The birth of the British monarchy Treaty of Union How England and Scotland united to form Great Britain and the British monarchy The United Kingdom of Great Britain was officially formed in 1707, when the Parliaments of England and Scotland passed the Treaty of Union agreement Prior to this date, England (including Wales) and Scotland were independent countries that had two separate governments The Treaty of Union was designed to merge the Kingdoms of England and Scotland together, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain Negotiations to unite the countries began in 1705 under the reign of the English and Scottish monarch Queen Anne, although there had been several failed tempts prior to this date 31 commissioners were appointed by each Parliament to negotiate the terms, and talks began on 16 April 1706 at the Cockpit-in-Court in London After a few days, the Treaty was finalised on 22 July 1706, and two separate acts of union were to be passed through each government before it was put into effect The first act of union, known as the Union with Scotland Act, was passed by the Parliament of England in 1706, with the second, the Union with England Act, being passed by the Parliament of Scotland shortly after in 1707 The treaty itself consisted of 25 articles, with two stating that one monarch was to rule over Great Britain and a single unified Parliament of Great Britain was to be formed In addition to this, agreements regarding trading between England and Scotland were set, alongside the decision to introduce a common currency On May 1707, England and Scotland officially united The union between Great Britain and Ireland, however, did not occur for another 93 years It was during the reign of King George III that in 1800, Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland united to form what is now known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland To signify the union, the Union Flag incorporated the St Patrick’s Cross The official copy of the Treaty of Union, ratified by the parliaments of England and Scotland in 1907 vk.com/englishlibrary vk.com/bastau