those unhappy about seeing it twice. (TV: Oroborus)


 * King Henry XII
 * Liz Ten: Old drinking buddy of Henry Twelve. (TV: The Beast Below)


 * 28XX-5145: Queen Elizabeth X
 * DOCTOR: Yeah, an antique made by craftsmen over two hundred years ago and perfectly sculpted to your face. They slowed your body clock, all right, but you're not fifty. Nearer three hundred. And it's been a long old reign. (TV: The Beast Below)
 * LIZ: This is the Royal Collection, and I'm the bloody Queen. What are you doing here? (TV: The Pandorica Opens)