Britain's throne has seen tyrants, schemers and stone-cold operators dressed in ermine. Some changed the country forever through sheer bloody-minded will. Rank them by who you secretly respect the most.
Put the items in your preferred order.
Henry VIII
He broke with Rome, dissolved the monasteries and rewrote English religion because he couldn't get a divorce. Petty? Absolutely. Effective? Terrifyingly so.
Elizabeth I
Outmanoeuvred the Spanish, executed her own cousin and ran a surveillance state Walsingham would be proud of. Ruthless in heels and a ruff.
William the Conqueror
Crossed the Channel, killed a king and ordered the Harrying of the North that left entire counties as wasteland. Rebranded England by force.
Richard III
Two princes vanished in the Tower, the throne mysteriously became his, and Shakespeare did the rest. Misunderstood or murderous? You decide.
Queen Victoria
Presided over a quarter of the globe while her armies crushed dissent from Delhi to Dublin. The smiling face of industrial-scale imperialism.
Drag the photo to reorder
Which song, originally written for a 1971 Coca-Cola advert, became a worldwide hit for The New Seekers?
π΅ Music Β· 27 votes
Which historical royal was famous for eating up to 30 dishes at a single meal, often barely touching most of them?
π½οΈ Food & Drinks Β· 25 votes
Which UK political constituency would you most love to represent as an MP?
ποΈ Politics Β· 25 votes
Was the British Empire's involvement in the Opium Wars its most morally indefensible act?
π³ 27 votes