List of fictional monarchs
This is a list of fictional Monarchs – characters who appear in fiction as the monarch of a fictional or real country. They are listed by country, then according to the production or story in which they appeared.
Austria-Hungary
- Crown Prince Leopold in the film version of the short story "Eisenheim the Illusionist" (1997) by Steven Millhauser, The Illusionist (2006) written and directed by Neil Burger, is a fictionalization of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria. His marriage to the fictional Duchess Sophie von Teschen to attain political power in Hungary and overthrow his father (a suggestion of Emperor Franz Joseph), is a distortion of the troubled relationship between the actual Emperor and his son, and one of the conspiracy theories behind the reported double suicide of the married Crown Prince Rudolf and his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera at Mayerling in 1889.
Denmark
- Edvard III, King of Denmark, and Haraald, King of Denmark in the films The Prince and Me and The Prince & Me 2: The Royal Wedding.
France
Southern Victory Series by Harry Turtledove
- Charles XI becomes king of France between the late 1920s and 1930 after Action Française takes control of the country, ends the French Third Republic, and restores the monarchy.
- The king's precise identity is never established.
- He supported the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War along with the United Kingdom against the Spanish Monarchists who were supported by Germany during the 1930s.
- He serves as the King of France for 14 years.
- He leads his country into a war with the German Empire, and is killed in 1944 when Germany destroys most of Paris with an atomic bomb. He is succeeded by Louis XIX (which may be an error on the author's part, as there has already been a Louis XIX).
The Short Reign of Pippin IV by John Steinbeck
Pippin Arnulf Héristal, a descendant of Charlemagne, is crowned as Pippin IV to provoke a rebellion.
Mexico
Southern Victory Series by Harry Turtledove
- Maximilian II had served as the Emperor of Mexico since at least 1880. He maintained the close ties between his country and France. In 1881, with his nation desperate for money, Maximilian decided to sell the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora to the Confederate States, which would cause the Second Mexican War with the United States. The following year, the war ended with a Confederate and allied victory and the US was forced to recognize Chihuahua and Sonora as Confederate territory.
- Francisco I served as the Emperor of Mexico after Maximilian II. During his reign as emperor, he saw Mexico enter the Great War on the side of the Entente Powers with the Confederate States, the United Kingdom, France, and Russia. Despite the Entente Powers losing the war, Mexico did not lose any territory to the Central Powers.
- Maximilian III served as the Emperor of Mexico after Francisco I. During his reign as emperor during the late 1910s and early 1920s, anti-Habsburg Revolutionaries sought to remove him from the throne and sparked the Mexican Civil War in 1917. The Revolutionaries were supported by the United States while the Monarchs were supported by the Confederate States. The civil war ended with a Monarch victory in 1925 and Maximilian's throne was safe. He served as the emperor until at least 1942 and saw the beginning of the Second Great War and Mexico join the Entente Powers once again.
- Francisco Jose II served as the Emperor of Mexico after Maximilian III and was the emperor during the Second Great War. He reluctantly supplied troops to the Confederacy, who were used to both help attack the United States and later defend the Confederacy from US counter-attacks.
After U.S. General Irving Morrell's major breakthrough at Pittsburgh came at the expense of poorly-equipped Mexican troops, Francisco Jose II refused to allow his men to participate in any more major battles against the United States. This would result in Mexico losing the Baja California peninsula to the United States. Confederate President Jake Featherston, after unsuccessfully attempting to change the Emperor's mind, finally acquiesced. Mexican troops were instead used to battle the black guerrilla fighters in the southern part of the Confederacy.
With the defeat of the Confederate States and the rest of the Entente Powers in 1944, Francisco Jose II (being one of the few Entente leaders not to be killed or voted out of office) no doubt expected his nation might fall next. However, the overtaxed United States was willing to leave Mexico and the emperor alone for the moment.
Philippines
- Pinu, father of Filippu in Trevor Żahra's Ħadd ma jista' jkanta jew idoqq strumenti tal-banda.
England, the United Kingdom, and the United States
A Certain Magical Index
- Queen Elizard: Debuted in the 17th light novel volume of the series. She is nearly deposed by her daughter, Princess Carissa, in a coup d'état with the Knights of England but managed to escape. She later used a magical artifact to help weaken her rebellious daughter and empower all of the peoples of the United Kingdom in the final battle against her in Buckingham Palace.
Arthur C. Clarke stories
- King Henry IX: In the short story "Refugee", is still the Prince of Wales when Britain's first spaceport opens in Salisbury Plain. He stows away in a space freighter heading to Port Lowell, Mars.
Anno Dracula series by Kim Newman
- Dracula, who defeats his adversaries, marries Queen Victoria, and seizes control of Britain in Anno Dracula. He becomes first Prince Consort, and subsequently Lord Protector.
- King Victor I in The Bloody Red Baron. The King is the real life Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, Queen Victoria's grandson and the second in the line of succession to the British throne from his birth in 1864 until his death in 1892.
Star Spangled Crown by Charles A. Coulombe
- King James IV of the United States
- Born Hans-Josef II of Lichtenburg
- Conferred authority in the wake of a military coup whose leaders reconstitute the United States as a constitutional monarchy
- Formally "James IV, King of the United States and of their Possessions, Grand Duke of Lichtenburg"
The Bed-Sitting Room
- Her Majesty Mrs. Ethel Shroake of 393A High Street, Leytonstone
- Queen in The Bed-Sitting Room
- Inherited the throne on being the closest surviving heir in a post-nuclear holocaust Britain
- The revised national anthem: God save Mrs Ethel Shroake, Long live Mrs Ethel Shroake, God save Mrs Ethel Shroake of 393a, High Street, Leytonstone ...
Blackadder
- King Richard IV of England, played by Brian Blessed, who took power after his uncle, Richard III, was killed during the Battle of Bosworth Field rather than being killed (as it is alleged) by Richard III as a boy in the tower. He ruled during the events of The Black Adder. Henry VII then seized control and falsified historical records to erase any memory of his predecessor.
- Edmund of England, played by Rowan Atkinson, ruled for just thirty seconds in the final episode of The Black Adder.
- Prince Ludwig the Indestructible, played by Hugh Laurie, killed Queen Elizabeth I and her court, which included Lord Blackadder, Lord Melchett, Lord Percy and Nursie, and disguised himself as the Queen, presumably continuing until the Queen's official death.
- George IV of the United Kingdom, played by Rowan Atkinson, really Edmund Blackadder as the real Prince George was killed in around 1805 by the Duke of Wellington, who had mistaken him for Blackadder. Blackadder was subsequently mistaken for the prince by his mad father and presumably went on to live what history records as the rest of Prince George's life.
- Edmund III of the United Kingdom, played by Rowan Atkinson, became king in Blackadder: Back & Forth after using a time machine to alter history.
Books by William F. Buckley, Jr.
- In the 1976 novel Saving the Queen, Queen Caroline ascended the throne in 1951.
Books by Joan Aiken
- James III of the United Kingdom
- King in Joan Aiken's Black Hearts in Battersea
- Note: Not the Old Pretender, but a descendant
Books by Kingsley Amis
- Stephen II, son of Arthur, Prince of Wales (d. 1502) and Katherine of Aragon. His existence led his uncle Henry the Abominable (Henry VIII in our reality) to try to usurp the throne, but was foiled in the War of the English Succession. Presumably, Stephen III and William IV are his descendants.
- Thereafter, King in The Alteration by Kingsley Amis
- Stephen III of England
- King in The Alteration by Kingsley Amis
- William IV of England
- King in The Alteration by Kingsley Amis
- Son of Stephen III
Books by Michael Moorcock
- Gloriana I of Albion is the reigning monarch in Gloriana, or the Unfullfill'd Queen. She is Moorcock's antithesis of Queen Elizabeth I in this homage to Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene and Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy of novels.
- King Hern VI of Albion is Gloriana I's father, a despot with echoes of Elizabeth I's father, King Henry VIII (deceased before Moorcock's novel opens).
Books by Harry Turtledove
- Henry IX of the United Kingdom is the reigning monarch in In the Presence of Mine Enemies, an alternate history wherein the Axis won World War II. While the king has very little direct power, (the Nazis having annexed the UK) he is able to affect the politics of his country. His lineage is never addressed.
- Charles III of the United Kingdom in The Two Georges, co-authored with Richard Dreyfus. While the character is described as being quite physically similar to The Prince of Wales, the fictional Charles III is actually a child of Edward VIII.
- Edward VIII was able to retain his throne for much longer in both The Two Georges and the Southern Victory Series.
Carolus Rex series by Andre Norton and Rosemary Edghill
- Charles III On his deathbed Charles II confirms The Duke of Monmouth as his legitimate heir, avoiding Monmouth's Rebellion, the excesses of James II and the Glorious Revolution
- Henry IX King of the Great Britain as of the 1805 setting of the book.
Chrestomanci series of books by Diana Wynne Jones
- In Charmed Life, Cat Chant tells Janet Chant (who is from "our" world) that the king is Charles VII, to which she replies "What? No Georges?". This may mean that in Cat's world, the House of Stuart retained the throne.
Doctor Who
- Queen Liz 10 – The ruler of the Starship UK in The Beast Below, she refers to herself and her predecessors by their abbreviated name and number. In contemporary terms this would presumably make her Queen Elizabeth X.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Anime)
- The 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannia Empire and father of main character, Lelouch Lamperouge. He installs his children in important positions in the Empire to see their true abilities. He views equality as an evil that must be dispelled and encourages social battle to maintain evolution within the society. As such, he publicly supports inequality and calls for competition and fighting so as to create progress.
- The 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannia Empire, as well as the titular character of series. When Lelouch ascended to the throne during, he quickly abolished many policies that grew during the Charles' reign. These include the abolishment of aristocratic system, financial conglomerates, and the liberation of colonies. This led to discontent, and thus, agents and loyalist to Emperor Lelouch routinely goes and put down dissidents.
Emberverse
In the apocalyptic series that begins with Dies the Fire, the so-called "Change" modified physical laws on Earth so that combustion, gunpowder, and electricity cannot function (though the human central nervous system seems to be unchanged). In the resulting crisis, the United Kingdom undergoes riots. On the third day of the crisis, some of the Royal Family are evacuated to the Isle of Wight on foot, horseback, and by horse-drawn vehicles. In December 1998, Elizabeth II dies and her son succeeds her as Charles III who is also known as "Mad King Charles". In 2008, Charles III dies from a stroke and his son succeeds him as William V the Great, King of Great Britain and Emperor of the West. William V is succeeded by his son Charles IV.
Headlong by Emlyn Williams
- King John II: The actor Jack Green, who is grandson of Prince Albert Victor and made king after the royal family is killed in 1935
- King William V: Originally William Millingham, is the private secretary of John II, and as another descendant of royalty, becomes the new king after John's abdication
House of Cards
In the British political satire To Play the King, the second book (and TV series) in the House of Cards trilogy by Michael Dobbs, an unnamed King, obviously based on HRH The Prince of Wales, takes the throne. He goes up against the utterly ruthless and unscrupulous Prime Minister Francis Urquhart and is ultimately undone and forced to abdicate. His estranged wife and young son appear more loosely based on Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince William. The novel diverges in many ways from the TV series and carries the suggestion that after abdicating the ex-King would go into politics and seek to be elected Prime Minister.
Hyperdrive
In the episode "Clare" (which takes place in the year 2151), the character Clare superstitiously recites all the Kings & Queens of England, including the following:
- King Charles III presumably the current Prince of Wales
- King Harry I presumably Prince Harry [Strictly Henry IX]
- Queen Chenise Harry's daughter
- King Keith Harry's grandson
The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons
- William XXIII of the Kingdom of Windsor-in-Exile
- Also called "Sad King Billy"
- King on Asquith, a planet traditionally held by his kingdom
- Sells Asquith in order to settle on the planet Hyperion, where he intends to revive fine art, taking Martin Silenus with him.
"If: A Jacobite Fantasy" by Charles Petrie
- James III of England and VIII of Scotland: The Jacobite rising of 1745, led by Charles Edward Stuart, succeeded in restoring the House of Stuart to the British throne. In February 1746, his father arrived to London to officially take the throne. In 1752, he granted clemency to the Hanoverian rebels. By 1926, the House of Hanover's usurpation of the throne was viewed as "an interlude in the national life, but it was one that will not have been without its purpose if it is regarded as a lesson upon the consequences of rebellion."
- Charles III of England and Scotland: James III's eldest son. Charles III allied himself with Frederick II of Prussia and, together, they "towered over the other rulers of Europe like colossi" from 1766 until Frederick's death in 1786. During his reign, the colonies in British North America rebelled against Great Britain but a diplomatic solution was reached. Charles III was credited with saving the situation by his witty remark to George Washington, who went on to become one of Britain's greatest generals, and his colleagues: "Gentlemen, we have one thing in common: my family have no more cause to like the House of Commons than you have." The invention of the steam engine was also a contributory factor to the improvement of relations between Britain and the Dominion of North America as it allowed for the British monarchs to hold their courts alternately in London and New York City. The generals who eventually defeated Napoleon Bonaparte were all trained in Charles III's "school of warfare." By 1926, he was regarded as the greatest of all British monarchs and it was believed that, had not been for the Stuart Restoration, Britain would have followed France's example and adopted a republican form of government.
- Henry IX of England and I of Scotland: James III's second son. As Duke of York, his patronage helped ensure the flourishing of literature and art in Britain and this policy continued after he came to the throne as Henry IX. After the French Revolution drove the deposed Electors of Hanover into exile in 1789, he gave them a "generous pension."
- James IV of England and IX of Scotland
- James V of England and X of Scotland
- James VI of England and XI of Scotland was the reigning monarch in 1926.
Johnny English
- Pascal Sauvage I of the United Kingdom
- Played by John Malkovich
- King in Johnny English
- Note: Never actually became king as Johnny English knocked him off the throne and was accidentally crowned king.
- Johnny English
- Played by Rowan Atkinson
- King in Johnny English
- Note: accidentally crowned king. Abdicating after one day in favour of Queen Elizabeth II. English exchanges the throne for a knighthood.
King Ralph
- Wyndham Family, the ruling House of the United Kingdom in the film King Ralph, who are all killed in a photography accident.
- Ralph I of the United Kingdom, played by John Goodman, was an American lounge singer who came to the throne following the Wyndham family's demise.
- Cedric I of the United Kingdom, played by Peter O'Toole, took power after Ralph I abdicated the throne.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
- Nan Bollen: A faerie version of Anne Boleyn
- Gloriana I: A combination of Elizabeth I, Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene, and Michael Moorcock's Gloriana of Albion
- Jacob I: An alternate version of James I
- Gloriana II: An alternate version of Elizabeth II
Lord Darcy novels
- John VI of the Anglo-French Empire
- King in the Lord Darcy novels by Randall Garrett
- Descendant of Richard I Plantagenet, who survived the siege of Chalus in 1199 CE in this series.
- In the history of the same timeline Arthur I, Duke of Brittany, Richard I's nephew, got to be King and proved one of the greatest Kings of English history. His reign came to be considered a Golden Age, to the extent that later generations popular imagination confused him with King Arthur of heroic myth. A major achievement of Arthur's time was the beginning of systematic research and codification of magic, which would later become a central aspect of human civilization.
Marvel Comics
- King Britain of Britain, though technically he rules the whole of Europe. He is king in the Earth X setting, and an alternate future version of Captain Britain.
The Moon Maid/Moon Men
Edgar Rice Burroughs published in the early 1920s "The Moon Maid" and "The Moon Men", envisioning a 20th Century in which "The Great War" would have gone on uninterrupted, though with varying intensity, from 1914 and until 1967 - ending with the total victory of the Anglo-Saxon Powers, Britain and the US, and the complete defeat and surrender of all other powers. Britain and the US thereupon become co-rulers of the planet, London and Washington being the twin planetary capitals and the US President and British Monarch acting as co-rulers, and with the British-American domination of the world imposed by the International Peace Fleet, made up of airships. In the first decades of the 21st Century the world basks in peace, there seems no enemy and no threat anywhere, and pressure grows for complete disarmament and scrapping of the International Peace Fleet. It is the (unnamed) King of Britain who strongly resists this pressure, and due to him half of the Fleet and of the world's armament industries are retained. This is not enough to resist the invasion fleet of the wild Kalkars from the Moon, led by the renegade Earthman Orthis, which suddenly descends on the world in 2050, capturing London and Washington and ranging the world at will. But since due to the British King's foresight there was still a remnant of the Fleet in existence, this remnant engages in a desperate last stand and succeeds in killing the renegade Orthis - facilitating humanity's eventual liberation from Kalkar domination, though only centuries later. Burroughs does not specify the King's ultimate fate.
The Napoleon of Notting Hill
- Auberon Quin in The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G. K. Chesterton. In this book the ruler of the United Kingdom is selected randomly from the "official class", which one character describes as "the sane and enduring democracy ... founded on the fact that all men are equally idiotic".
Nation by Terry Pratchett
- In an alternate version of our world in the 1870s, after influenza kills the entire English royal family, Governor Fanshaw is the next heir to the throne and is sought out in the South Pacific. His daughter Ermentrude ("Daphne") Fanshaw is his heir and succeeds him on the throne and becomes queen.
The Palace
- King James III
- King Richard IV, his son, played by Rupert Evans
The Puppet Masters
In Robert A. Heinlein's The Puppet Masters, taking place in a fictional 2007, the world is invaded by parasitic aliens capable of attaching themselves to the body of a human and completely controlling him or her. The only effective immediate countermeasure, implemented in the US, is for people to walk around naked, so that it could be seen they are not controlled by aliens.
The British King (unnamed, but could be assumed to be the actual Prince Charles) wants to follow the example of the President of the United States and give Britons a personal example of stripping naked in public – but is dissuaded due to the strong objections of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Britain thus remains exposed to the danger of an alien invasion.
Short story by Saki
- Hermann I The Irascible/The Wise (formerly Hermann XIV of Saxe-Drachsen-Wachtelstein), who was thirtieth in order of succession, became king after a plague killed the entire royal family
The Time Ships
- Egbert I of the United Kingdom
- King in The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter, a sequel to The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.
- Note: The novel's protagonist, visiting an alternate version of the Great War, is surprised to discover that the King is "a skinny chap called Egbert", apparently a distant cousin of the Royal Family who was the most senior survivor of massive German bombing raids early in the conflict.
V for Vendetta
- Queen Zara I of the United Kingdom
- Queen in V for Vendetta (comic book)
- Reigns as a puppet under a fascist regime in 1997.
- Presumably based on Zara Phillips, daughter of Anne, Princess Royal; she was sixth in succession when publication began—and is, as of 2016, now sixteenth. The graphic novel describes a nuclear war in the 1980s, which may have led to the deaths of all ahead of her in the line of succession; or the fascists may have chosen her, the (then) youngest of the royal family and thus most easily manipulated.
- Adam Sutler
- Holds power as High Chancellor in V for Vendetta (film)
- The film, set in the 2030s, shows a painting of High Chancellor Adam Sutler's face on an Andy Warhol-style portrait of Elizabeth II, a work of art titled "God Save the Queen." But the film makes no mention of a current monarch or of the monarchy's current status. Paper money in the film is shown to have Sutler's portrait, as opposed to that of the reigning monarch, suggesting the monarchy's abolition or its diminution in importance in relation to the office of High Chancellor. Homes and businesses have portraits of Sutler instead of that of the monarch. The music to "God Save the King/Queen" is played when a Sutler impersonator is introduced on the TV show Dietrich's Half-Hour, but this may be a sign that the national anthem has been altered to serve the Chancellor, rather than that the monarchy has been maintained.
Fictional countries
Atlantica
- King Triton, father of Ariel in the Disney film The Little Mermaid.
Equestria
- Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria in the television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
- Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria in the television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
Genovia
- King Rupert Renaldi
- Mia Thermopolis, in the book and films The Princess Diaries
Kartaksan
A fictional country in Trevor Żahra's Ħadd ma jista'... series.[1][2][3]
- Dwardu XXVIII (Edward XXVIII), father of Żabett XIX and Adelara. He died after he swallowed his uvula after chronic hiccups.
- Żabbett XIX (Elizabeth XIX), also known as Żurbett, the wife of Prince Filippu and the mother of Maja I. She was beautiful but stupid. She had a beautiful voice and liked to sing but lost her voice and ordered that music be banned from Kartaksan. She died after she was kicked off the edge of a cliff by a horse.
- Filippu (Philip), husband of Żabbett XIX and Prince of Whales (the character is a parody of Prince Philip and the Prince of Wales). He was regent until his daughter Maja I was old enough to take the throne. He later married Vjoletta Pusè.
- Maja I (Maya I), who became queen aged 18. She was the mother of Karlu VII and she died because her son didn't win a marathon.
- Karlu VII (Carl VII), who became king aged 13 after his mother's death. He married three times to Prima, Sekondina and Terzetta, who all died strange deaths. He remained a widower for the rest of his life. He was deposed in a coup d'état (after he had ordered soldiers to arrest everyone including themselves) and escaped to Ċee-Lee.
- Granċella, a genius who was chosen as Queen after Karlu VII was deposed. The country prospered during her reign, but was attacked twice by Qaddiefi. She married Franġello.
The Underground
- Asgore Dreemurr (Undertale) He is a tall, bearded goat monster, ex-husband of Toriel, father of Asriel and Chara the First Human. He collected six human souls in order to destroy the barrier that separates the Underground with the Surface world.
Yangdon
- Anand Wangchuk, the biological father of protagonist, Mikay Maghirang in the Philippine television series, Princess and I
See also
- List of fictional British Prime Ministers
- List of fictional Australian politicians
- List of fictional political parties
- List of fictional U.S. Presidential candidates
- List of fictional U.S. Presidents
- List of fictional U.S. Vice Presidents
References
- ↑ Żahra, Trevor (2010). Ħadd ma jista' jidħak jew jiekol pastizzi tal-piżelli. Blata l-Bajda: Merlin Library Ltd. ISBN 9789990913699.
- ↑ Żahra, Trevor (2011). Ħadd ma jista' jkanta jew idoqq strumenti tal-banda. Blata l-Bajda: Merlin Library Ltd. ISBN 9789990913934.
- ↑ Żahra, Trevor (2012). Ħadd ma jista' jsaltan jew jieħu tron li mhux tiegħu. Blata l-Bajda: Merlin Library Ltd. ISBN 9789990914344.