Kingdom of Great Britain

The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain,^[1][2] was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1801. It was created by the merger of the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England, under the Acts of Union 1707, to create a single kingdom encompassing the whole of the island of Great Britain and its minor outlying islands, excluding Ireland—which remained a separate jurisdiction under the British crown. A single parliament and government, based in Westminster, controlled the new kingdom. The kingdoms had shared the same monarch since James VI, King of Scots became King of England in 1603 following the death of Queen Elizabeth I.

The Kingdom of Great Britain was superseded by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, when the Kingdom of Ireland was merged with it with the enactment of the Act of Union (1800) following the suppression of the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

Name

Occasionally, the Kingdom of Great Britain is given the alternative name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, which is often shortened to United Kingdom. There is substantial debate over whether the latter name is acceptable.^[3] The Treaty of Union refers to the United Kingdom of Great Britain in several places: it is argued that the word "United" is only an adjective, and not part of the style, citing the subsequent Acts of Union themselves, which explicitly state the name of the new nation: that the states of England and Scotland were "united into One Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain".^[4]

The name "United Kingdom" is sometimes preferred for purposes of continuity, particularly in the military and colonial spheres. At the time of the Act of Union 1800, which unambiguously styled the new state as the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland", the British were embroiled in the Great French War and the British Empire possessed many colonies in North America, India, and Australia. Some who would otherwise prefer the term "Kingdom of Great Britain" thus use "United Kingdom" to avoid using two different names for a single military and colonial power, which may confuse the discussion.

Monarchs

• Anne (1707–1714), previously Queen of England, Queen of Scots, and Queen of Ireland since 1702.
• George I (1714–1727)
• George II (1727–1760)
• George III (1760–1801), continued as King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until 1820.

See also

• Early Modern Britain
• Georgian era

External links

• Proclamations and Acts: Styles, and Titles of Great Britain (1542-1953)

References