The Acts of Union 1707

"Since 1603, England and Scotland had a shared monarch, but were separate: two crowns, on one head"

- Emma Slattery Williams

WHAT WERE THE ACTS OF UNION?

On 1 May 1707, two acts took effect: one passed by the Parliament of Scotland and the other by the Parliament of England. Together, they enacted the Treaty of Union to bring together their individual states into the United Kingdom of Great Britain. While they had already shared the same monarchs for more than 100 years, England and Scotland now had a shared sovereignty, parliament and flag, as well as taxation, coinage and trade systems. This was a key step in the formation of the Britain that exists today.

HAD THERE BEEN ATTEMPTS TO UNITE ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND BEFORE THE 18TH CENTURY?

Since 1603, England and Scotland had been in a dynastic union with a shared monarch. Elizabeth I had died without an heir, ending the Tudor line and resulting in her cousin James VI, who had ruled Scotland since 1567, becoming King of England and Ireland. But they remained separate kingdoms: two crowns, just on one head. Despite promises that he would return often to Scotland, James VI and I moved his court to England and only travelled north again on one occasion in the following 22 years. His wish was to establish a "blessed union", but neither of his parliaments were enthusiastic about that idea and rebuffed his attempts.

The Commonwealth formed after the Civil Wars, when Oliver Cromwell was ruling as Lord Protector, then tried to force the issue in the 1650s by declaring that Scotland had to join with England and Ireland. The Scots were given 30 seats in parliament, but most were not filled during this brief period of union, and it was scrapped with the restoration of Charles II in 1660.

SO WHAT WERE THE MOTIVATIONS THAT EVENTUALLY LED TO UNION?