The Acts of Union 1707 were two Acts of Parliament, one passed in England and one in Scotland, that merged the two kingdoms into a single state called Great Britain with one parliament at Westminster. They put into effect the Treaty of Union negotiated by commissioners from both sides the previous year. The two kingdoms had shared a monarch since 1603, but the union settled the question of royal succession in favor of the Protestant House of Hanover and gave Scotland access to English trade and colonial markets. Scotland kept its own legal system, Church and educational institutions. The union was politically contentious in Scotland, with protests and accusations of bribery, and a further union with Ireland in 1801 created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Before and after
- 28 October 1704Death of John Locke
- 1706Founding of Albuquerque
- 17 January 1706Birth of Benjamin Franklin
- 15 April 1707Birth of Leonhard Euler
- 30 April 1707Acts of Union 1707
- from 1 May 1707 to 1 January 1801Kingdom of Great Britain
- from 29 July 1707 to 21 August 1707Siege of Toulon
- from 14 September 1708 to 21 September 1708Capture of Minorca
- 18 September 1709Birth of Samuel Johnson
More in Wars, politics & history
- 1534Henry VIII becomes head of the Church of England
- from 17 January 1558 to 26 May 1583Livonian War
- from 2 April 1562 to 30 April 1598French Wars of Religion
- from September 1688 to September 1697Nine Years' War
- 1713Pragmatic Sanction of 1713
- from 28 May 1754 to 7 October 1763French and Indian War
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.