The monarchy is the oldest form of government in the United Kingdom, stretching back to Anglo-Saxon England and Scotland, where smaller kingdoms were consolidated by the 10th century. Tudor and royal historian Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger traces the complicated history of the role of kings and queens through the centuries. The series tracks the evolution from absolute monarchs to the current “Head of Nation”—not a ruler but a symbol of unity, stability, and national pride.
October 15 William the Conqueror: Creation of the English Monarchy, 1066
When William of Normandy arrived and defeated King Harold, he secured permanent centralized rule of England. Through force and battle, he established and maintained personal monarchical rule of the country. But a king-only rule wouldn’t last long. Explore the foundations of monarchy and the impact of Norman invasion in 1066.
October 22 King John: The Barons and Magna Carta, 1215
King John’s reign was filled with conflict from the start, as the king lost land in France and support of the nobility. Eventually, his barons forced him to put his mark on Magna Carta, which limited the king’s power. John immediately changed his mind, but the document changed the relationship of the king and his subjects forever. Trace the significant and lasting challenges to absolute rule.
October 29 Charles I to William & Mary: Civil Wars, Interregnum, and the Glorious Revolution (1642–1689)
Charles I clashed so completely with Parliament that it declared war on the king. He was captured, tried and found guilty of treason, and executed in 1649. The Commonwealth of England was established the same year. In 1660, the monarchy was restored, and Charles II was invited to take the throne with clearly defined limits to royal power. When James II represented a return to a Catholic king, parliamentary leaders invited William of Orange and Mary to take the throne instead. Examine how years of shifts in power led to the beginning of parliamentary control.
November 5 The Hanoverians and Queen Victoria: Settlement and Reform (1832–1884)
Parliament chose George I to take the throne, even though there were more than 50 people ahead of him in the line of succession. The early Hanoverians had limited interest in Britain, and George III’s prolonged illness and inability to govern led to the establishment of a prime minister, with the role of monarch becoming more ceremonial. By the end of Queen Victoria’s reign, the throne had limited power, and Parliament was responsible for governing the country. The expansion of parliamentary power diminished the monarch’s own throughout the 19th century.
November 12 Edward VIII and Queen Elizabeth II: From Scandal to Jubilee, 20th and 21st Centuries
Explore why Edward VIII’s decision to abdicate his throne in 1936 caused a constitutional crisis and threatened the future of the monarchy. Parliament debated the future role of the new monarch, George VI. The new king and queen were devoted to each other and the country, and their presence in London rallied the nation during the bombings in WWII. King George VI’s daughter eventually became Elizabeth II, one of the most beloved monarchs of all time. Now a symbolic institution, the British monarchy has survived by giving up the power it established hundreds of years ago.
5 sessions
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