<P> The monarch has a similar relationship with the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland . The Sovereign appoints the First Minister of Scotland on the nomination of the Scottish Parliament, and the First Minister of Wales on the nomination of the National Assembly for Wales . In Scottish matters, the Sovereign acts on the advice of the Scottish Government . However, as devolution is more limited in Wales, in Welsh matters the Sovereign acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom . The Sovereign can veto any law passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly, if it is deemed unconstitutional by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland . </P> <P> The Sovereign is deemed the "fount of justice"; although the Sovereign does not personally rule in judicial cases, judicial functions are performed in his or her name . For instance, prosecutions are brought on the monarch's behalf, and courts derive their authority from the Crown . The common law holds that the Sovereign "can do no wrong"; the monarch cannot be prosecuted for criminal offences . The Crown Proceedings Act 1947 allows civil lawsuits against the Crown in its public capacity (that is, lawsuits against the government), but not lawsuits against the monarch personally . The Sovereign exercises the "prerogative of mercy", which is used to pardon convicted offenders or reduce sentences . </P> <P> The monarch is the "fount of honour", the source of all honours and dignities in the United Kingdom . The Crown creates all peerages, appoints members of the orders of chivalry, grants knighthoods and awards other honours . Although peerages and most other honours are granted on the advice of the Prime Minister, some honours are within the personal gift of the Sovereign, and are not granted on ministerial advice . The monarch alone appoints members of the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Royal Victorian Order and the Order of Merit . </P> <P> Following Viking raids and settlement in the ninth century, the Anglo - Saxon kingdom of Wessex emerged as the dominant English kingdom . Alfred the Great secured Wessex, achieved dominance over western Mercia, and assumed the title "King of the English". His grandson Æthelstan was the first king to rule over a unitary kingdom roughly corresponding to the present borders of England, though its constituent parts retained strong regional identities . The 11th century saw England become more stable, despite a number of wars with the Danes, which resulted in a Danish monarchy for one generation . The conquest of England in 1066 by William, Duke of Normandy, was crucial in terms of both political and social change . The new monarch continued the centralisation of power begun in the Anglo - Saxon period, while the Feudal System continued to develop . </P>

When did the king of england stop ruling