Descent of Elizabeth II from Cerdic

This table shows the descent of from, traditionally regarded as first King of England, and before that from , founder of the. Some of the links between Cerdic and Egbert are a little uncertain, but there is no doubt that Egbert was a descendant of Cerdic. There are 39 generations between Egbert and Elizabeth, and a further 12 between Cerdic and Egbert.

For Elizabeth's descent in the male line, see her, which can be traced back to.

There are several breaks in the line of descent, but the hereditary succession has never been entirely broken. When, who had no hereditary claim, seized the English throne in , the House of Wessex in the male line became extinct, but continuity was re-established when married Matilda, a great-granddaughter of.

In the throne was seized by, who was a great-great-grandson of  through an illegitimate descent, and whose family had been specifically excluded from the throne. Henry re-established the legitimate royal descent by marrying, daughter of , so that his son had a sound hereditary claim.

The line of descent, however, travels through the descendants of, who was the oldest son of. The line of descent returned to the throne when ascended the throne of England, uniting England with, where he was known as James VI.

In the Tudor line became extinct when  died childless. But the throne passed to, a great-great-grandson of Henry VII. Again, in the Protestant Stuart line became extinct with the death of, but the throne passed to , a great-grandson of James I.

The Queen rules by virtue of her descent from the (shown as the final generations below) by the, rather than by reason of her descent from any earlier Kings of England.

In all, the descent from Cerdic to Elizabeth II encompasses fifty-one generations, making the line one of the longest recorded in the world.

The reason that the line of descent follows the monarchs of Scotland is that the male line is always followed first. Therefore, the son of St. Margaret, David I of Scotland, is followed as opposed to David's sister, who married Henry I of England. The line of David I is therefore a more senior line.

Table of descent from Cerdic to Elizabeth
(c470-534) Saxon Ealdorman, arrived in England c495 1st King of Wessex |                                |                              Creoda (c500-c560) |                                |                            (c530-c560) King of Wessex |                                |                             (c550-593) King of Wessex |                                |                                 |                                 |                            (born c592) |                                |                                 |                                 |                            (born c640) |                                |                             (672 - 718)                                 |                                 |                            born c. 706 |                                |                             born c. 730 |                                |                             (c750-c794) |                                |                              (775-839)                        King of Wessex 802-27 King of England 827-39 = Raedburh |                                |                             (died 858) King of England 839-58 = Osburh |                                |                             (the Great) King of England 871-99 = Ealswith |                                |                            (the Elder) (875-924)                       King of England 899-924 = Eadgifu |                                |                              (920-46)                        King of England 939-46 = Aelgifu |                                |                             (943-75)                        King of England 959-75 = Elfrida |                                |                             (The Unready) (968-1016)                          King of England 979-1016 = Aelgifu |                                            |                                              (Ironside) (989-1016)                                King of England 1016 = Ealgyth |                                |                             (1016-57)                                 = Agatha |                                |                              (1045-93)                                 = Malcolm III, King of Scots |                                 |                      King of Scots 1124-53 (1084-1153)                                = Matilda |                                 |                             Earl of Huntingdon (1114-1152)                                = Ada de Warenne |                                 |                               (c1144-1219) = Maud of Chester |                                 |                              (1199-1251)                                 = Robert Bruce |                                 |                            Lord of Annandale (c1220-1295) = Isabella of Clare |                                 |                            Earl of Carrick (c1250-1306) = Marjorie of Carrick |                                 |                            (1274-1329)                      King of Scots 1306-29 = Isabella of Mar |                                |                            (1296-1316)                                 = Walter Stewart |                                |                            (1316-1390)                      King of Scots 1371-90 = Elizabeth of Rowallan |                                |                            (1340-1406)                      King of Scots 1390-1406 = Anabella Drummond |                                |                             (1394-1437)                      King of Scots 1406-37 = Joan Beaufort |                                |                             (1430-1460)                      King of Scots 1437-60 = Mary of Gueldres |                                |                             (1451-1488)                      King of Scots 1460-88 = Margaret of Denmark |                                |                             (1473-1513)                      King of Scots 1488-1513 = Margaret Tudor |                                |                            ,                      King of Scots 1513-42 (1512-42)                                = Mary of Guise |                                |                      Queen of Scots 1542-67 (1542-87)                                = Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley |                                |                             (1566-1625)                      King of Scots 1567-1625 James I King of England 1603-25 = Anne of Denmark |                                |                             (1596-1662)                                 = Frederick V, Elector Palatine, King of Bohemia |                                |                            (1630-1714)                                 = Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover |                                |                      King of Great Britain 1714-27 (1660-1727)                                = Sophia Dorothea of Celle |                                |                      King of Great Britain 1727-60 (1683-1760)                                = Caroline Wilhelmina  of Anspach |                                |                             Prince of Wales (1707-51)                                = Augusta of Saxe-Coburg |                                |                      King of Great Britain and Ireland 1760-1801 King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1820 (1738-1820)                                = Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |                                |                            (1767-1820)                                 =                                  |                                 |                      Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1837-1901 (1819-1901)                                =                                  |                                 |                      King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1901-10 (1841-1910)                                =                                  |                                 |                      King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1910-22 King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1922-36 (1865-1936)                                =                                  |                                 |                      King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and his Dominions beyond the Seas 1936-52 (1895-1952)                                =                                  |                                 |                      Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Bermuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis 1952-present (1926- )                                =