How many queens of England were there: definitions and answer
The short answer is that England has had two queens regnant who ruled in their own right: Mary I and Elizabeth I. A third, Mary II, jointly reigned with William III after the Glorious Revolution. It is important to distinguish queens regnant, who hold the throne in their own right, from queens consort, who are the wives of reigning kings. This explainer clarifies the count, definitions, and verified reign details for queens regnant of England, addressing common points of confusion with consorts and later British monarchs.
What counts as a queen of England
In monarchical terminology, a queen of England can mean:
- A queen regnant: a female monarch who reigns in her own right, holding the powers of head of state.
- A queen consort: the wife of a reigning king, sharing the title but not the sovereign powers.
When asking how many queens of England were there, the numerically precise answer for sovereign queens regnant is two who ruled solely as queen regnant during the period when England was the primary title, with a third who co-reigned as joint sovereign with her husband. All other female monarchs before the Acts of Union 1707 were either kings (queens regnant being rare) or queens consort. After 1707, the title became monarchs of Great Britain and later the United Kingdom, and no further queen regnant reigned until the United Kingdom era under Elizabeth II, who is not counted as an English queen in the strict territorial sense.
Queens regnant of England: list and table
Only three women ruled England as sovereign queens regnant or joint sovereign before 1707. The table below summarizes key verified details for quick reference.
| Queen | Period | Status | Verified detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary I | 1553–1558 | Reigning queen | Proclaimed queen following Edward VI’s death; defeated Lady Jane Grey challenge |
| Elizabeth I | 1558–1603 | Reigning queen | Succeeded Mary I; never married and had no children |
| Mary II | 1689–1694 | Joint sovereign with William III | Invited to take the throne with William after the Glorious Revolution; ruled jointly until her death |
Note: Jane Grey is widely regarded as disputed and deposed after nine days, not a reigning queen of England in accepted historical numbering.
Mary I (1553–1558)
Mary I was the first queen regnant of England. She ascended after Edward VI’s death amid complex succession arrangements. Her reign is noted for its attempt to restore Catholicism and her marriage to Philip II of Spain. She died childless in 1558.
Elizabeth I (1558–1603)
Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, inherited a kingdom with religious strife and financial difficulties. Her long reign stabilized England, saw the Elizabethan cultural flourishing, and established Protestantism as a central element of national identity. She never married or had children.
Mary II (1689–1694)
Mary II and her husband William III ruled jointly following the Glorious Revolution. She held sovereign powers jointly with William; after her death, he continued to reign alone until 1702. Like her predecessors, she had no surviving children.
Queens consort versus queens regnant
Many women called "queen of England" were actually queens consort. Examples include:
- Catherine of Aragon, wife of Henry VIII
- Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII
- Jane Seymour, wife of Henry VIII
- Anne of Denmark, wife of James I
A queen consort does not independently exercise the powers of monarchy; her title derives from her marriage. In contrast, queens regnant such as Mary I, Elizabeth I, and Mary II held the crown in their own right and governed.
Common points of confusion
- Jane Grey: Often listed as the "Nine Days’ Queen," she is generally not counted among accepted sovereign queens regnant due to her disputed, brief reign and lack of stable control.
- Victoria and Elizabeth II: These monarchs ruled after the union of England with Scotland and later the United Kingdom, so they are British monarchs, not queens of England in the strict territorial sense.
- Regnal numbering: Elizabeth II is not "Elizabeth I of England" because Elizabeth I was queen of England only; the numeral refers to the united British succession, not to England alone.
Key takeaways
- England had two sovereign queens regnant who ruled in their own right before 1707: Mary I and Elizabeth I.
- A third, Mary II, reigned jointly with William III as a joint sovereign from 1689 to 1694. Distinction matters: Differentiating queens regnant from queens consort resolves most confusion about the count and role of female monarchs in English history.