The Lord of Mann () is the lord proprietor and head of state of the Isle of Man, currently . Before 1504, the title was King of Mann.

Relationship with the Crown Since 1399, the kings and lords of Mann were vassals of the kings of England who were the ultimate sovereigns of the island. This right of 'lord proprietor' was revested into the Crown by the Isle of Man Purchase Act 1765 for £70,000 and a £2,000 annuity, at which point it became a self-governing British Crown Dependency. King George III became the first British monarch to reign over the Isle of Man as Lord of Mann in 1765. For reasons of culture and tradition, the title Lord of Mann continues to be used. For these reasons, the correct formal usage, as used in the Isle of Man for the loyal toast, is The King, Lord of Mann. The term "the King, Lord of Mann" was also used when Charles III was proclaimed king on the Isle of Man.

Queen Victoria was styled as . The title "lord" was used by Queen Elizabeth II.

The formal Latin style is .

List Before 1504 Before 1504, the ruler of the Isle of Man was generally styled king of Mann.

16th century Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby, 1504–1521 Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby, 1521–1572 Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby, 1572–1593 Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, 1593–1594

Succession dispute (1594–1607) In 1598, a succession dispute between the daughters of Ferdinando and their uncle, William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby, was heard by the Privy Council. They decided that the right to the Isle of Man belonged solely to Queen Elizabeth I, and the letters patent of 1405 which conferred the lordship of the Isle of Man on the Stanley family were declared null and void as the previous ruler, Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, had not been subject to legal attainder, despite his treason, and the 1405 and 1406 letters patent had therefore not taken effect.

The Queen, in consideration of the "many eminent services performed to herself and to her royal predecessors by the honourable and noble House of Stanley", withdrew her right and referred the contending claimants to the decision of the Privy Council as to the best claim of inheritance.

The Privy Council decided "the grant being by letters patent under the Great Seal of England, such right would descend according to the Common Law of England to the heirs general, and not to the heirs male", and the island was therefore awarded to Ferdinando's daughters; whereupon William agreed to purchase their several shares and interests.

Interim (1607–1609) Following the resolution of the succession dispute, it was ruled that the daughters of Ferdinando Stanley were the rightful heirs. As the oldest of them would not reach the age of majority until 1609, two temporary Lords of Mann were appointed by James I by letters patent, so that the daughters could benefit from the Island's revenues. Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton, 1607–1608 Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1608–1609

The original letters patent having been declared void, the Parliament of England in 1609 under James I passed a private act of parliament entitled "An Act for assuring and establishing the Isle of Man in the name and blood of William, Earl of Derby", the (7 Jas. 1. c. 4 ) which established the title in law as Lord of Mann. The lordship was conferred by letters patent dated 7 July 1609 upon William. Subsequent succession was under the terms of this grant.

17th and 18th centuries William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby, 1609–1612 Elizabeth de Vere, Countess of Derby, 1612–1627 James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, 1627–1651 (known as the Great Stanley) Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, 1651–1660 (appointed by Oliver Cromwell during the English Interregnum) Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby, 1660–1672 (restored by King Charles II) William Richard George Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby, 1672–1702 James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby, 1702–1736 James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl, 1736–1764 Charlotte, Duchess of Atholl and John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl, 1764–1765

In 1736, on the death of James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby, the Duke of Atholl, a maternal grandson of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, succeeded to the sovereignty of the Isle of Man, while a more distant cousin succeeded as Earl of Derby.

Revestment In 1765, Charlotte, Duchess of Atholl, 8th Baroness Strange, sold the suzerainty of the island to the British government for £70,000 and an annuity of £2,000 (£5,235,000 and £150,000 respectively in modern terms). By the passage of the Isle of Man Purchase Act 1765, the title of Lord of Mann was revested into the British Crown. It has therefore since been used in the Isle of Man to refer to the reigning British monarch.

George III, 1765–1820 George IV, 1820–1830 William IV, 1830–1837 Victoria, 1837–1901 Edward VII, 1901–1910 George V, 1910–1936 Edward VIII, 1936 George VI, 1936–1952 Elizabeth II, 1952–2022 Charles III, since 2022

In 1828, all remaining property interests and rights of the Dukes of Atholl on the island were sold to HM Treasury, a department of the British government, for the sum of £417,144, . This was accomplished by the Duke of Atholl's Rights, Isle of Man Act 1825 (6 Geo. 4. c. 34).

Lieutenant governor The Lord of Mann is now represented by the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man.

See also Governor of the Isle of Man History of the Isle of Man Isle of Man Purchase Act 1765 Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man Noble and royal titles of the Isle of Man List of Manx royal consorts

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