Regnal Name

A regnal name, or reign name, is a formal name used by some monarchs and popes during their reigns. The term is simply the adjective "regnal", of or relating to a reign, monarch, or kingdom, modifying name.

Since medieval times, monarchs have frequently, but not always, chosen to use a name different from their own usual personal name when they inherit a throne.

The regnal name is followed by an ordinal, usually expressed as a Roman numeral (VI rather than 6), to provide a unique name for that monarch. If a monarch rules more than one realm, he or she may carry different ordinals in each one, as they are each assigned chronologically, but some realms may have had different numbers of rulers of the same regnal name previously, usually from a different dynasty. For example, one ruler was both King James I of England and Ireland, and James VI of Scotland. The ordinal is not used for the first ruler of the name, but is used in historical references once the name is used again. Thus, Queen Elizabeth of England was so-called until the accession of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952; subsequent historical references to the earlier figure were changed to Elizabeth I.

In some countries in Asia, monarchs took or take era names. While era names as such are not used in many monarchies, sometimes periods of time are named after a monarch (usually long-lived), or a succession of monarchs of the same name. This is customary; there is no formal or general rule. The whole period during which a succession of Georges of the Hanoverian dynasty ruled became known as the Georgian era; although there were many Edwards, the Edwardian era is the reign of Edward VII.