Acts of Union 1707
1707 · Early Modern
On May 1, 1707, two separate acts of Parliament — one passed by Scotland, one by England — implemented the Treaty of Union signed on July 22, 1706, merging the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain under Queen Anne. The two countries had shared a monarch since the Union of the Crowns in 1603 but maintained separate parliaments. Under the merged Parliament at Westminster, Scotland received 45 seats in the Commons and 16 in the Lords.
Key Figures
Queen AnneJames Douglas, Duke of QueensberryJohn Campbell, Duke of ArgyllSidney Godolphin, Lord Treasurer
Locations
Houses of Parliament, WestminsterParliament House, EdinburghThe Cockpit, Whitehall
Topics
Great BritainActs of UnionEnglandScotland
Connected Events — 3 Connections
The English Bill of Rights established parliamentary supremacy and constitutional monarchy principles that became the foundation for the unified British Parliament created by the Acts of Union, providing the constitutional framework that made union legally and politically possible English Bill of Rights Passed
The Great Storm devastated England's economy and infrastructure, creating fiscal pressure that made Queen Anne's government more receptive to the economic benefits of union with Scotland, while also demonstrating the vulnerability of separate kingdoms to shared natural disasters Great Storm of 1703
Established the parliamentary sovereignty principle that enabled the unified British Parliament to supersede both English and Scottish legislative bodies through the same constitutional framework English Bill of Rights
The Time Detectives® · Cadet Mission
Investigate This Event
Place it on the timeline. Earn points. Master the connections.
New to The Time Detectives?
Learn what it is →