What is a regnal year?
A regnal year counts from the day a monarch came to the throne. The first regnal year of Charles I began on 27 March 1625, the day his father died, and ran to 26 March 1626; his second year began on 27 March 1626, and so on. A document dated “3 June, 9 Charles I” therefore means 3 June in the ninth year of his reign: 3 June 1633.
Acts of Parliament were cited this way until 1962, and the system turns up constantly in deeds, manorial records, court rolls and parish documents. It's easy to slip by a year, because regnal years almost never line up with calendar years.
Watch out for these
- The legal new year. Before 1752 the year number changed on 25 March, not 1 January, so the converter also gives the double-dated form historians use, such as 1558/9.
- King John counted his years from Ascension Day, a moveable feast, so every one of his years began on a different date. The converter works these out from the date of Easter.
- Charles II dated his reign from his father's execution in January 1649, ignoring the Commonwealth, so the Restoration in May 1660 fell in his 12th year.
- Philip and Mary used double numbers such as “1 & 2 Philip and Mary”. Use the first number (Philip's year) here.
- George II's regnal years moved from 11 June to 22 June after the calendar change of 1752.
Every monarch's regnal years
| Monarch | Regnal year 1 began | Regnal years |
|---|---|---|
| William I | 14 October 1066 | 1–21 |
| William II | 26 September 1087 | 1–13 |
| Henry I | 5 August 1100 | 1–36 |
| Stephen | 26 December 1135 | 1–19 |
| Henry II | 19 December 1154 | 1–35 |
| Richard I | 3 September 1189 | 1–10 |
| John | 27 May 1199 (moves with Easter) | 1–18 |
| Henry III | 28 October 1216 | 1–57 |
| Edward I | 20 November 1272 | 1–35 |
| Edward II | 8 July 1307 | 1–20 |
| Edward III | 25 January 1327 | 1–51 |
| Richard II | 22 June 1377 | 1–23 |
| Henry IV | 30 September 1399 | 1–14 |
| Henry V | 21 March 1413 | 1–10 |
| Henry VI | 1 September 1422 | 1–49 |
| Edward IV | 4 March 1461 | 1–23 |
| Edward V | 9 April 1483 | 1–1 |
| Richard III | 26 June 1483 | 1–3 |
| Henry VII | 22 August 1485 | 1–24 |
| Henry VIII | 22 April 1509 | 1–38 |
| Edward VI | 28 January 1547 | 1–7 |
| Mary I | 6 July 1553 | 1–2 |
| Philip and Mary | 25 July 1554 | 1–5 |
| Elizabeth I | 17 November 1558 | 1–45 |
| James I | 24 March 1603 | 1–23 |
| Charles I | 27 March 1625 | 1–24 |
| Charles II | 30 January 1649 | 12–37 |
| James II | 6 February 1685 | 1–4 |
| William and Mary | 13 February 1689 | 1–6 |
| William III | 28 December 1694 | 7–14 |
| Anne | 8 March 1702 | 1–13 |
| George I | 1 August 1714 | 1–13 |
| George II | 11 June 1727 | 1–34 |
| George III | 25 October 1760 | 1–60 |
| George IV | 29 January 1820 | 1–11 |
| William IV | 26 June 1830 | 1–7 |
| Victoria | 20 June 1837 | 1–64 |
| Edward VII | 22 January 1901 | 1–10 |
| George V | 6 May 1910 | 1–26 |
| Edward VIII | 20 January 1936 | 1–1 |
| George VI | 11 December 1936 | 1–16 |
| Elizabeth II | 6 February 1952 | 1–71 |
| Charles III | 8 September 2022 | 1–5 |
The converter follows the standard tables of English and British regnal years. Lady Jane Grey is left out, as she is in the official record.
Common questions
What does '9 Charles I' mean?
It means the ninth year of the reign of Charles I, which ran from 27 March 1633 to 26 March 1634.
Do regnal years start on 1 January?
No. Each monarch's regnal years start on the anniversary of their accession, so they almost never match calendar years.
Why does the converter show two year numbers like 1632/3?
Before 1752 the English legal year began on 25 March. A date in January, February or early March belonged to the previous legal year, so historians write both years.
Are Acts of Parliament still dated by regnal year?
Not since 1963. The Acts of Parliament Numbering and Citation Act 1962 switched statutes to calendar years.