# Canonical recap data for Act of Union with Scotland (1707)
# Source: https://recap.at/1707/act-union-scotland
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: act-union-scotland
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1707/act-union-scotland"
title: Act of Union with Scotland
aliases:
- Acts of Union
- Treaty of Union 1706
- Anglo-Scottish Union
- Formation of Great Britain
subtitle: Act of Union with Scotland
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1707-04-30
datePrecision: day
year: 1707
decade: 1700
country:
name: England
slug: england
summaryShort: The Acts of Union refer to two acts of Parliament, one by the Parliament of Scotland in March 1707, followed shortly thereafter by an equivalent act of the Parliament of England. They put into effect the international Treaty of Union agreed on 22 July 1706, which politically joined the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of
summaryLong: one by the Parliament of Scotland in January 1707, followed shortly thereafter by an equivalent act of the Parliament of England
lede: the English Parliament's approval on March 6, 1707, with royal assent granted shortly thereafter in March
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Coat_of_arms_of_England_%281702%E2%80%931707%29.svg/1280px-Coat_of_arms_of_England_%281702%E2%80%931707%29.svg.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Acts of Union 1707"
importance: 50
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Scottish Parliament vote
  value: 110 to 69 in favor, January 16, 1707
- label: Treaty negotiation date
  value: July 22, 1706
- label: English Parliament approval.
  value: March 6, 1707 (passage); royal assent March 19, 1707.
- label: English Act of Union passage
  value: March 6, 1707 (passage by Parliament).
- label: Effective union date
  value: May 1, 1707
- label: Scottish MPs in new Parliament
  value: 45 out of 513 total
- label: Scottish peers in House of Lords
  value: 16 out of 154 total
- label: Chief negotiator for Scotland
  value: John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair.
timeline:
- date: 1706-07-22
  title: Treaty of Union signed
  description: Commissioners from Scotland and England finalize the Treaty of Union after negotiations in London, outlining the terms for political merger.
- date: 1707-01-16
  title: Scottish Parliament approves Union
  description: After heated debate and public opposition, the Scottish Parliament votes 110-69 to ratify the treaty, with many viewing it as necessary for economic stability.
- date: 1707-03-06
  title: English Parliament approves Union
  description: The English Parliament passes its equivalent Act of Union, formally accepting Scotland into the unified state.
- date: 1707-05-01
  title: Union takes legal effect
  description: The Acts of Union come into force. The Kingdom of Scotland ceases to exist as an independent entity; the Kingdom of Great Britain is established with a single Parliament.
- date: 1707-10-23
  title: First Parliament of Great Britain convenes
  description: The unified Parliament meets for the first time at Westminster, including 45 Scottish MPs and 16 Scottish peers among its 513 members.
sources:
- url: ""
  title: Act of Union with Scotland
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The Union created a unified British state with combined military, economic, and diplomatic power that would dominate the 18th and 19th centuries. Scotland retained its legal system, church, and educational institutions while gaining access to English colonial markets and naval protection. The merger fundamentally altered European power dynamics and laid groundwork for the British Empire's expansion.
categories:
- revolution
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- treaty_signing
- constitutional_reform
- annexation
canonicalClasses:
- transformation
- governance
- exchange
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: How England and Scotland unified in 1707, creating Great Britain and reshaping global power for three centuries.
wikidataQid: Q193515
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Population of Scotland
  thenValue: ~1.2 million
  thenYear: 1707
  nowValue: ~5.5 million
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Includes substantial migration and natural growth
- metric: Number of Scottish MPs in Westminster Parliament
  thenValue: "45"
  thenYear: 1707
  nowValue: "57"
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Adjusted through Representation of the People Acts
- metric: Scottish legal system independence
  thenValue: Retained separate courts and law
  thenYear: 1707
  nowValue: Still operates independently
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Article XIX of Treaty of Union preserved Scottish law
- metric: Scottish religious establishment
  thenValue: Presbyterian Church of Scotland protected
  thenYear: 1707
  nowValue: Church of Scotland remains established
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Article XXV guaranteed Presbyterian governance
consequences:
- title: Creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain
  year: 1707
  description: The Acts of Union formally merged the Crown of Scotland with the Crown of England, creating the Kingdom of Great Britain under Queen Anne and establishing a single Parliament at Westminster.
- title: Jacobite Rising of 1715
  year: 1715
  description: Scottish Jacobite forces, opposed to the Union and supporting the deposed Stuart line, rose in rebellion against the new British state. The Earl of Mar led forces that were ultimately defeated at Sheriffmuir.
- title: Scottish Enlightenment flourishing
  year: 1750
  description: Access to English markets and capital, combined with institutional stability, enabled Scottish intellectual innovation. Figures like David Hume, Adam Smith, and James Watt emerged during this period of unprecedented cultural productivity.
- title: Industrial Revolution in Scotland
  year: 1760
  description: Union facilitated Scottish participation in imperial trade networks and colonial ventures. Coal, iron, and shipbuilding industries in the Clyde Valley transformed Scotland into an industrial powerhouse by the early 19th century.
- title: Devolution and Scottish Parliament restoration
  year: 1999
  description: After 292 years, a Scottish Parliament reconvened in Edinburgh following a 1997 referendum. This devolved significant powers while Scotland remained in the Union, reshaping the political architecture of Britain.
culturalContext:
topMusic: []
topFilms: []
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: "Early 18th-century Britain grappled with questions of national identity and integration. While English political dominance was clear, Scotland retained distinctive legal, religious, and educational institutions. The Union was controversial-Edinburgh riots erupted in 1706 during parliamentary debate-yet gradually became normalized as economic benefits materialized and the Jacobite threat faded after 1746. The cultural anxiety was acute: How could Scotland remain Scottish while becoming British? This tension animated Scottish intellectual life for centuries."
relatedQueries:
- Treaty of Union 1706 terms
- Jacobite Rising 1715 Scotland
- Scottish legal system independence Union
- Act of Union Parliament Scotland England 1707
- Scottish Enlightenment economic growth
- Scottish Parliament devolution 1999
- Queen Anne Scotland England union
- Scottish national identity British union
gallery:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260530005539/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Coat_of_arms_of_England_%281702%E2%80%931707%29.svg/1280px-Coat_of_arms_of_England_%281702%E2%80%931707%29.svg.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Coat_of_arms_of_England_%281702%E2%80%931707%29.svg/800px-Coat_of_arms_of_England_%281702%E2%80%931707%29.svg.png"
  caption: Acts of Union 1707
  credit: Wikipedia · "Acts of Union 1707"
  width: 330
  height: 330
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260604035958/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Articles_of_Union_between_England_and_Scotland_28_Jan_1707.png/1280px-Articles_of_Union_between_England_and_Scotland_28_Jan_1707.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Articles_of_Union_between_England_and_Scotland_28_Jan_1707.png/800px-Articles_of_Union_between_England_and_Scotland_28_Jan_1707.png"
  caption: Articles of Union between England and Scotland 28 Jan 1707
  credit: Parliament of England
  width: 1387
  height: 1730
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20240729001216/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Treaty_of_Union.jpg/1280px-Treaty_of_Union.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Treaty_of_Union.jpg/800px-Treaty_of_Union.jpg"
  caption: Treaty of Union
  credit: Scottish Parliament
  width: 1562
  height: 1225
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Floral_Badge_of_Great_Britain.svg/1280px-Floral_Badge_of_Great_Britain.svg.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Floral_Badge_of_Great_Britain.svg/800px-Floral_Badge_of_Great_Britain.svg.png"
  caption: Floral Badge of Great Britain
  credit: Sodacan
  width: 250
  height: 355
relationships:
- targetSlug: stockton-darlington-railway
  type: caused
  confidence: 75
  evidence: Timeline of "Act of Union with Scotland" references "First Passenger Railway Opens (Stockton & Darlington)" (2 shared tokens incl. title anchor).
  source: ai
- targetSlug: first-transatlantic-telegraph-cable
  type: caused
  confidence: 75
  evidence: Timeline of "Act of Union with Scotland" references "First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable" (2 shared tokens incl. title anchor).
  source: ai
- targetSlug: irish-independence-treaty
  type: caused
  confidence: 75
  evidence: Timeline of "Act of Union with Scotland" references "Irish Independence & Treaty (Irish Free State Established)" (3 shared tokens incl. title anchor).
  source: ai
