James I 1603-1625 James I. of England, and VI. of Scotland, was the son ofMary Queen of Scots, by Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, and was born June 19, 1566. In the following year Darnley was murdered, and Queen Mary being forced to resign the crown, James was solemnly crowned at Stirling, and all public acts ran […]

Henry VIII 1509-1547 Henry VIII was the second son of Henry VII and his queen, Elizabeth of York, was born at Greenwich, in 1491. He was very early created Duke of York, and at four years of age was named Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. He became heir apparent on the death of his elder brother, Prince Arthur, in […]

Henry VII 1485-1509 Henry VII was the son of Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, and his wife, Margaret Beaufort, a descendant of the eldest son of John of Gaunt and thus the first sovereign of the Tudor line. Henry was born most likely at Pembroke Castle, in the year 1456, the same year of his […]

Richard III 1483-1485 Richard III was the brother of Edward IV and youngest son of Richard, Duke of York, was born at Fotheringay Castle in 1450. Soon after the accession of Edward IV. he was created Duke of Gloucester, K.G., and lord high admiral though only in his eleventh year. Other dignities and offices were afterwards conferred […]

Edward IV 1461-1470 Edward IV was the son of Richard, Duke of York. Edward was born at Rouen in the year 1441. When Edward came of age, a fierce struggle between the Houses of York and Lancaster was underway, which would embroil England in a bitter civil war. During this period of turmoil, Edward proved […]

Edward III 1327-1377 Edward III was the eldest son of Edward II and Isabella of France was born at Windsor in 1312, and succeeded to the throne, on the deposition of his father, in 1327. Although a regency was appointed, the chief power was held by the queen and her paramour, Roger Mortimer, Earl of […]

Henry III 1216-1272 Henry III., King of England, eldest son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, was born at Winchester in 1207. He succeeded his father in 1216 and was crowned at Gloucester, in the presence of Gualo, the papal legate, predecessor of Pandulf and one of the guardians of the young king, 28th October of […]

Kings of Mercia Silver Penny of Offa 757-880 AD Monetary System The monetary system employed by the Kings of Mercia was that of the silver penny. This relatively new denominations was first introduced to Europe as the silver “denier” in France by Pepin in 755 AD (house ofCharlemagne). We find that this new restoration of the old Romandenarius quickly spread […]

Archbishops of York 732-900 AD Monetary System In the area of England known as York, where Constantine I the Great was first hailed as Emperor of Rome, the monetary system of the late 8th century AD was based upon a small silver sceat. We do fins a gold solidus issued by Wigmund (837-854) reflecting that there […]

Roman Britain   Hadrian’s Wall 1st Century AD- 5th Century AD The island off the cost of Europe, which became known as Britain, became a province of the Roman Empire by the middle of the first century AD. While expeditions to Britain were begun first by Julius Caesar during the middle of the first century BC, no […]