How to play
- Press Start. You have 6 minutes for all 42.
- Type an answer, in any order. It counts as soon as it matches, with no need to press Enter, and fills in its row.
- Pause whenever you like; the list is hidden while the clock is stopped. If you leave mid-game, it waits, paused, until you come back.
- When the time is up, the ones you missed fill in, marked as missed.
About the list
The list starts with the Norman Conquest of 1066 and runs to today. From 1707, when England and Scotland were united, the monarchs reigned over Great Britain and later the United Kingdom, and the list carries on with them. Between 1649 and 1660 England had no monarch at all, and twice a king lost the throne and won it back, so two rows show two reigns. Monarchs who reigned jointly have a row each.
More facts (names some answers)
Elizabeth II reigned the longest, for 70 years, ahead of Victoria’s 63. Edward V reigned for less than three months in 1483 and was never crowned, and Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 after less than a year. Henry and Edward are the most used names, eight times each. Henry VI and Edward IV traded the crown during the Wars of the Roses. William III and Mary II reigned together from 1689. Lady Jane Grey, proclaimed queen for nine days in 1553, and Empress Matilda, who fought Stephen for the crown, aren’t in the list, because they were never generally accepted as monarch.
What counts
A name used by several monarchs needs its number, written any usual way: Roman numerals, digits or words (“the Eighth”). “King” or “Queen” in front is optional, and a few nicknames count.
Capitals, accents, spaces and punctuation don’t matter, but the spelling does.
Questions
Why does the list start in 1066?
Monarchs’ numbers start with the Norman Conquest: kings of the same name who reigned before 1066 aren’t counted, so numbering begins again after it.
More to play
- Jigsaw Puzzles: Piece together famous paintings, in 12 to 150 pieces.
- Countries of the World: Type every country you can before the clock runs out.
- Capitals of the World: Name the capital of every country before the clock runs out.
- Periodic Table: Name every chemical element before the clock runs out.
- Element Symbols: Name the chemical element behind every symbol.
- Flags of the World: Name the country from its flag.
- Scrambled Countries: Unscramble the letters to find the country.
- Scrambled Capitals: Unscramble the letters to find the capital city.
- Greek Alphabet: Name all 24 letters of the Greek alphabet, from their shapes.
- NATO Phonetic Alphabet: Name the code word for every letter, A to Z.
- 100 Most Common English Words: Name the 100 words that turn up most often in classic novels.
- Planets: Name the eight planets of the solar system in one minute.
- Olympian Gods: Name the twelve gods of Mount Olympus from what they ruled.
- Zodiac Signs: Name the twelve signs of the zodiac from their dates.
- Best Picture Winners: Name every film that has won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
- All quizzes
- El Trivia home