How did England and Scotland become the ‘United Kingdom’?

Recap Since when had England and Scotland been ruled by the same king or queen?

The House of Stuart The first king of both England and Scotland had been James I. He was followed by Charles I, Charles II, James II and William and Mary. But William and Mary died childless, so who succeeded them?

Queen Anne Queen Anne was Mary’s younger sister. She became queen in She was pregnant 18 times, but had only one child, William, who survived infancy. Sadly, William died aged just 11, leaving a question mark over who would succeed Anne as king or queen. The English Parliament decided to look to the House of Hanover, a German branch of the family descended from the daughter of James I. When Anne died in 1714, George I became king.

Did they ask the Scots? This caused a huge debate to break out in Scotland. Although Scotland had had the same monarch as England for over a hundred years, it was still a separate country with its own parliament, church and laws. Scotland did not have to accept the new Hanoverian king chosen by the English and could choose an alternative monarch instead. Some Scots thought that now was the time to break free of the English, but others thought differently...

Some Scots think that Scotland will become another region of England, swallowed up like Wales was four hundred years ago! Union will mean that the Scots do not make an alliance with France against the English – the English can be sure that Scots soldiers are on their side! Scotland will be able to keep its own Church. Scotland’s coinage and taxation will become those of the English Scotland’s flag will be joined with England’s to make a new ‘Union’ flag Scotland will be able to trade with England’s colonies Scotland will be able to keep its own legal system The Scottish and English Parliaments will join to become one, and will be based in London

So what do you think? So would the Act of Union mean that everything in Scotland was controlled by the English? Do you think that the Act of Union would be the right choice for the Scottish people?

The Act of Union, 1707 In a poorly attended Scottish Parliament the MPs voted to agree the Union and on 16th January 1707 the Act of Union was signed. The Act came into effect on May 1st 1707, when the Scottish parliament was dissolved and England and Scotland became one country, the ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain’. The ‘Old’ Union flag of England and Scotland

Was the Union good for Scotland? Source B: For Scotland, the Union brought only good. Farmers learned new skills. Glasgow grew into a mighty city. Peace changed the wild Highlanders into peaceful farmers. From a book by an English writer in 1874 Source C: After the Union with England, Scotland’s economy improved. They sold more cloth to England. They bought tobacco from the American colonies and resold it at a profit. Farming improved. From a book by a 20 th century Scottish historian Source A: For the English, the Union will make no difference – they will keep the same laws and the same courts. But Scotland will lose the right to rule itself – the Union will be a complete surrender. From a speech made by a Scottish lord to the Scottish Parliament in 1706.

Finish the sentence The Union was good/ bad/ both good and bad for England because… The Union was good/ bad/ both good and bad for Scotland because…

So is that it? We’ve completed our unit on ‘The Making of the UK’ – the Union of England and Scotland created the United Kingdom. But what is missing from this Union flag compared with the one we see today?

The extra red stripes! ‘Old’ Union flag ‘New’ Union flag

Ireland The flag of St Patrick was added to the Union flag in 1801 when another ‘Act of Union’ was signed, this time with Ireland. The country then became ‘The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland’. This remained the name until the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland) was recognised in The UK’s full name is now ‘The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’.

Flag Quest!! England Who is the patron saint of England? What is the flag of England? What is the national symbol (flower/plant) of England?

Wales Who is the patron saint of Wales? What is the flag of Wales? What is the national symbol (flower/plant) of Wales?

Scotland Who is the patron saint of Scotland? What is the flag of Scotland? What is the national symbol (flower/plant) of Scotland?

Ireland Who is the patron saint of Ireland? What is the flag of Ireland? What is the national symbol (flower/plant) of Ireland?

So why is the Union flag sometimes called the Union Jack? Do you know? Or can you find out?