Monarchies once existed in all countries, but in most of them they were abolished at one time. In Britain, the monarchy has survived to this day. Of course, the kings of England no longer possess the power that they once possessed. The monarch of Great Britain today has rather symbolic meaning. This symbol is very important for the inhabitants of this country. Today, Queen Elizabeth II is the monarch. There was a period in the history of England when the monarchy was overthrown, and a republic was established in England. But this did not last long. For many, one of the main symbols of English statehood is the kings and queens of England.
The monarchy in England has deep historical roots. Over the course of history, more than one dynasty of the kings of England was replaced. The first to call himself king was Alfred the Great, who ruled from 871 to 899. He was remembered for his struggle with the Vikings, the strengthening of the state, the strengthening of royal power, well, and, above all, as the one from whom the following kings of England take their origin. Alfred the Great belonged to the Wessex dynasty. Subsequently, the following dynasties ruled in England: Wessex, Norman, Plantagenets, Tudors, Stuarts, Hanover, Windsor.
The Wessex dynasty begins even before the advent of England. Before the formation of this country, she ruled the kingdom of Wessex. The dynasty was interrupted several times, and in 1066 her reign finally ended. Her last representative was Harold II Godvinson. The new kings of England were not English at all. A new dynasty was formed as a result of the conquest of England by the Normans. This dynasty is called the Norman. Her first representative in England was William I. After he invaded England in 1066 and overthrew the previous dynasty, an Anglo-Norman state was created. William I - one of the most famous figures of the Middle Ages, he is called William the Conqueror. After his death, this state fell apart, one of his sons became king of Normandy, the other - of England. After a short time, a dynastic crisis will break out, which will lead to the Civil War of 1135 - 1154. In 1154, Henry II became king; he was the founder of the new Plantagenet dynasty.
Since 1362, the lateral branch of the Lancaster Plantagenet came to power. From 1455 to 1485 in connection with the dynastic crises was the War of the Scarlet and White Roses. Lancaster was overthrown in 1471, and another branch of the Plantagenets, the Yorks, remained in power for some time. With the end of the Scarlet and White Rose War, the Tudor dynasty came to power. Her time is considered the heyday of England, the formation of absolutism in her. The Tudors were replaced by the Stuart dynasty. During their reign there are years of serious trials. In 1640, the English Revolution begins. In 1649, the representative of the Stuart dynasty, Charles I, was executed.
In 1714, the power of the Hanover dynasty was established in England. Hanover comes from a Germanic family, the first Hanover king did not know English at all. The most famous representative of the Hanoverian dynasty is Queen Victoria, who ruled from 1837 to 1901. The period of her reign is also called the Victorian era. Since 1901, the reign of the Windsor Dynasty begins. This dynasty is still in power. During the reign of this dynasty, severe shocks of the 20th century occurred - two world wars, the emergence of a socialist state, the struggle for civil rights, and so on. To date, the Queen of England is Queen Elizabeth II.
A democratic system has been established in Great Britain: a parliament is elected, a multi-party system exists, etc. However, the kings of England still have weight in British politics.