Since William the Conqueror claimed the English throne, succession has been determined by bequest, battle, primogeniture, and parliament.
William I On his deathbed, William the Conqueror accorded the Duchy of Normandy to his eldest son Robert Curthose, the Kingdom of England to his son William Rufus, and money for his youngest son Henry Beauclerc for him to buy land. Thus, with William I's death on 9 September 1087, the heir to the throne was William Rufus (born 1056), third son of William I.
William II William II had no children. He and his elder brother Robert previously agreed to be each other's heir. However, on his death, on 2 August 1100, Robert was away on crusade. Their younger brother, Henry Beauclerc, had the nobility elect him as king. Henry later warred with Robert and by treaty was recognised as king.
Henry I The succession to Henry I was altered by the death of his son, William Adelin. Left without male heirs, Henry took the unprecedented step of making his barons swear to accept his daughter Empress Matilda, widow of Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, as his heir. However, her cousin, Stephen of Blois (the third son of Adela of Normandy) gained the support of the barons and usurped the throne, claiming that Henry had changed his mind on his deathbed. This act provoked a seventeen-year long civil war between him and the forces loyal to Matilda.
Stephen
The succession to Stephen was altered by the death of his son Eustace, whom he wished to have crowned king during his own lifetime (in imitation of the Capetian monarchy). Though Stephen still had a son, William, the boy was still young and unprepared to challenge Matilda's son, Henry of Anjou for the throne.
Under the terms of the Treaty of Wallingford that ended the Anarchy, Stephen agreed to make Henry his successor. Thus, on the day of Stephen's death, 25 October 1154, Henry became King Henry II.
Henry II The succession to Henry II was altered by the death of his son, Henry the Young King, who was crowned king while his father still lived. Henry II had wished to divide his lands among his children upon his death, but was forced to sign the unfavorable treaty of Azay-le-Rideau on 4 July 1189 (two days before his death) with the king of France and his rebellious sons, by which he recognised his eldest son Richard as sole heir.
On the day of Henry II's death, 6 July 1189, the throne passed to his eldest living son: Richard I.
Richard I Richard had no legitimate children. On the day of his death, 6 April 1199, if the line of succession to the English throne had followed primogeniture, he would have been succeeded by his nephew Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (born 1187), son of Richard I's brother Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany. However, since Arthur had sided with Philip II of France, Richard's enemy, Richard named his younger brother John as his heir, and he became king.
John John died, on 19 October 1216, in the midst of conflict against his barons; most of them had already recognised Prince Louis of France as king. However, with John's death, his barons saw his young son as a safer option. John's eldest son became Henry III, and the French were driven away from the country.
Henry III On Henry III's death, on 16 November 1272, the throne passed to his eldest son, Edward I.
Edward I On Edward I's death, on 7 July 1307, the throne passed to his eldest surviving son, Edward II.
Edward II On the day of Edward II's abdication, 25 January 1327, the throne passed to his eldest son, Edward III.
Edward III The succession to Edward III was governed according to his entail to the crown in 1376. On his death, on 21 June 1377, the line of succession to the English throne was:
Richard of Bordeaux, Prince of Wales (born 1367), younger son of Edward the Black Prince, Edward III's deceased eldest son (born 1330) John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (born 1340), fourth son of Edward III Henry Bolingbroke (born 1367), fourth son of the Duke of Lancaster Edmund of Langley, Earl of Cambridge (born 1341), fifth son of Edward III Edward of Norwich (born 1373), only son of the Earl of Cambridge Thomas of Woodstock, Earl of Essex (born 1355), seventh son of Edward III
The throne passed to the first person in line, who became Richard II.
Richard II After the death of Richard's uncle, John of Gaunt, in 1399, the two main contenders to be Richard II's heir were: Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March (born 1391), elder son of Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, deceased elder son of Philippa, 5th Countess of Ulster, deceased only daughter of Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, Edward III's deceased third son Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster (born 1367), fourth son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, Edward III's deceased fourth son.
Richard disinherited Henry, who was in exile, but Richard was deposed and Bolingbroke became king as Henry IV.
Henry IV Henry had justified his usurpation by emphasising his descent in the male line. On the day of Henry IV's death, 20 March 1413, the line of succession to the English throne following agnatic primogeniture was:
Henry of Monmouth, Prince of Wales (born 1386), eldest son of Henry IV Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence (born 1387), second son of Henry IV John of Lancaster (born 1389), third son of Henry IV Humphrey of Lancaster (born 1390), fourth son of Henry IV Edward of Norwich, Duke of York (born 1373), elder son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, Edward III's deceased fifth son Richard of Conisburgh, Earl of Cambridge (born 1385), younger son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York Richard of York (born 1411), only surviving son of the Earl of Cambridge
Upon his death, the throne passed to the first person in line, who became Henry V.
Henry V On the day of Henry V's death, 31 August 1422, the line of succession following agnatic primogeniture was:
Henry, Duke of Cornwall (born 1421), only son of Henry V John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford (born 1389), third son of Henry IV Humphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester (born 1390), fourth son of Henry IV Richard of York, Duke of York (born 1411), younger son of Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge, deceased younger son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, Edward III's deceased fifth son
Upon his death, the throne passed to the first person in line, who became Henry VI.
Henry VI (first instance) On the day of Henry VI's first deposition, 4 March 1461, the line of succession following agnatic primogeniture was;
Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales (born 1453), only son of Henry VI Edward Plantagenet, Duke of York (born 1442), second son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, deceased younger son of Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge, deceased younger son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, Edward III's deceased fifth son George Plantagenet (born 1449), sixth son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York Richard Plantagenet (born 1452), eighth son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York
However, during the Wars of the Roses, Henry VI was forcibly deposed by his third cousin, Edward, Duke of York, who became Edward IV.
Edward IV (first instance) After George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (born 1449), was proclaimed a traitor on 31 March 1470, Edward IV never formally named a new heir as his queen Elizabeth Woodville was pregnant at the time, and he was hoping (correctly) that the child would be a boy. On 3 October 1470 however, Edward IV was deposed and the throne was restored to Henry VI, the previous monarch, during the period known as the Readeption of Henry VI.
Henry VI (second instance) On the day of Henry VI's second deposition, 11 April 1471, the line of succession following agnatic primogeniture was:
Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales (born 1453), only son of Henry VI Edward Plantagenet (born 1442), second son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, deceased younger son of Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge, deceased younger son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, Edward III's deceased fifth son. Edward was debarred from the succession due to his attainder. Edward Plantagenet (born 1470), only son of Edward Plantagenet. Edward was also debarred from the succession due to his father's attainder. George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (born 1449), sixth son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, he had rejoined his brother's forces against Henry. Richard Plantagenet (born 1452), eighth son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York. Richard was debarred from the succession due to his attainder.
Henry was defeated in the Battle of Barnet and deposed. He died in the Tower of London on 21 May 1471, seventeen days after the final Yorkist victory in the Battle of Tewkesbury.
Edward IV (second instance) On the day of Edward IV's death, 9 April 1483, he had two living sons:
Edward Plantagenet, Prince of Wales (born 1470) Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (born 1473)
Upon his death, the throne passed to the elder son, who became Edward V.
Edward V On the day of Edward V's deposition, 25 June 1483, his younger brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, (born 1473) was the heir presumptive to throne. The King and his brother however were declared illegitimate and the throne was claimed by their uncle, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester.
Richard III Following the death of Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales on 9 April 1484, Richard III never formally named a new heir. On 22 August 1485, Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field, and was succeeded by the victor of the battle, Henry Tudor, 2nd Earl of Richmond, a descendant in a legitimated line of John of Gaunt. He became Henry VII. He also buffered his claim by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, his heir by male-preference primogeniture upon the deaths of her brothers.
Henry VII On the day of Henry VII's death, 21 April 1509, the throne passed to his only living son, Henry VIII.
Henry VIII On the day of Henry VIII's death, 28 January 1547, the line of succession was governed by the Third Succession Act:
1. Edward, Prince of Wales (born 1537), younger son of Henry VIII 2. Lady Mary (born 1516), elder daughter of Henry VIII 3. Lady Elizabeth (born 1533), younger daughter of Henry VIII Descendants of Henry VII's eldest daughter Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland who would have been next in line were excluded by Henry's will: Mary, Queen of Scots (born 1542), only daughter of James V of Scotland, deceased third son of Margaret Margaret Stewart, Countess of Lennox (born 1515), only daughter of Margaret by Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (born 1545), only surviving son of the Countess of Lennox Also excluded by Henry's will were the daughters of Henry VII's third daughter Mary Tudor, Queen of France (Frances Grey and Eleanor Clifford), but not the granddaughters: Frances Grey, Marchioness of Dorset, elder daughter of Mary 4. Lady Jane Grey (born 1536/7), eldest daughter of the Marchioness of Dorset (later briefly queen regnant) 5. Lady Katherine Grey (born 1540), second daughter of the Marchioness of Dorset 6. Lady Mary Grey (born 1545), third daughter of the Marchioness of Dorset Eleanor Clifford, Countess of Cumberland (born 1519), younger daughter of Mary 7. Lady Margaret Clifford (born 1540), only daughter of the Countess of Cumberland
Upon Henry's death, the throne passed to Henry's son, who became Edward VI.
Edward VI On the day of Edward VI's death, 6 July 1553, the line of succession to the English throne was as follows according to the will of Henry VIII, which excluded the descendants of his elder sister, Margaret, Queen of Scotland (note: Henry VIII's will was signed with a dry stamp rather than his hand, a technicality that eventually allowed the Stuarts to succeed):
Lady Mary (born 1516), elder daughter of Henry VIII Lady Elizabeth (born 1533), younger daughter of Henry VIII