Britain's Kings & Queens

by George Bellew, Michael St. John Parker

Providing a concise snapshot of all 56 rulers who have sat on the English throne since Alfred the Great in the 9th century to the present day, this beautifully illustrated guide—complete with diagrams of family trees—provides an informative and fascinating overview of all of the royal rulers.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, British Literature, Biography

32 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1953

About the author

Sir George Rothe Bellew, KCB, KCVO, KStJ, FSA ( (December 13, 1899 - January 01, 1993) was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms is London. An expert genealogist and armorist, Bellew was appointed to the office of Garter Principal King of Arms–the highest heraldic office in England and Wales.

Reviews

[Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this booklet at a book collection event for our annual summer book sale. It’s a concise collection of Britain’s kings and queens from Egbert (802 AD) to Elizabeth II. This 24 page booklet from Pitkin Pictorials contains a brief paragraph of each monarch, their consort, and a little about their reign. There is also a chart of the line of descent which I found interesting and begins with Cerdic, the first West Saxon king who predated Egbert by 300 years. The booklet is illustrated with photographs and art. A nice reference.

[Dancing Booklion · Rating 2 out of 5]

Livre très pratique pour enfin comprendre le lien entre chaque monarque et la continuité de la succession, chaque passage est concis, mais ce n'est pas vraiment une lecture pour le plaisir. Je suis contente de l'avoir fini !

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good concise reference guide to the Kings and Queens of Britain.

[Janet Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Pitkin books - so informative ❤️

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short overview of the British kings and queens.
Very easy to read and understand the connections between families who ruled with parts of Britain and afterwards becoming United Kingdom.

[Dallas Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally started this booklet I bought 30 years ago in London and finished it the same day. A wonderfully brief synopsis on every ruler of England.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love historians, Parker has obvious favourites. Where he doesn't hate the vikings and Cnut, he abors William the Conqueror and the Norman's. It was an exceptional read.

[Simon Trelawney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another informative Pitkin guide to the English monarchy, lavishly illustrated and with potted biographies of each and every English monarch from Alfred the Great onwards.

[Hugh Mulligan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought during BIE cruise 2025

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has lots of information on all of the official kings and queens of Britain, not including Lady Jane Grey, plus a few before William the Conqueror. It was interesting finding out about how parliament and the role of the prime minister came about.
The author was biased towards some of the rulers and against others. He still states that Richard III's crown was plucked from a hawthorn bush. Complicated issues could have been explained and explored further.

[Leah Markum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never kept up with British monarchs and only vaguely knew who ruled a handful of time periods in reference to events in the rest of the world. Forget who was the III or a V. This small book, a handbook if you will, is a guide to all the reigning royals from Egbert in 802 to Elizabeth II in the present. The synoposes for each ruler weaves in just enough of family drama to know why the succession skipped a sibling or went to an uncle, but also enough external political relations to follow Britain from battles between the English and the Danes, the "two races" on the island, to the power of the German House of Hanover culminating with Victoria. As someone relatively clueless about royal families beyond the general backstabbing and blood clotting issues, this was an absorbing, contextual read.

[Ruth Soz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always looking for reading material that will help me wrap my head around the many kings and queens of England. This is a good guide for someone who is brand new to the subject, but doesn't go into much detail. It would have been nice to have a little more depth on the transion between each monarch.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published as one of "Pitkin Guides": booklets on English history for sale in museum bookshops.
Concise but not enough family trees.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quick and readable. I wish it had given a little bit more information.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent summaries of the lives of the kings and queens of Britain.