Famous Royalty a to z

Ivan the Terrible, or Ivan IV, was the first tsar of all Russia. During his reign (1533-1584), Ivan acquired vast amounts of land through ruthless means, creating a centrally controlled government.

Anna Ivanovna was empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740.

James I was a Spanish king best known for fighting the Moors during his reign from 1213-'76. He is also known as James I the Conqueror and James I of Aragon.

Jezebel was a Phoenician princess, later the wife of King Ahab of Israel. She became known for putting on makeup before her death and being a wicked woman.

Holy Roman emperor Joseph II tried to strengthen the Habsburg empire with his enlightened reforms, but the changes he made were met with fierce opposition.

Mongolian general and statesman Kublai Khan was the grandson of Genghis Khan. He conquered China, founding and becoming the first emperor of the country's Yuan Dynasty.

Legendary King Arthur formed the Knights of the Round Table and defended ancient Wales from encroaching Saxons.

King Tut is chiefly known for his intact tomb, discovered in Egypt's Valley of the Kings in 1922. Since then, his remains have held millions in awe over the mystery of his life and death.

Leopold I was Holy Roman emperor during whose lengthy reign Austria emerged from a series of struggles to become a great European power.

Lord Snowdon was married to Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, from 1960 to 1978. He is also a world-renowned photographer and documentarian.

Louis I succeeded his father, Charlemagne, as emperor, serving as ruler of the Franks for 26 years.

Louis VII was king of France who pursued a long rivalry with Henry II of England.

Louis XII was king of France from 1498 and was noted for his disastrous Italian wars and his domestic popularity.

King Louis XIV of France led an absolute monarchy during France’s classical age. He revoked the Edict of Nantes and is known for his aggressive foreign policy.

Louis XV was king of France from 1715 to 1774. He is best known for contributing to the decline of royal authority that led to the French Revolution in 1789.

Louis XVI was the last king of France (1774–92) in the line of Bourbon monarchs preceding the French Revolution of 1789. He was executed for treason by guillotine in 1793.

Louis, Grand Dauphin, was the son of Louis XIV of France and the father of Philip V of Spain, but never became king himself.

Marie-Louise is best known for her marriage to the emperor Napoleon after his divorce from Josephine.

Macbeth was king of Scotland during the 11th century. He was also the basis for Shakespeare's play Macbeth.

Mahmud of Ghazna is best known as the the leader of the Ghaznavid dynasty in modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwest India.

Mary II served as queen of England, Scotland and Ireland (1689–94), and was the wife of King William III.

Mary of Teck became Queen Mary, consort of King George V. She was the mother of kings Edward VIII and George VI, and the grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.

Maurice was duke and elector of Saxony (southeastern Germany) during the 16th century.

Maximilian was the Archduke of Austria and the Emperor of Mexico from 1863-1867. He was executed in 1867 by President Benito Juárez's victorious forces.

Maximilian I was the first king of Bavaria (1806–25), a member of the house of Wittelsbach.

Kate Middleton, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, married Prince William in 2011 at Westminster Abbey. She will not be a princess until Prince Charles inherits the throne.

Miguel I was became regent of Portugal in February 1828, and ruled the nation as a self-proclaimed king from 1828 to 1834, though his royal title wasn't recognized everywhere.

Alexis Mikhailovich, father of Peter the Great, was tsar of Russia from 1645 to 1676. He passed a code of laws which legally defined serfdom.

Napoleon III, the nephew of Napoleon I, was emperor of France from 1852 to 1870. His downfall came during the Franco-Prussian War, when his efforts to defeat Otto Von Bismarck ended in his capture.

An Egyptian queen renowned for her beauty, Nefertiti ruled alongside her husband, Pharaoh Akhenaten, during the mid-1300s B.C.

As Roman emperor, Nero’s reign was lavish and tyrannical. He killed his mother, persecuted Christians and is said to have "fiddled while Rome burned."

Alexei Nikolaevich was the only son of Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia, and the tsarina Alexandra. He was killed with his family during the Russian Revolution.

Anastasia was the daughter of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II. After she and her family were executed, rumors claimed that she might have survived.

Of Spanish descent, the devout, learned Catherine of Aragon was the 16th-century Queen of England due to her marriage to Henry VIII.

Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, regent of Yugoslavia following Alexander I's assassination, was deposed by a Serbian military coup after the signing of the Tripartite Pact.

Paul I of Russia served as the nation's emperor for a brief, tyrannical five years before he was assassinated 1801.

Peter III was the Emperor of Russia for a mere six months in 1762 before he was overthrown by his wife, Catherine the Great, and assassinated in 1762.

Peter the Great was a Russian czar in the late 17th century, who is best known for his extensive reforms in an attempt to establish Russia as a great nation.

Alexei Petrovich was the son of Peter the Great and heir to the Russian throne. He was sentenced to death by his father.

King Philip II of Spain, also known as Philip the Prudent, ruled one of the world's largest empires. The Philippines are named after him.

Prince Charles is the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and is the heir apparent to the British throne.

Prince Albert married his first cousin, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at the age of 20, and after his untimely death at age 42, the queen's memory of him guided her for the next 40 years.

Prince Harry is the second son of Charles, Prince of Wales and Princess Diana. He known for his teenage escapades and his charitable work.

Prince William is the eldest son of Princess Diana and Prince Charles of Wales and is next in line for the British throne after his father.

Princess Diana was Princess of Wales while married to Prince Charles. One of the most adored members of the British royal family, she died in a 1997 car crash.

Known as the 'wild child' of Monaco for her scandalous affairs, Princess Stephanie's diverse career path has included singing, swimwear design and modeling.

Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden is the eldest child born to King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia and is heir to the Swedish throne.

Elizabeth I was the long-ruling queen of England, governing with relative stability and prosperity for 44 years. The Elizabethan era is named for her.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain was crowned in 1953. Her 60 years on the throne was celebrated in June 2012, with the Diamond Jubilee.

Mary Queen of Scots is one of the most fascinating and controversial monarchs of the 16th century who claimed the crowns of four nations in her lifetime.

Queen Elizabeth was the Queen consort of King George VI until his death in 1952. She is best known for her moral support to the British people during WWII and her longevity.

Queen Noor of Jordan, who was the consort of King Hussein, was trained as an urban planner and works as a philanthropist/world activist.

Queen Victoria was queen of Great Britain from 1837 to 1901—the longest reign of any other British monarch in history.

Ramses III was the second Pharaoh of the Twentieth dynasty in Egypt. He is best known for defending his country against invaders in three great wars.

Queen Rania of Jordan is best known for her advocacy work in public health, education and as an outspoken opponent of the practice of "honor killings."

Countess of Wessex Sophie Rhys-Jones is married to Edward, Earl of Wessex, and is the mother of Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn.

Richard III was king of England for two turbulent years. He is best known for being accused of murdering his nephews to protect his throne.

Robert II was king of Scotland from 1371 to 1390, and is best known for his largely ineffectual reign.

Nicholas II was the last tsar of Russia under Romanov rule. His poor handling of Bloody Sunday and Russia’s role in World War I led to his abdication and execution.

Prince Rupert, a 17th century soldier, statesman and scientist, is best known for his talent as a Royalist commander of the English Civil War (1642 - 1651).

Saul was best known as the first King of Israel circa 1046 BC.

Emperor Haile Selassie I worked to modernize Ethiopia for several decades before famine and political opposition forced him from office in 1974.

Anne Boleyn's successor, Queen Consort Jane Seymour, was Henry VIII’s third wife. She bore his first male heir, King Edward VI, before dying of complications.

King Mohammed Zahir Shah was king of Afghanistan from 1933 to 1973, during which time he provided an era of stable government to his country.

American socialite Wallis Simpson became the mistress of Edward, Prince of Wales. Edward abdicated the throne to marry her, a period known as the Abdication Crisis.

St. Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, was said to have discovered the cross of Christ.

Stephen of Blois was king of England from 1135 to 1141. His reign was marked by a civil war known as The Anarchy.

Taksin was an 18th century Thai general and king.

Theodora was empress of the Byzantine Empire from 527 A.D. to 548 A.D. She greatly influenced her husband, Justinian I's political decisions.

Maria Theresa was an Austrian archduchess, and Holy Roman Empress of the Habsburg Dynasty from 1740 to 1780. She was also Marie Antoinette’s mother.

Pharaoh Thutmose III was the warrior king of Egypt’s 18th and largest dynasty. During his reign, he reestablished Egyptian rule of Syria and Palestine.