Great Britain - the Union of England and Scotland

The Acts Of Union joined the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland (previously separate states, with separate legislatures but with the same monarch - James II had been James VII of Scotland) into a single United Kingdom of Great Britain (we have used this name since that day).

The two countries had shared a monarch since the Union of the Crowns (interregnum) in 1603, when King James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne from his double first cousin twice removed, Queen Elizabeth I. Although described as a Union of Crowns, until 1707 there were in fact two separate Crowns resting on the same head.

On this date, the Scots Parliament and the English Parliament united to form the Parliament of Great Britain, based in the Palace of Westminster in London, the home of the English Parliament.

The English Perspective:

The English purpose of it was to ensure that Scotland would not choose a monarch different from the one on the English throne. The two countries had shared a king for much of the previous century, but the English were concerned that an independent Scotland with a different king, even if he were a Protestant, might make alliances against England. The English succession was provided for by the English Act of Settlement 1701, which ensured that the monarch of England would be a Protestant member of the House of Hanover. English people also didn't want Scots to renew the alliance with France (know as an Auld Alliance)

The Scottish Perspective:

The country would avoid a war with England.

Economic reasons - it would remove the limits of trade with England

The House of Hanover and Saxe-Gotha

The succession line (just to remind you. If you don't like it, just cut it off)

House of Stuart
James I
Charles I (executed in 1649)

The Commonwealth (England is a Republic for eleven years -> 1649 - 1660)

Oliver Cromwell (In 1653 he became „Lord Protector” and governed Englad alone, died in 1658)
Richard Cromwell (a weak leader)

House of Stuart, Restored
Charles II (a king who „never said a foolish thing, nor ever did a wise one”, he was attracted to the Catholic Church, hence the Test Act)
James II (he showed his dislike to Protestants, and tried to remove the laws which prevented Catholics from taking position in the government) (his son was born in 1688, but The English Government didn't want him - they chose Mary and William!)

House of Orange and Stuart (The Glorious Revolution of 1688 - Parliament made William a king not by an inheritance but by a choice - it was revolutionary and its power over the Monarch was written into the Bill of Rights in 1689)

William III, Mary II (the are both kings!) (Mary was James' sister and was a strong Protestant, unlike her brother) (They were too busy with politics and had no time for sex, so no children here)

House of Stuart (sister of Mary)
Anne (She married George, Prince of Denmark, but the pair failed to produce a surviving heir.)

House of Brunswick, Hanover Line (became rulers in 1714 after Anne has passed away) (1714 - 1901)
George I (son of Ernest, Elector of Hanover and Sophia, granddaughter of James I - so there was a slight connection with Stuarts:P) (when he came to England some Jacobites (Stuart's followers)were against him, but he managed to defeat them) (Government power was increased because the bnew king spoke only German, and did not seem very interested in his new kingdom. Among the king's ministers was Robert Walpole, who remained the greatest political leader for over twenty years. He is considered Britain's first Prime Minister, he was determined to keep the Crown under the firm control of the Parliament He skillfully developed the idea that government ministers should work together in a small group - “Cabinet”. His greatest enemy was a Whig William Pitt “the Elder”, later Lord Chatham)
George II (in 1756 he allied with Frederick the Great of Prussia against France, Austria and Russia and involved England in the Seven Years' War. British efforts were aimed at destroying French navy and trade. 1759 - was the year of England's greatest military triumphs - the English took complete control over the sea, captured Quebec in Canada, and made some conquests in India and the Caribbean - it greatly increased the power of British Empire.
George III (succeeded after his GRANDfather George II in 1760 was the first Hanoverian bron in Britain, he didn't like wars, he made peace with France - he signed the Peace of Paris without telling his ally, Frederick of Prussia about it. One of his Prime Misters was William Pitt the Younger whom he strongly supported. Under Pitt, Britain was fast recovering her prosperity and self-confidence after the American War of Independence, which resulted in the thirteen colonies being declared independent of Great Britain and the establishment of the United States of America. George III died blind, deaf and mad at Windsor Castle on January 29, 1820.)
George IV
William IV
Victoria (as we all know she passed away in 1901)

House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Edward VII (although he was the eldest son of Queen Victoria he took the father's family namce, hence the change of lineage! He maintained an active social life, and his penchant for flamboyant accouterments set trends among the fashionable. The 1902 Education Act provided subsidized secondary education, and the Liberal government passed a series of acts benefiting children after 1906; old age pensions were established in 1908. The 1909 Labour Exchanges Act laid the groundwork for national health insurance, which led to a constitutional crisis over the means of budgeting such social legislation. The budget set forth by David Lloyd-George proposed major tax increases on wealthy landowners and was defeated in Parliament. Prime Minister Asquith appealed to Edward to create several new peerages to swing the vote, but Edward steadfastly refused. Edward died amidst the budgetary crisis at age sixty-eight, which was resolved the following year by the Liberal government's passage of the act.

House of Windsor
George V
Edward VIII
George VI
Elizabeth II

George III, American Colonies

1765 - the Stamp Act - “no taxation without representation” - crisis in Anglo-American relations, culminated in rebellion - independent attitude of American colonies

1773 - Boston Tea Party - American colonies protested against the threat of taxation. They also didn't want the surplus of tea from India being send to America.

1775 - 1783 - American Revolution - Great Britain looses everything in America except Canada - it is disastrous.

1776 - the American Declaration of Independence was signed.

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