What were the Acts of Union 1707?

The Acts of Union 1707 were two separate parliamentary acts passed by Scotland and England that put into effect the international Treaty of Union. They politically merged the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into a single sovereign state called the Kingdom of Great Britain under Queen Anne. The acts took effect on May 1, 1707, replacing the separate parliaments with a single parliament based at the Palace of Westminster.

What we know

• The Acts of Union consist of two acts passed by the Parliament of Scotland in March 1707 and subsequently by the Parliament of England. [2]
• The acts enacted the international Treaty of Union agreed upon on July 22, 1706, joining England and Scotland into Great Britain under Queen Anne. [2]
• The ratification took effect on May 1, 1707, establishing a single parliament for the new kingdom at the Palace of Westminster. [2]
• Despite political and legislative union, distinct legal systems like English law and Scots law, as well as separate educational and religious institutions, were maintained. [4]

Where to go next

• what caused itHow did the Union of the Crowns in 1603 set the stage for 1707?
• what followedHow did the creation of Great Britain change the British Empire?
• how it workedHow did the Treaty of Union get negotiated by commissioners?
• how we knowWhat documents list the legislation of the old Parliament of Scotland?
• compared withHow did the later Acts of Union 1800 incorporate Ireland?
• an unexpected connectionHow did succession fears and the House of Stuart lead to the union?Differing laws of succession threatened to bring the exiled Roman Catholic Stuarts back to the Scottish throne, which became a driving political concern behind uniting the kingdoms.

Sources

• [1]Acts of Union 1707 (Wikidata Q193515) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Acts of Union 1707 · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]List of acts of the Parliament of Scotland from 1681 · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Kingdom of Great Britain · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]List of acts of the Parliament of Scotland from 1428 · CC BY-SA 4.0