How are sovereigns numbered?
Scottish and English sovereigns were numbered separately, as long as the kingdoms were separate. Note that English and British sovereigns are numbered since the Conquest; also, they are usually numbered only if that Christian name has been born by more than one ruler (thus one says “Queen Victoria” and not “Queen Victoria I”). With the personal union of the crowns in 1603 sovereigns used dual numbers when applicable, e.g., James VI and I (6th of Scotland and 1st of England). Since the union of the kingdoms in 1707, a single numeral has been used for each sovereign, and it has been the one consistent with the English rather than the Scottish sequence of sovereigns: William IV (rather than III), Edward VII (rather than I). Soon after the accession of Elizabeth II, it was announced that, henceforth, the highest numeral from either sequence would be chosen, so that the next Richard will be the 4th, but the next James will be the 8th.
