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The Crown

Today Netflix unveiled The Crown, its gloriously luxe new drama devoted to the early years of Elizabeth II’s reign. The series stars Claire Foy as QE2 and Matt Smith as her dashing husband Prince Philip. Between the brilliant performances and opulent sets, The Crown makes for one of the most engaging British history dramas ever produced — which is saying something because there have been a lot of great films and televisions shows based around England’s tumultuous history.

In honor of The Crown’s debut, Decider is taking you on a definitive journey through the history of England onscreen. Starting with the larger-than-life legend of King Arthur we’re going through each monarchy and recommending one (or two) titles that will give you a sense of the very human drama behind the constant struggle to maintain the English crown.

Click here for Part I: King Arthur to World Without End
Click here for Part II: The Hollow Crown to the End of Elizabeth

Part III takes us from the rise of Oliver Cromwell to the new Netflix show The Crown.

Warning: Hollywood hasn’t been all that interested in the House of Hanover.

Charles I (1625 – 1649)
Oliver Cromwell (1653 – 1658)
Richard Cromwell (1558 – 1659)

Oh boy, we’re at the part of British history that people don’t really like to talk about. So funny story you might not know: The British monarchy was toppled in 1649. Yeah, you read that correctly. The people rose up and voted to kill their king and to abolish the monarchy once and for all. You know what happened next? Well, a few years later one of the new Commonwealth’s most powerful political and military leaders, Oliver Cromwell, declared himself ruler. He didn’t call himself king. Instead he chose the term “Lord Protector.” But yeah, he acted an awful lot like a king and left his son in charge after his death.

Now there’s more to the story than this. Cromwell started off as a reformer, a deeply religious and patriotic man who thought Britain was in decay. The 1970 film Cromwell gives us a deeply human look at this crazy time. Fun fact: Richard “Dumbledore” Harris plays Oliver Cromwell in the film, which is ironic because his IRL son Jared Harris is playing King George VI in The Crown
[Where to Stream Cromwell]

Charles II (1660 – 1685)

You know how Oliver Cromwell tried to make his son the Lord Protector after his death? Well guess what? It didn’t work! It looked an awful lot like a new monarchy and the Brits didn’t think Richard Cromwell was all that impressive. So Charles I’s exiled son — who loved big wigs — decided to sneak back in. A lot happened during Charles II’s reign, but the biggest event was The Great Fire. Luckily for you, there’s a fun and seedy miniseries about this event and it’s connection to Charles II’s reign on Prime Video.
[Watch The Great Fire on Prime Video]

James II (1685 – 1688)

When Charles II died without an heir, his Catholic-leaning brother James II took the throne. Things got messy when Charles offered up a Catholic male heir. How messy? His eldest Protestant daughter Mary took the throne with her Dutch husband William of Orange… Fun note: James’s exiled Catholic heirs would eventually stir trouble in the 18th century — namely the Jacobite Rebellion that you see unspool on Outlander.

William & Mary (1689 – 1702)

William and Mary’s uneasy marriage of convenience put a cap on a series of Anglo-Dutch wars. Here’s a fun place to pivot away from England and to look at this time period from another nation’s point of view. The Dutch film Admiral tells the tale of legendary Dutch naval commander Michiel de Ruyter. William’s power moves had a disastrous effect on the lives of many Dutch leaders.
[Watch Admiral on Netflix]

Anne (1702 – 1714)

After Mary died, her younger Protestant sister Anne ascended the throne. Anne had a whopping 17 pregnancies, but none of her children survived to take the crown. Anne is interesting because writers are now just starting to use her as an inspiration for plays and stories. There aren’t any films or shows about her yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one pops up soon…

George I (1714 – 1727)
George II (1727 – 1760)

After Anne’s death, the Stuarts were replaced by the Hanover line of kings. German noble George I qualified for the throne because his mother had been James I’s granddaughter. His son inherited the throne after him. They aren’t all that interesting to Hollywood…

George III (1760 – 1820)
George IV (1820 – 1830)

What makes George III more interesting than the two before him? Well, he was the King George the American colonies rebelled against and there was a time in his life he went batshit crazy. The Madness of King George is a celebrated look at the king’s less-than-lucid time. Rupert Everett swans about as the young heir in waiting, George IV, in it, too.
[Where to Stream The Madness of King George]

William IV (1830 – 1837)

William IV was George III’s third son. He assumed the throne after George IV died without an heir. My favorite thing about him is the fact that he lived with his mistress, Dorothea Bland, for 20 years and left 8 surviving illegitimate children by her. None of his legitimate issue survived until his death, so the crown fell to his dead younger brother’s niece…

Victoria (1837 – 1901)

When Queen Victoria ascended the throne it wasn’t clear if she would be ruling or if her mother’s rumored lover, Sir John Conroy, would be ruling in her stead. So when she resisted their help after her coronation, it was a huge deal. The first half of Victoria’s reign was full of love and danger and at least one assassination plot. Things changed, though, after Prince Alfred’s untimely death. Queen Victoria spent the rest of her reign in mourning for her beloved Prince. While PBS has a Victoria miniseries coming down the pipeline, there are two films that focus on these two major chapters in Victoria’s life that you can rent or buy right now.
[Where to Stream The Young Victoria]
[Where to Stream Her Majesty Mrs. Brown]

Edward VII (1901 – 1910)

Edward VII was one of those “playboy princes” who caused his parents grief, but his sorrow was wrapped up in the fact that he spent most of his adult life as “the prince.” Unlike Prince Charles who seems totally fine just hanging out with Camilla and letting his sons take the spotlight, Edward was kind of thirsty for the crown. When he finally ascended to the throne at the age of 60, he was one of the most popular monarchs in British history.
[Watch Edward the King on Acorn TV]

George V (1910 – 1936)
Edward VIII (1936)

George V led his nation through the trauma of World War I and watched as his cousins Tsar Nicholas and Kaiser Wilhelm lost control of their respective nations. One of his biggest stresses, though, was figuring out what would happen after he was gone. His heir apparent, Edward (known to the family as David), was charismatic, but unfocused. He was a playboy brought to heel by his love for an American divorcée named Wallis Simpson. After George V passed, it didn’t take long for Edward to abdicate the throne to be with his love. The most unabashedly romantic take on this scandal comes from Madonna’s film W.E.
[Where to Stream W.E.]

George VI (1936 – 1952)

George VI was never supposed to be king. He was the awkward younger brother hampered by a stutter. The King’s Speech follows his struggles to overcome his speech impediment as he must pull from within to buoy up England in the face of the oncoming storm from Hitler and Nazi Germany.
[Where to Stream The King’s Speech]

Elizabeth II (1952 – Now)

When Queen Elizabeth II took the throne, no one could have anticipated that she would see a monarchy almost brought low by itself. Her reign is defined by the scandals of her children, the glamour of her grandchildren, and the increasing worry that the monarchy is meaningless. The new Netflix series The Crown will tackle all this and more!
[Watch The Crown on Netflix]

Click here for Part I: King Arthur to World Without End
Click here for Part II: The Hollow Crown to the End of Elizabeth

[Photos: Netflix, Everett Collection & BBC]