I’ve polled 43 rulers of England and Britain since the Norman invasion (with apologies to fans of Lady Jane Grey or the Empress Matilda)
Unsurprisingly, the late Queen Elizabeth II comes out on top, with 84% of the British public having a favourable view of her
The current king, Charles III, comes either third if you go by favourable views alone (58%), or seventh if you include the unfavourable views (31%, giving a net score of +27)
20th century monarchs feature heavily in the top ten – in addition to Elizabeth II, there is also Victoria, Edward VII, George V, George VI – while other favourites include Elizabeth I, Richard the Lionheart and William the Conqueror
Coming dead least, to no-one’s surprise, is Henry VIII – the only king that most Britons have a negative view of (59%)
He beats kingslayer Oliver Cromwell, who comes second from bottom, with 41% having a negative view of the Lord Protector
England’s most obscure monarch over the past century is Stephen of Blois, who ruled from 1135-1154, with only 9% of Britons claiming to have a view on him one way or the other
Tools: Datawrapper and Adobe Illustrator
These people just came back from death to fill out surveys
Op using Time Machine to travel to medevial England and hand out Google form links .
61% don’t know James I ?! Just happens to be the guy who united the crowns of England and Scotland and oh the James associated with the KJV Bible. And I am not even a Brit
Only possible conclusion from this is Brits are too ignorant about their own history.
Why is George 3 viewed favorably? He was an absolute shit from what I’ve reqd
Ask the same question to people outside of Britain.
The whitewashing of history has had a huge effect, as evidenced by the massive popularity of one of the greatest villains of history. Queen Victoria.
It’s funny how 7% of English people never heard of Elizabeth II…
Looks like King John is still suffering from the Robin Hood effect.
There’s the ones everyone has heard about at the top and bottom, and a bunch of anons that nobody really has an opinion on.
I find it amazing how much QE2 turned things around in the final 25 years of her life. Was a lot of dislike in the 90’s.
![[OC] The popularity of kings and queens (and Cromwells) of England and Britain since 1066](https://www.europesays.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/1qvbk9gkmohe1-1288x1024.png)
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Source: [https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/51496-who-are-the-most-and-least-popular-kings-and-queens-of-england-and-britain](https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/51496-who-are-the-most-and-least-popular-kings-and-queens-of-england-and-britain)
I’ve polled 43 rulers of England and Britain since the Norman invasion (with apologies to fans of Lady Jane Grey or the Empress Matilda)
Unsurprisingly, the late Queen Elizabeth II comes out on top, with 84% of the British public having a favourable view of her
The current king, Charles III, comes either third if you go by favourable views alone (58%), or seventh if you include the unfavourable views (31%, giving a net score of +27)
20th century monarchs feature heavily in the top ten – in addition to Elizabeth II, there is also Victoria, Edward VII, George V, George VI – while other favourites include Elizabeth I, Richard the Lionheart and William the Conqueror
Coming dead least, to no-one’s surprise, is Henry VIII – the only king that most Britons have a negative view of (59%)
He beats kingslayer Oliver Cromwell, who comes second from bottom, with 41% having a negative view of the Lord Protector
England’s most obscure monarch over the past century is Stephen of Blois, who ruled from 1135-1154, with only 9% of Britons claiming to have a view on him one way or the other
Tools: Datawrapper and Adobe Illustrator
These people just came back from death to fill out surveys
Op using Time Machine to travel to medevial England and hand out Google form links .
61% don’t know James I ?! Just happens to be the guy who united the crowns of England and Scotland and oh the James associated with the KJV Bible. And I am not even a Brit
Only possible conclusion from this is Brits are too ignorant about their own history.
Why is George 3 viewed favorably? He was an absolute shit from what I’ve reqd
Ask the same question to people outside of Britain.
The whitewashing of history has had a huge effect, as evidenced by the massive popularity of one of the greatest villains of history. Queen Victoria.
It’s funny how 7% of English people never heard of Elizabeth II…
Looks like King John is still suffering from the Robin Hood effect.
There’s the ones everyone has heard about at the top and bottom, and a bunch of anons that nobody really has an opinion on.
I find it amazing how much QE2 turned things around in the final 25 years of her life. Was a lot of dislike in the 90’s.
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