Famous Royalty a to z

Akbar the Great, Muslim emperor of India, established a sprawling kingdom through military conquests, but is known for his policy of religious tolerance.

Akihito has been emperor of Japan since 1989 and is, according to tradition, the 125th direct descendant of Jimmu, Japan's legendary first emperor.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan (1918–2004) was ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates 1971–2004.

Albert, first duke of Prussia and last grand master of the Teutonic Knights, is known chiefly for ending the Teutonic Knights' government of East Prussia.

King Alexander I of Yugoslavia ruled the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1921–29) and of Yugoslavia (1929–34).

Alexander the Great was the King of Macedonia. During his leadership he united Greece, reestablished the Corinthian League and conquered the Persian Empire.

Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, is best known for her charitable work and equestrian talents.

Anne of Austria, queen consort of France, was married to the 14-year-old Louis XIII and later mothered Louis XIV.

Anne of Cleves was the fourth wife of Henry VIII. She briefly served as queen of England.

British photographer Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield achieved success in personal royal portraits, and created the well-known Unipart calendar.

Marie Antoinette helped provoke the popular unrest that led to the French Revolution and to the overthrow of the monarchy in August 1792.

John Jacob Astor V, the fifth member of the American Astor family to bear the name John Jacob, became owner and chairman of The Times of London in 1922.

Politician and publisher Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor became a member of Parliament and was the publisher of the London Observer from 1915 to 1945.

Attila the Hun was one of the most successful barbarian rulers of the Hunnic Empire, attacking the Eastern and Western Roman empires.

As Emperor of Rome from 161-180, Marcus Aurelius kept the empire safe from the Parthians and Germans, but is best known for his intellectual pursuits.

Jeanne Bécu, Countess Du Barry, mistress to French King Louis XV, asserted her influence on the court throughout his reign and was later executed for treason.

Hussein bin Talal served as king of Jordan from 1953 to 1999. He helped guide his country into the modern era.

Jean-Bedel Bokassa was the president of the Central African Republic (1966-1976) and a self-proclaimed emperor of the Central African Empire (1976-1979).

Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, served as queen of England in the 1530s. She was executed on charges of incest, witchcraft, adultery and conspiracy against the king.

Joseph Bonaparte was the older brother of Napoleon I, who made him king of Spain. He served as Spain's king from 1808 to 1813.

Louis Bonaparte, Napoleon I's third surviving brother, was king of Holland from 1806 to 1810.

Napoleon Bonaparte was a military general who became the first emperor of France. His drive for military expansion changed the world.

Lucrezia Borgia was an Italian noblewoman and daughter of Pope Alexander VI. A notorious reputation precedes her, and she is inextricably, and perhaps unfairly, linked to the crimes and debauchery of her family.

Louis Bourbon, Duke of Burgundy, was the grandson of Louis XIV. Incorrigible as a child, he grew up, married and fathered the next king of France.

Camilla Parker Bowles married Prince Charles in a civil service in 2005. The two had been romantically involved for more than 25 years.

Hugh Capet was a 10th century monarch who started the Capetian Dynasty of France.

Catherine II was empress of Russia, and led her country into the political and cultural life of Europe, carrying on the work begun by Peter the Great.

Charlemagne was the founder of the Carolingian Empire, best known for uniting Western Europe for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire.

Charles of Blois was a rival duke of Brittany in the mid-1300s.

Charles I of Hungary was forced to surrender his power to Wenceslas of Bohemia, but later reclaimed the throne and formed a defensive alliance with Poland.

Charles I was a monarch of the Hapsburg line who was the last emperor of Austria and king of Hungary. He lost his throne at the end of World War I.

Charles II was the monarch of England, Ireland and Scotland during much of the latter half of the 17th century, marking the Restoration era.

Charles IX was King of France from 1560 until 1574 during the turbulent time of the Wars of Religion.

Charles VI, nicknamed Charles the Mad, was king of France from 1380 to 1422—a period marked by political chaos and France’s defeat by England at Agincourt.

As queen of ancient Egypt, Cleopatra is one of the most famous female rulers in history. The stories surrounding Cleopatra's tragic life inspired a Shakespeare play.

Constantine I was the first Christian Roman emperor. He ruled at the beginning of the 4th century and began the evolution of the empire into a Christian state.

Cuauhtémoc was the last Aztec Emperor, ruling from 1520 to 1521. He was tortured and killed by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in 1522.

Cosimo de' Medici was the "Elder" and start of the Medici dynasty that ruled Florence (Italy) from the late Middle Ages through the Renaissance, and after.

Marie de' Medici is best known for serving as queen consort of Henry IV of France.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines was a military leader who worked with Toussaint l'Ouverture and gave the country of Haiti its name.

Domitian was a Roman emperor from years AD 81 to 96 and was known for the reign of terror members of the Senate lived under in his last years.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is best known as the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, the father of Prince Charles, and the grandfather of Prince Harry and Prince William.

Prince Andrew, the brother of Prince Charles, is the Duke of York and fourth in line to the British throne.

Edward, Earl of Wessex is son to Queen Elizabeth II and husband to Sophie Rhys-Jones. A former theater and television producer, he remains active in charity.

King Edward I reigned England from 1272 to 1307, during which time he conquered Wales, expelled the Jews and signed many parliamentary statutes.

King Edward VII took over the British throne after the death of Queen Victoria. He was a popular ruler who strengthened his country prior to World War I.

Edward VIII became king of the United Kingdom following the death of his father, George V, but ruled for less than a year. He abdicated the throne in order to marry his lover, Wallis Simpson, thereafter taking the title Duke of Windsor.

Arab statesman Faisal I was king of Iraq from 1921 to 1933 and a leader in advancing Arab nationalism during and after World War I.

Isabella Farnese was the Queen consort of Spain, wife of Philip V of Spain. She exerted tremendous influence of Spain's foreign policy and expansion.

Alexandra Feodorovna was consort of the Russian Czar Nicholas II. Her rule precipitated the collapse of Russia's imperial government. She was murdered, along with her entire family, in 1918.

Franz Ferdinand's assassination on June 28, 1914, at the hand of a Serbian terrorist group the "Black Hand," led to the beginning of World War I.

Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson is the ex-wife of Britain's Prince Andrew and is also a children's book author and film producer.

Empress Frederick was the oldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of England. She married the future German Emperor Frederick III in 1858, thusly becoming empress of Germany and queen of Prussia.

Frederick II, known as Frederick the Great, was Prussia's king from 1740 to 1786. By winning wars and expanding territories, he established Prussia as a strong military power.

Born in 1865, George V served as king of the United Kingdom from 1910 to 1936, during World War I. He was succeeded by his son, George VI, following his death.

George VI served as king of the United Kingdom during World War II and was an important symbolic leader. He was succeeded by Queen Elizabeth II, in 1952.

A highly popular film actress in the 1950s, Grace Kelly starred in movies such as Dial M for Murder and To Catch a Thief. She married Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

Hatshepsut was the longest reigning female pharaoh in Egypt, ruling for 20 years in the 14th century B.C. She is considered one of Egypt's most successful pharaohs.

Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor became king of Germany in 1056 and was abdicated in 1105. He overthrew Pope Gregory VII because of a disagreement about imperial rule.

Henry IV was King of France 1589–1610. The first monarch of France’s Bourbon Dynasty, he issued The Edict of Nantes, granting religious freedom to Protestants.

Henry V served as joint king of Germany with Henry IV until he forced his father to abdicate the throne. Holy Roman emperor from 1111 to 1125, he was the last of the Salian line.

Henry VI was the German king and Holy Roman emperor (1165-1197). His main achievement was increasing his dynasty's power by acquiring of the kingdom of Sicily.

Henry VII was a 13th century German king and son of Frederick II, who was Holy Roman emperor.

Henry VII became the first House of Luxembourg member to serve as king of Germany in 1308. In 1312, he became the House of Luxembourg's first Holy Roman Emperor.

Henry VIII, king of England, was famously married six times and played a critical role in the English Reformation, turning his country into a Protestant nation.

George Herbert was an ordained priest and poet. In 1633, his book The Temple: Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations was published posthumously.

Hirohito is best known for being Japan's longest-reigning emperor. His reign lasted from 1926 until his death in 1989. He was a controversial leader who led Japan's military to surrender to the Allied Forces in 1945.