How to Memorise Kings and Queens of England (Rhyme + Cards)
The easiest way to learn how to memorise kings and queens of England is to combine two things: the classic rhyme "Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee," which gives you the order, and dynasty chunks (Normans, Plantagenets, Tudors, Stuarts and so on) with a few anchor dates, which give you the when. Learn the rhyme a couplet at a time, attach each couplet to its royal house, then drill with cards so you can go both directions: name to date and date to name.
If you can chant the rhyme but still can't say who was on the throne in 1485 when it comes up in a history revision quiz, FlashDeck turns your monarch notes into cards and shows you only the ones you're about to forget: Build my study plan.
Quick note: we use US spelling in the body ("memorize"), but the method's the same whether you say revision (UK) or studying (US), and whether this is for GCSE history, A-level, a pub quiz or just curiosity after watching a period drama.
Split them by dynasty
Since 1066 there have been around 40 monarchs of England (and, from 1707, of Great Britain and later the United Kingdom). That's a lot for one list. Split it by royal house and suddenly it's eight or so smaller lists.
| House | Years (approx.) | Monarchs |
|---|---|---|
| Normans | 1066–1154 | William I, William II, Henry I, Stephen |
| Plantagenets | 1154–1399 | Henry II, Richard I, John, Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, Richard II |
| Lancaster | 1399–1461 | Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI |
| York | 1461–1485 | Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III |
| Tudors | 1485–1603 | Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I |
| Stuarts | 1603–1714 | James I, Charles I, (Commonwealth), Charles II, James II, William III and Mary II, Anne |
| Hanover | 1714–1901 | George I, George II, George III, George IV, William IV, Victoria |
| Saxe-Coburg-Gotha / Windsor | 1901–now | Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI, Elizabeth II, Charles III |
Some historians count Lancaster and York as branches of the Plantagenets, and Henry VI actually had two separate reigns. Lady Jane Grey held the throne for about nine days in 1553 and often gets left off. Your textbook's version wins if it differs.
The classic rhyme
Here's the rhyme to remember the kings and queens of England. It's been passed around for generations and there are small variations, but this is the common version:
Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee, Harry, Dick, John, Harry three, One, two, three Neds, Richard two, Harrys four, five, six, then who? Edwards four, five, Dick the bad, Harrys twain and Ned the lad, Mary, Bessie, James the vain, Charlie, Charlie, James again, William and Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges, William and Victoria, Edward seven next, and then George the fifth in 1910, Edward the eighth soon abdicated, George the sixth was coronated, After which Elizabeth...
Most versions stop around Elizabeth II. You can add your own final line for Charles III, who became king in 2022. Something like "...and then came Charles, the third by name." Corny? Yes. Memorable? Also yes.
Decode the nicknames
The rhyme uses old nicknames, so make sure you know who's who:
- Willie = William · Harry = Henry · Stee = Stephen
- Dick = Richard · Ned = Edward · Bessie = Elizabeth I
- Charlie = Charles · Anna Gloria = Anne
- Harrys twain = Henry VII and Henry VIII ("twain" means two)
- Dick the bad = Richard III · Ned the lad = Edward VI (who became king as a kid)
Anchor monarchs and dates
The rhyme gives you order but no dates. Don't try to memorize 40 dates. Memorize about ten anchors, and everything else is "between these two."
- 1066: William I wins at the Battle of Hastings. Everyone knows this one.
- 1215: King John agrees to Magna Carta.
- 1485: Henry VII wins at Bosworth. The Tudors begin.
- 1603: Elizabeth I dies; James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England.
- 1649: Charles I is executed.
- 1660: The monarchy is restored with Charles II.
- 1714: George I, the first Hanoverian.
- 1837: Victoria becomes queen.
- 1936: Edward VIII abdicates.
- 1952: Elizabeth II becomes queen.
- 2022: Charles III becomes king.
Pair each anchor with a house, and you've got a mental timeline you can hang the rest on.
A story for each house
Stories stick better than lists. Give each dynasty a one-line vibe:
- Normans: the invaders. Castles everywhere.
- Plantagenets: long, messy, lots of wars with France. John loses land and gets Magna Carta forced on him.
- Lancaster vs York: the Wars of the Roses. Red rose vs white rose, family drama with swords.
- Tudors: Henry VIII's six wives, the break from Rome, then Elizabeth I's golden-age era.
- Stuarts: the chaos era. A king executed, a republic, the monarchy comes back, then a king pushed out in 1688.
- Hanover: four Georges in a row, then Victoria's long reign.
- Windsor: the modern royals. The name changed from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1917 during the First World War.
For the Tudors, the six wives have their own famous rhyme: "divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived." Stack mnemonics like that; there's no rule against it.
Drill with cards
Knowing the rhyme is recognition. The kings and queens test will ask you to produce names and dates cold. That's recall, so drill it.
Card ideas:
- Q: Which house ruled from 1485 to 1603? A: The Tudors
- Q: Who came after Henry VIII? A: Edward VI
- Q: Who was executed in 1649? A: Charles I
- Q: Which monarch agreed to Magna Carta in 1215? A: King John
- Q: Who reigned before Victoria? A: William IV
- Q: "Harrys twain" means which two kings? A: Henry VII and Henry VIII
Make cards both ways: "Who came after X?" and "Who came before X?" The second direction is where most people fall apart.
Here's the thing though. You'll end up with 60-plus cards, and there's no way to tell by feel which ones you actually know and which ones you're guessing on.
FlashDeck figures that out for you. Paste your monarchs table and it writes one card per fact. Each day you tap Knew it or Missed it, misses come back tomorrow, and solid ones wait 3 days, a week, then longer, so your ten minutes go on the Stuarts you keep mixing up. Build my study plan
Studying US history instead, or as well? The same chunk-and-card method works for the 13 colonies and for memorizing the Preamble.
Test yourself
Before a kings and queens quiz or a history exam, run this checklist:
- Recite the rhyme from start to finish without looking.
- Write every monarch on a blank page, grouped by house.
- Fill in your ten anchor dates.
- Pick five random monarchs and name who came before and after each.
- Explain in one sentence why each house ended.
Anything you stall on becomes tomorrow's review.
Know every monarch in order, without re-cramming
You've got the rhyme, the houses and the anchors. Paste them into FlashDeck and in about a minute you'll have cards for every monarch, reviewed on a schedule that takes about ten minutes a day and skips what you already know.
FAQ
What is the rhyme to remember the kings and queens of England?
The best-known one starts "Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee, Harry, Dick, John, Harry three." It runs through every monarch from William the Conqueror in order using nicknames. Versions vary slightly, and most end around Elizabeth II.
What is the easiest way to remember kings and queens of England?
Learn the rhyme for the order, group monarchs by royal house, and memorize about ten anchor dates like 1066, 1485 and 1603. Then test yourself with cards in both directions (who came before, who came after).
How many kings and queens of England have there been since 1066?
It's around 40, depending on how you count. Lady Jane Grey's nine days, Henry VI's two reigns and the joint reign of William and Mary all change the total slightly. Use the list your course gives you.
Is there a song to remember the kings and queens of England?
Yes, there are several, and the rhyme above is often chanted or sung. The children's TV show Horrible Histories also did a well-known monarchs song. Use whichever one sticks, then test yourself without the tune.
Who were the Tudor monarchs in order?
Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, from 1485 to 1603. Lady Jane Grey briefly claimed the throne in 1553 between Edward VI and Mary I.