Is there an easy way to learn the kings and queens of England and dates?

[ThatBeetroot]

DS prep!!

he has a poster and we are learning 3 a night. He does not haver to learn them all BUT the more he does learn the better for his end of year test - she has done a deal with them - learn a certain amount and get 10% added to your test paper!!

She is my age, sexy and the kids love love love her.

tbh he sees it as a challenge and a bit of fun

Sounds like fun to me - I loved history at school and used to read history books for fun. If you learn a few everyday with a story about each one, it'll make it easier.

Wychbold - far from it. I am all for real history - and I see nothing wrong with learning things by heart. I just don't see the educational benefit of learning a list of dates and names. It seems to me to be lazy teaching - set them a nice long list to learn by heart and you don't have to find ways to make history vivid and interesting. I don't think that learning the dates of British monarchs would do anything to contextualize history. A properly researched time line, for example, would. And you can then use the learning by heart for useful things like tables, and enriching things, like poetry.

don't worry, they love History when taught by this teacher - she is fabulous

We?ll have to agree to disagree, Katelyte.
I have no problem with them learning the names and dates because, as a child, I thought it would be a useful thing to know and set myself the task!! The names are easy (I found a poem very similar to NoodleStroodle?s) and the dates weren?t that difficult to memorise.

This only helps you to remember the order of the houses:-

No Norman
Plan Plantagenent (sp?)
Like Lancaster
Yours York
To Tudor
Study Stewart
History Hanover
So Saxe Coburg Goth
Wisely Windsor

Bet none of us can recite them (or not many of us), esp not with dates. How many grown-ups could?

I like a challenge:

William I 1066-1087
Wiliam II 1087-1100
Henry I 1100 ? 1135
Stephen 1135- 1154
(Matilda created ?Lady of the English 1142? not actually crowned)
Henry II 1154 ? 1189
Richard I 1189-1199
John 1199-1215
Henry III 1215 ? 1272?
Edward I 1272? -1302
Edward II 1302 ? 1327
Edward III 1327 ? 1377
Richard II 1377-1399
Henry IV 1399-1415
Henry V 1415 ? 1422
Henry VI 1422 ? 1461 and 1471
Edward IV 1461 ?1471 and 1471 ? 1483
(Edward V 1483, never crowned)
Richard III 1483 ? 1485
Henry VII 1485-1509
Henry VII 1509 ? 1547
Edward VI 1547 ? 1553
Mary I 1553- 1558
Elizabeth I 1558 ? 1603
James VI & I 1603 ? 1625
Charles I 1625 ? 1649
(Commonwealth/Cromwells 1649 -1660)
Charles II 1660 ? 1685
James II 1685-1688
William 1688 ? 1702 (with Mary II 1688 ? 1694?)
Anne 1702 ? 1714
George I 1714 ? 1727
George II 1727 ? 1760
George III 1760 ? 1820
George IV 1820 ? 1829 (Regent 1812 ? 1820)
William IV 1829 ? 1837
Victoria 1837 ? 1901
Edward VII 1901 ? 1910
George V 1910 ? 1936
Edward VIII 1936 (abdicated before coronation)
George VI 1936 ? 1952
Elizabeth II 1952 -

God, I'm sad.......

That's without checking - there's a couple of dates, I'm not sure about but I'm pretty sure the order is right

MaPickle I'd forgotten about No Plan ...

Nice one RustyBear- only a couple of slip-ups. Have a gold star! And do you note, Katelyte, how throwing in the odd extra date about the Commonwealth or Regency brings it to life? It is fascinating and not just a memory excercise.

I'm impressed - I thought I was doing well being able to name the Houses and one or two anecdotes like the Duke of Clarence being drowned in a wine vat.

By his own brothers .

I really ought to be able to remember the date Matilda was nearly crowned, as I'm a Brother Cadfael fan....

The thing I find fascinating is that although we think of the crown passing from father to eldest son, only (I think)12 of those monarchs inherited as the eldest child directly from their father - that's not counting Edward V & Edward VIII who weren't crowned.

Thinking about it overnight, Katelyte may have a point. For O Level I had to commit to memory all the Corn Laws and that was tedious. I suppose that it's just a matter of what each of us finds interesting. History is such a huge and varied subject.

Oh, Rustybear, that is impressive I did wonder if ONE MNer at least would rise to the challenge. I used to be able to do the Corn Laws...

Fauve - pleased you are back - the funny old fashioned book is Our Island Story by H E Marshall. The language is sometimes quite quaint which has DS (11) and I rolling around in fits - which means he remembers! Good antidote to Horrible Histories.

Oh thanks, I've seen that advertised in the Telegraph. Might check it out

Oh! When you mentioned the 'funny old fashioned book' I thought that you meant 1066 And All That. For some strange reason, it is hilarious on the bits of History that I know and not so funny where my knowledge is lacking. I wonder why that is?

You can get Our Island Story in podcast form via applestore. My 7 year old loves it, it comes in a million chapters, but she listens to it in bed at night and astounds us the next day with what she learnt the night before

Thanks, Scanner. Sorry for slight hijack, Beetroot, hope your ds is still enjoying his amazing learning

He is loving hte fact that he can remember them in the morning!

can I just point out that lady jane grey has been sadly missed in those lists - surely she deserves a mention in parentheses at least? Also a very gory story so also good to bring to life the whole post reformation hoo ha

It may be just me but it seems that the Queens of England had far longer reigns (Lady Jane Grey excepted, poor girl) than the Kings did - possibly as they couldn't themselves ride physically into battle. Just look at Matilda, Elizabeth and Vicky .

You're quite right pph - I did forget LJG - though she was really more of a pretender than a monarch.Perhaps I should also include Perkin Warbeck & Lambert Simnel who were pretenders in the reign of Henry VII.

well she was actually declared queen wasn't she?
I don't know, I'm not english

From what I can remember, LGJ was thrust onto the throne by her uncles - she was cousin to Henry VII's daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, but Mary being Catholic (and possibly illegitimate into the bargain) was declared unfit to rule and Elizabeth was ruled out by the Grey party due to doubts over her parentage/possible bastardy. It didn't take Mary long to stage a counter coup though. Apparently LGJ disputed her right to rule herself and was glad enough to 'step down' but that maybe be hearsay .