The Stuarts: Scotland's Stewart Kings and England's Stuart Monarchs
The Stuarts ruled Scotland from 1371 and England from 1603 to 1714: every Stuart monarch in order, the Stewart-to-Stuart spelling change, and the Jacobite claimants after 1688.
Last updated September 2026
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The Stuarts were a Scottish royal family that came to rule England as well. They held the Scottish crown from 1371, and from 1603 the same Stuart monarch wore both crowns. Their time in England ran through a civil war, a republic, a restoration and a revolution. This page lists every Stuart monarch in Scotland and in England, and follows the line to its last claimant.
TL;DR: The Stuarts ruled Scotland from 1371 (Robert II) and England and Scotland together from 1603 (James VI and I) until 1714 (Anne). Six Stuart monarchs reigned in England, with an 11-year gap after Charles I's execution. After 1688 the exiled male line became the Jacobite claimants, and the last of them died in 1807.
Where the Stuarts came from
The family took its name from a job. Its members were the hereditary High Stewards of Scotland. Walter the Steward married Marjorie, the daughter of Robert the Bruce, and their son became Robert II in 1371.
The name was first spelled Stewart. The spelling Stuart, closer to French, became usual in the 16th century. Mary, Queen of Scots, who grew up in France, used it, and her descendants kept it.
The Stewart kings of Scotland, 1371-1603
| Monarch | Reign in Scotland | Note | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert II | 1371-1390 | Grandson of Robert the Bruce; first Stewart king | Reviewed |
| Robert III | 1390-1406 | Son of Robert II | Reviewed |
| James I | 1406-1437 | Held captive in England until 1424; murdered | Reviewed |
| James II | 1437-1460 | Killed when a cannon burst at Roxburgh | Reviewed |
| James III | 1460-1488 | Killed after the Battle of Sauchieburn | Reviewed |
| James IV | 1488-1513 | Married Margaret Tudor; killed at Flodden | Reviewed |
| James V | 1513-1542 | Son of Margaret Tudor | Reviewed |
| Mary, Queen of Scots | 1542-1567 | Forced to abdicate; executed in England in 1587 | Reviewed |
| James VI | 1567-1625 | Also James I of England from 1603 | Reviewed |
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The Stuarts in England, 1603-1714
In 1603 Elizabeth I died without children. The nearest heir was James VI of Scotland, a great-great-grandson of Henry VII through Margaret Tudor. He became James I of England, and the two crowns were joined in one person.
| Monarch | Reign in England | How the reign ended | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| James I (VI of Scotland) | 1603-1625 | Died | Reviewed |
| Charles I | 1625-1649 | Tried and executed | Reviewed |
| No monarch (Interregnum) | 1649-1660 | Commonwealth and Protectorate | Disputed |
| Charles II | 1660-1685 | Died | Reviewed |
| James II (VII of Scotland) | 1685-1688 | Fled to France | Reviewed |
| William III and Mary II | 1689-1702 (Mary to 1694) | Died | Reviewed |
| Anne | 1702-1714 | Died without surviving children | Reviewed |
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William III was a Stuart only through his mother, Mary, a daughter of Charles I. His own house was Orange-Nassau. He is still usually grouped with the Stuarts, because he reigned jointly with Mary II, James II's elder daughter.
The Interregnum in the Stuart count
1649-1660, no Stuart on the throne.
Status: Disputed. Shown as a gap here; counted in Charles II's regnal years.
Note: After Charles I's execution on 30 January 1649, England was ruled as a Commonwealth and then by Oliver and Richard Cromwell as Lord Protector. Charles II returned in 1660, but his official regnal years ran from his father's death. Lists of rulers show a gap; legal dating does not.
Sources: UK Parliament, "Overview of the Civil War"; The Royal Family, "The Stuarts".
What the Stuart century changed
The Stuart years moved power from the Crown to Parliament. James I and Charles I believed in the divine right of kings. Charles ruled without Parliament from 1629 to 1640, and the quarrel that followed led to civil war in 1642. The events of each reign are set out on the England under the Stuarts page.
The settlement of 1689 fixed the new balance. The Bill of Rights limited the Crown and barred Catholics from the throne. The Acts of Union then joined England and Scotland into one kingdom of Great Britain on 1 May 1707, under Anne.
Why the Stuart line ended
Anne had many pregnancies, but none of her children outlived her. Her last surviving child, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, died in 1700. Parliament answered with the Act of Settlement of 1701. It passed the crown to Sophia of Hanover, a granddaughter of James I, and her Protestant heirs. Sophia died weeks before Anne, so her son became George I in August 1714.
The Jacobite claimants
James II's Catholic son and grandson still claimed the throne from exile. Their supporters were called Jacobites, from Jacobus, Latin for James.
| Claimant | Claimed from | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| James Francis Edward Stuart | 1701 | The Old Pretender; backed by the 1715 rising |
| Charles Edward Stuart | 1766 | Bonnie Prince Charlie; led the 1745 rising, defeated at Culloden in 1746 |
| Henry Benedict Stuart | 1788 | A cardinal; the last claimant in the direct line, died 1807 |
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For the Stuarts among all of England's rulers, see our guide to the best books about the royal family. Its two overviews cover every reign in turn.
Verdict: the Stuarts in brief
The Stuarts held the Scottish crown for over three centuries and the English crown for most of the 17th century. In England they gave six monarchs, lost the throne twice, and ended with Anne in 1714. The one gap in their record, 1649-1660, is shown as disputed because lists and legal dating treat it differently. The Tudors who came before are on the house of Tudor page, and every monarch since 1066 is on the England royal family hub.
Sources checked for this page
- The Royal Family, "The Stuarts"
- Britannica, "House of Stuart"
- The Royal Family, "James VI and I"
- The Royal Family, "Anne"
- Britannica, "Act of Union, 1707"
- English Heritage, "An Introduction to Stuart England"
Questions people also ask
Who was the first Stuart king?
In Scotland, Robert II, who came to the throne in 1371. In England, James I, who was already James VI of Scotland and inherited the English crown in 1603.
Who was the last Stuart monarch?
Queen Anne, who died on 1 August 1714. None of her children outlived her, so the crown passed to George I of Hanover.
Why is it spelled both Stewart and Stuart?
The family name came from the office of High Steward of Scotland and was spelled Stewart. The French-influenced spelling Stuart became usual from the time of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Who were the Jacobites?
Supporters of the exiled James II and his heirs. They backed James's son and grandson as rightful kings and rose in arms in 1715 and 1745.