Despite their geographical proximity, the kingdoms of England and Scotland have not always been part of the same country. For centuries, they were ruled by different governments and considered separate political entities. This changed in 1603 and again in 1707 when the Union of England and Scotland was established during the reign of Queen Anne. The Hanoverian monarchy was keen to secure the succession to both crowns and Scotland benefited from freedom of trade from the new agreement.
Here are ten key facts about the Act of Union of England and Scotland, how it came to pass and what it meant for the newly formed Great Britain.
1. Which king created the Union of England and Scotland of 1603?
After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, she had no direct heirs. So, she was succeeded by her cousin, James VI of Scotland (son of Mary, Queen of Scots). On taking the English throne, he also became James I of England, starting the Union of Crowns between Scotland and England. He was also the first Stuart monarch, beginning a dynasty that ran for over a century until the death of Queen Anne in 1714.
2. What was the Union of England and Scotland Act 1603?
The Union of England and Scotland Act was passed in 1603, the same year James took the two crowns, in a bid to formalise the connection. However, despite the two countries now having the same king, the Act was not trusted and had to be withdrawn. England and Scotland remained politically separate until 1707, although James oversaw both countries’ foreign and domestic policy and created a unified Church of England and Scotland.
3. Who set in motion the Tender of Union in 1652?
James’s heir, Charles I spent much of his reign developing the formalities and decrees set out by his father in 1603. He was met with conflict; however, the Tender of Unions was passed in 1652. This formally dissolved the Scottish Parliament and granted Scottish MPs 30 seats in Westminster instead.
4. How did this affect England and Scotland’s official standing?
Scotland and England officially became a single Commonwealth instead of two separate kingdoms. While trade improved, the move was accompanied by heavy taxes, so was very unpopular. It was dissolved in 1660 with the Restoration and Charles II’s accession as king. Discussions continued to take place about uniting England and Scotland further, but these gained little to no traction until the joint reign of William III and Mary II began in 1689.
5. What did William III and Mary II do to push the interests of a stronger union further?
William and Mary reigned together from 1689 to 1694 – the only joint monarchs in England and Scotland’s history. William reopened negotiations to unite England and Scotland in order to protect them against claims on the throne championed by the Jacobites – supporters of the Catholic lineage of James II and VII. They did not have any children, so when Mary died in 1694, William’s only choice was to name Mary’s sister, Princess Anne as his successor. Queen Anne came to the throne in 1702 on William’s death.
6. Who passed the Act of Union in 1707?
Queen Anne oversaw the culmination of William’s negotiations to form a deeper union between England and Scotland. She also secured the crown’s succession for the new Hanoverian dynasty, again to protect it against Jacobite attacks. She did this by overseeing the forming of the Act of Union of England and Scotland in 1707. Both the English and Scottish Parliaments agreed that the kingdoms of Scotland and England would be united as Great Britain under one parliament.
7. What were some of the terms of the Act of Union?
The Act of Union recognised that the childless Anne would be succeeded by the Hanoverian descendants of James VII and II. It contained 25 Articles, including provisions for freedom of trade, uniform coinage, weights and measures, and representation for Scotland in Parliament by 45 MPs and 16 elected peers. Scotland was granted access to valuable English colonial markets in North America and the West Indies. Catholics were excluded from the line of succession.
8. How did the Act bring about the founding of Great Britain?
The Act came into effect on 1 May 1707, which is when Great Britain was formed. The flags of St George and St Andrew were combined and the two governmental systems were merged into one. The two countries were formally united under the new name of Great Britain. Even though coins, weights and measures were combined, the countries kept their own churches and religious arrangements separate.
9. Who succeeded Queen Anne?
The intended heir to Queen Anne of Great Britain, Princess Sophia of Hanover, died before she could take the throne. So, her son George (who became George I of Great Britain) became king instead after Anne died in 1714. This followed the Act of Union’s decree that Catholics were no longer allowed to inherit the throne. The Hanoverian dynasty lasted until 1901, when it ended on the death of Queen Victoria at the height of the British Empire.
10. How has the Act of Union been commemorated?
The Act of Union has been commemorated in many different ways, including this charming silver Queen Anne Union of England medal, which shows a bust of Queen Anne crowned and draped on the obverse side, with the monarch presented as a statue of Pallas on the reverse:
1707 Queen Anne - Union of England & Scotland
