Slideshow: Longest-Reigning British Monarchs
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Victoria (63 years, seven months, three days)
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/victoria.jpgThe last monarch of the House of Hanover, Victoria was crowned queen at just 18 in 1837. Although British sovereigns no longer wielded significant political power by the time she ascended the thrown, she managed to influence government policy and helped shape the culture of the era that would bear her name. All of Victoria’s nine children and many of her grandchildren married into other powerful royal or noble families, earning her the nickname “the grandmother of Europe.”
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Elizabeth II (59 years, seven months, five days)
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/elizabeth-ii.jpgIn 1937, 10-year-old Elizabeth became the heiress presumptive after her father, King George VI, ascended the throne following his older brother’s controversial abdication. She was crowned queen in 1953. As the first British royal family of the television age, Elizabeth, her husband Prince Philip and their children and grandchildren have often been thrust into the public spotlight. If Elizabeth is still on the throne by September 10, 2015, she will surpass her ancestor Victoria’s impressive record.
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George III (59 years, three months, four days)
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/george-iii.jpgThe third Hanoverian monarch, George succeeded his grandfather, George II, in 1760 at age 22. His reign was marked by a number of military conflicts in various parts of the world, including the American Revolutionary War, in which Britain lost its American colonies. In popular culture, he is often remembered for his intermittent bouts of mental illness and the dementia he suffered during his final years in power. The father of 15 children, he was succeeded by his son George IV.
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James VI & I (57 years, eight months, three days)
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/james-vi-i.jpgBorn in 1566, James became king of Scotland at just 13 months old. In 1603, he ascended the throne of England and Ireland after his cousin Elizabeth I, the ruler of England and Ireland, died without any heirs. As a result, the three countries that would later form the United Kingdom were controlled by the same monarch. James died at 58 and was succeeded by his son Charles I.
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Henry III (56 years, 29 days)
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/henry-iii.jpgIn 1216, 9-year-old Henry succeeded his father John as king of England. His reign was marked by civil strife between English barons and the monarchy, debate over Magna Carta and unsuccessful military campaigns in France. He died at 65 and was succeeded by his son Edward I.
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