Traditionally, the Kingdom of England is usually considered to begin with Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, one of the petty kingdoms to rule the southeastern portion of Great Britain. While Alfred was not the first king to lay claim to rule all of the English, his rule represents the first unbroken line of Kings to rule the whole of England, the House of Wessex. The last English monarch was  Queen Anne, who became Queen of Great Britain when England merged with Scotland to form a union in 1707. For monarchs after Queen Anne, see List of British monarchs.