This illustrated account of the British monarchy presents a history of the individual kings and queens from Anglo-Saxon times to the present. From the Dark Ages of the fifth century this study follows the emergence of recognizable kingdoms in Scotland, Wales and England; the continental role of English monarchs from William the Conqueror to King John; and the refocusing of royal power in Britain from the 13th century with the extension of English rule to Wales, the consolidation of the Scottish kingdom and the forging of a new relationship between monarch and nation. Ralph Griffiths explains how key traditions have evolved - the right of succession, coronations and marriages, oaths of loyalty and military service, the granting of lands and titles, and the propagation of a powerful image of royalty. These themes are taken up in John Cannon's account of the monarchy from Henry VIII. He also discusses the changes that followed the loss of the throne in the Civil Wars and the development of mixed monarchy as the Hanoverians combined personal rule with government by Parliament. The final chapter describes the emergence of the constitutional role of the crown in Queen Victoria's reign and the enduring basis that this has given the symbolic and popular monarchy of today. Alongside the story of power and government, the authors explore the many ways in which monarchs and the image of royalty have shaped social and cultural history as landowners, builders, sportsmen, patrons of the arts and the focus of court life, whether idealized or profane.