Edward VII belonged to the
House of Windsor (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha). Born at
Buckingham Palace in 1841, he ascended to the throne in 1901 and died in 1910. He was preceded as monarch by
Queen Victoria and was succeeded by
George V.
Baptized as Albert Edward, he was known before his ascension to the throne as Prince Albert. He studied at the universities of Edinburgh, Oxford, and Cambridge, and married Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863. They had six children, including the future George VI.
On the death of his mother Queen Victoria, Edward became king in 1901. He made clear his intent to play the role of constitutional monarch, respecting the limits on his power. Nevertheless, he played an important part in diplomacy. His generally pro-French feelings, combined with anti-German sentiments of a family as well as political nature, led him to encourage the British government to seek alliances with other countries who were uneasy about German policy. The Entente Cordiale between Britain and France in 1904 was a personal triumph.
