Kingdom of England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Location of the Kingdom of England in 1700
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Capital |
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Languages |
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Religion | Christianity | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Demonym | English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Government |
Absolute monarchy (10th century-1215)
Unitary parliamentary monarchy (1215–1707) |
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Monarch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Until 939 | Æthelstan (first) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1702–1707 | Anne (last) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Legislature | Parliament | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Upper house | House of Lords | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Lower house | House of Commons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Unification | 10th century | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Battle of Hastings | 14 October 1066 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Conquered Wales | 1277–1283 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Incorporated Wales | 1535–1542 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Union of the Crowns | 24 March 1603 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Glorious Revolution | 11 December 1688 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Union with Scotland | 1 May 1707 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Area | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1283–1542 est. | 145,000 km2 (56,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1542–1707 est. | 151,000 km2 (58,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Population | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1283 est. | 500,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Density | 3/km2 (9/sq mi) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1542 est. | 3,000,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Density | 21/km2 (54/sq mi) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1707 est. | 5,750,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Density | 38/km2 (99/sq mi) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Currency | Pound sterling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Today part of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
a. | ^ Monarch of Wessex from 925. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
b. | ^ Continued as monarch of Great Britain until her death in 1714. |
Unitary parliamentary monarchy (1215–1707)
The Kingdom of England /ˈɪŋɡlənd/ was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from the 10th century—when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms—until 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
In the early 10th century the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, united by Æthelstan (r. 927–939), became part of the North Sea Empire of Cnut the Great, a personal union between England, Denmark and Norway. The Norman conquest of England in 1066 led to the transfer of the English capital city and chief royal residence from the Anglo-Saxon one at Winchester to Westminster, and the City of London quickly established itself as England's largest and principal commercial centre.
Histories of the kingdom of England from the Norman conquest of 1066 conventionally distinguish periods named after successive ruling dynasties: Norman 1066–1154, Plantagenet 1154–1485, Tudor 1485–1603 and Stuart 1603–1714 (interrupted by the Interregnum (England) of 1649–1660). Dynastically, all English monarchs after 1066 ultimately claim descent from the Normans; the distinction of the Plantagenets is merely conventional, beginning with Henry II (reigned 1154–1189) as from that time, the Angevin kings became "more English in nature"; the houses of Lancaster and York are both Plantagenet cadet branches, the Tudor dynasty claimed descent from Edward III via John Beaufort and James VI and I of the House of Stuart claimed descent from Henry VII via Margaret Tudor.