A
prequel to
kanon42's English monarchy nodes, since
England didn't start having
monarchs in 1066. The
Briton kingdoms and the early
Anglo-Saxon rulers didn't rule all of what is now England, but at various times
kings came pretty close, such as
Offa of
Mercia, who controlled almost all of England and was addressed by
the Pope as "King of the English."
The first person traditionally considered a proper king of England (though not the parts that were under Danish rule at the time) is Alfred the Great, who reigned from 871 to 899. Following Alfred were:
And then the
Normans invaded, with
William the Conqueror saying Edward the Confessor had promised him the English throne rather than Harold.