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List of English royal consorts

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The English royal consorts listed here were the spouses of the reigning monarchs of the Kingdom of England, excluding the joint rulers, Mary I and Philip who reigned together in the 16th century, and William III and Mary II who reigned together in the 17th century.

Most of the consorts were women, and enjoyed titles and honours pertaining to a queen consort; some few were men, whose titles were not consistent, depending upon the circumstances of their spouses' reigns. The Kingdom of England merged with the Kingdom of Scotland in 1707, to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. There have thus been no consorts of England since that date.

House of Wessex, 886–1013

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Picture Name Parents Birth Marriage Became consort Coronation Ceased to be consort Death Resting place Spouse
Ealhswith of Mercia Æthelred Mucel 868 c. 886
(Queen Consort of Wessex from 23 April 871)
26 October 899 5 December 902 New Minster, Winchester, later Hyde Abbey Alfred the Great
Ælfflæd Æthelhelm (father) 899 26 October 899 Late 910s
Marriage dissolved
Edward the Elder
Eadgifu of Kent Sigehelm, Ealdorman of Kent (father) c. 903 919 17 July 924 c. 966
Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury 944 Shaftesbury Abbey Edmund I the Magnificent
Æthelflæd of Damerham Ælfgar, Ealdorman of Essex (father) 944 26 May 946 between 962 (975) and 991
Ælfgifu _ 955 958
Marriage dissolved
September 959 Winchester Cathedral Eadwig
Ælfthryth of Devon Ordgar, Ealdorman of Devon 964/965 11 May 973 8 July 975 17 November 999–1001 Edgar the Peaceful
Ælfgifu of York Thored, Ealdorman of York not later than 1002 Ethelred II the Unready
Emma of Normandy Richard I, Duke of Normandy
Gunnor
c. 985 1002 25 December 1013
husband's deposition
6 March 1052 Old Minster, Winchester - bones now in Winchester Cathedral

House of Denmark, 1013–1014

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Picture Name Parents Birth Marriage Became consort Coronation Ceased to be consort Death Resting place Spouse
Sigrid the Haughty
(Dubious authenticity)
and/or
Świętosława of Poland
996 25 December 1013 3 February 1014 Sweyn Forkbeard

House of Wessex (restored, first time), 1014–1016

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Picture Name Parents Birth Marriage Became consort Coronation Ceased to be consort Death Resting place Spouse
Emma of Normandy
(again)
Richard I, Duke of Normandy
Gunnor
c. 985 1002 3 February 1014
husband's restoration
23 April 1016
husband's death
6 March 1052 Old Minster, Winchester - bones now in Winchester Cathedral Ethelred II the Unready
Ealdgyth c. 992 1015 23 April 1016 30 November 1016 Edmund II Ironside

House of Denmark (restored), 1016–1042

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Picture Name Parents Birth Marriage Became consort Coronation Ceased to be consort Death Resting place Spouse
Emma of Normandy
(again)
Richard I, Duke of Normandy
Gunnor
c. 985 July 1017 12 November 1035
Husband's death
6 March 1052 Old Minster, Winchester - bones now in Winchester Cathedral Canute the Great

House of Wessex (restored, second time), 1042–1066

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Picture Name Parents Birth Marriage Became consort Coronation Ceased to be consort Death Resting place Spouse
Edith of Wessex Godwin, Earl of Wessex
Gytha Thorkelsdóttir
1029 23 January 1045 4 January 1066
Husband's death
19 December 1075 Westminster Abbey Edward the Confessor
Ealdgyth Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia
Ælfgifu
Unknown,
fl. c. 1057
January 1066 Not crowned 14 October 1066
Husband's death
1066 Not known Harold II Godwinson

House of Normandy, 1066–1135, & 1141

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In 1066, the Duke of Normandy, William, killed Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings, and overthrew the English elite, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. He established himself as king, his wife Matilda as queen consort, and beneficed his faithful vassals from the continent. His dynasty would not, however, outlive his children, becoming defunct with the death of his youngest son, Henry I, in 1135.

Picture Name Parents Birth Marriage Became consort Coronation Ceased to be consort Death Resting place Spouse
Matilda of Flanders Baldwin V, Count of Flanders
Adela of France
c. 1031 1053 25 December 1066
Husband's accession
11 May 1068 2 November 1083 Abbey of the Holy Trinity, Caen William the Conqueror
Matilda of Scotland Malcolm III of Scotland
Margaret of Wessex
c. 1080 11 November 1100 11 (?) November 1100 1 May 1118 Westminster Abbey Henry I
Adeliza of Louvain Godfrey I, Count of Leuven
Ida of Chiny
c. 1103 24 January 1121 30 January 1121 1 December 1135
Husband's death
23 April 1151 Affligem Abbey
Geoffrey V of Anjou Fulk V of Anjou
Ermengarde of Maine
24 August 1113 1128 7 April 1141
Wife's accession (disputed)
- 1148
Wife's deposition
7 September 1151 Le Mans Cathedral Matilda

House of Blois, 1135–1154

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In 1135, Stephen of Blois, the son of Henry I's sister Adela, seized the English throne, his cousin Empress Matilda's claims being ignored by the Norman barons. His wife, Matilda of Boulogne, became his Queen consort, but their son Eustace predeceased Stephen, and he was forced to appoint the Empress's son Henry as his successor.

Picture Name Parents Birth Marriage Became consort Coronation Ceased to be consort Death Resting place Spouse
Matilda of Boulogne Eustace III, Count of Boulogne
Mary of Scotland
c. 1105 1125 22 December 1135
Husband's accession
22 March 1136 3 May 1152 Faversham Abbey (tomb since lost) Stephen

House of Plantagenet, 1154–1485

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Picture Name Arms Parents Birth Marriage Became consort Coronation Ceased to be consort Death Resting place Spouse
Eleanor of Aquitaine William X, Duke of Aquitaine
Aenor de Châtellerault
c. 1122 18 May 1152 19 December 1154
Husband's accession
19 December 1154 6 July 1189
Husband's death
1 April 1204 Fontevraud Abbey Henry II
Margaret of France Louis VII of France
Constance of Castile
1158 1162 1170
Husband's accession
27 August 1172 11 June 1183
Husband's death
1197 Cathedral of Tyre Henry the Young King
Berengaria of Navarre Sancho VI of Navarre
Sancha of Castile
Between 1165 and 1170 12 May 1191 6 April 1199
Husband's death
23 December 1230 L'Épau Abbey Richard I
Isabella of Angoulême Aymer of Angoulême
Alice of Courtenay
c. 1187 24 August 1200 8 October 1200 18 or 19 October 1216
Husband's death
31 May 1246 Fontevraud Abbey John
Eleanor of Provence Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence
Beatrice of Savoy
c. 1223 14 January 1236 20 January 1236 16 November 1272
Husband's death
24 June 1291 Amesbury Abbey Henry III
Eleanor of Castile Ferdinand III of Castile
Joan, Countess of Ponthieu
1241 1 November 1254 20 November 1272
Husband's accession
19 August 1274 28 November 1290 Westminster Abbey Edward I
Margaret of France Philip III of France
Marie of Brabant
1282 8 September 1299 Uncrowned 7 July 1307
Husband's death
14 February 1317 Christ Church Greyfriars
Isabella of France Philip IV of France
Joan I of Navarre
1285 20 May 1303 (by proxy)
24 January 1308
25 February 1308 20 January 1327
Husband's deposition
22 August 1358 Christ Church Greyfriars Edward II
Philippa of Hainault William I, Count of Hainaut
Joan of Valois
24 June 1314 24 January 1328 18 February 1330 15 August 1369 Westminster Abbey Edward III
Anne of Bohemia Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Elizabeth of Pomerania
11 May 1366 20 January 1382 22 January 1382 7 June 1394 Richard II
Isabella of Valois Charles VI of France
Isabeau of Bavaria
9 November 1387 12 March 1396 (by proxy)
31 October 1396
8 January 1397 30 September 1399
Husband's deposition
13 September 1409 Abbey of St Laumer - later the Convent of the Celestines in Paris

House of Lancaster, 1399–1461, 1470–1471

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Picture Name Arms Parents Birth Marriage Became consort Coronation Ceased to be consort Death Resting place Spouse
Joan of Navarre Charles II of Navarre
Joan of Valois
c. 1370 7 February 1403 26 February 1403 20 March 1413
Husband's death
10 June 1437 Canterbury Cathedral Henry IV
Catherine of Valois Charles VI of France
Isabeau of Bavaria
27 October 1401 2 June 1420 23 February 1421 31 August 1422
Husband's death
3 January 1437 Westminster Abbey Henry V
Margaret of Anjou René of Anjou
Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine
23 March 1430 24 May 1444 (by proxy)
22 April 1445
30 May 1445 11 April 1471
Husband's deposition[1]
25 August 1482 Angers Cathedral Henry VI

House of York, 1461–1470, 1471–1485

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Picture Name Arms Parents Birth Marriage Became consort Coronation Ceased to be consort Death Resting place Spouse
Elizabeth Woodville Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers
Jacquetta of Luxembourg
c. 1437 1 May 1464[2] 26 May 1465 9 April 1483
Husband's death
8 June 1492 St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle Edward IV
Anne Neville Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Anne Beauchamp, 16th Countess of Warwick
11 June 1456 12 July 1472 26 June 1483
Husband's accession
6 July 1483 16 March 1485 Westminster Abbey Richard III

House of Tudor, 1485–1603

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Picture Name Arms Parents Birth Marriage Became consort Coronation Ceased to be consort Death Resting place Spouse
Elizabeth of York Edward IV of England
Elizabeth Woodville
11 February 1466 25 December 1483 (by proxy)
18 January 1486
25 November 1487 11 February 1503 Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey Henry VII
Catherine of Aragon Ferdinand II of Aragon
Isabella I of Castile
16 December 1485 11 June 1509 24 June 1509 23 May 1533
Marriage annulled[3] or 7 January 1536
Death[4]
7 January 1536 Peterborough Cathedral Henry VIII
Anne Boleyn Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire
Lady Elizabeth Howard
Between 1501 and 1507
  • 14 November 1532 (secret wedding)
  • 25 January 1533 (actual wedding)
  • 28 May 1533 (marriage declared legal)
1 June 1533 17 May 1536
Marriage annulled
19 May 1536 Executed Church of St Peter ad Vincula
Jane Seymour Sir John Seymour
Margery Wentworth
c.1509 20 May 1536 Uncrowned;
Proclaimed Queen 4 June 1536
24 October 1537 St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
Anne of Cleves John III, Duke of Cleves
Maria of Jülich-Berg
28 June or 22 September 1515 4 October 1539 (by proxy)
6 January 1540
Uncrowned 12 July 1540
Marriage annulled
16 July 1557 Westminster Abbey
Catherine Howard Lord Edmund Howard
Joyce Culpeper
c.1524 28 July 1540 Uncrowned 13 February 1542
Executed
[5]
Church of St Peter ad Vincula
Catherine Parr Sir Thomas Parr
Maud Green
August 1512 12 July 1543 Uncrowned 28 January 1547
Husband's death
7 September 1548 St. Mary's Chapel, Sudeley Castle

The husband of Queen Mary I was Philip II of Spain, who became king of England in right of his wife. Therefore he is not regarded as a consort.

Disputed consort

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Since Lady Jane Grey was briefly queen de facto, her husband, Guildford Dudley, is included here. They were both executed for treason.

Picture Name Arms Parents Birth Marriage Became consort Coronation Ceased to be consort Death Resting place Spouse
Lord Guildford Dudley John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
Jane Guildford
c. 1535 25 May 1553 10 July 1553
Wife's accession (disputed)
Uncrowned 19 July 1553
Wife's deposition
12 February 1554 Church of St Peter ad Vincula Jane

House of Stuart, 1603–1707

[edit]

With the death of Elizabeth I, the crown of England passed to her cousin and nearest heir, James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England as well. His dynasty would rule – interrupted by the Interregnum between 1649 and 1660 – until 1714. The Kingdom of England, however, was merged with the Kingdom of Scotland in 1707, to form a new Kingdom, the Kingdom of Great Britain, after which there ceased to be monarchs and consorts of England.

Picture Name Arms Parents Birth Marriage Became consort Coronation Ceased to be consort Death Resting place Spouse
Anne of Denmark Frederick II of Denmark
Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
12 December 1574 20 August 1589 (by proxy)
23 November 1589
24 March 1603
Husband's accession
25 July 1603 4 March 1619 Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey James I
Henrietta Maria of France Henry IV of France
Marie de' Medici
25 November 1609 11 May 1625 (by proxy)
13 June 1625
Uncrowned 30 January 1649
Husband's death
10 September 1669 Basilica of St Denis Charles I
Catherine of Braganza John IV of Portugal
Luisa de Guzmán
25 November 1638 23 April 1662 (by proxy)
21 May 1662
Uncrowned 6 February 1685
Husband's death
30 November 1705 Monastery of São Vicente de Fora Charles II
Mary of Modena Alfonso IV d'Este, Duke of Modena
Laura Martinozzi
5 October 1658 30 September 1673 (by proxy) 6 February 1685
Husband's accession
23 April 1685 11 December 1688
Husband's deposition
7 May 1718 Convent of the Visitations, Chaillot James II
Prince George of Denmark Frederick III of Denmark
Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg
2 April 1653 28 July 1683 8 March 1702
Wife's accession
Uncrowned 1 May 1707
Act of Union 1707;
continued as British royal consort
28 October 1708 Westminster Abbey Anne

Continuation of the list (British consorts)

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This list continues at List of British royal consorts

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Henry VI was deposed 4 March 1461, restored 3 October 1470, and deposed again 11 April 1471. Throughout this time Margaret of Anjou was considered by the Lancastrians to be de jure Queen of England
  2. ^ Edward IV's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was not made public for several months.
  3. ^ As recognized by Church of England and the Anglican Communion.
  4. ^ As recognized by Spain and the Roman Catholic Church.
  5. ^ She was no longer able to use the title in a public capacity after she was forbidden from doing so in November 23, 1541, although she still remained married to the king until her execution.