Annexation, fights for independence, and a very versatile king
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or just the UK if you are lazy, is composed of 94,000+ square miles including England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and most of the British Isles (A Beginners Guide to UK Geography (2023), n.d.). But how did these separate countries come together as one entity? Well, it happened the same way most things in history do: war, treaty, war, treaty, war, treaty, repeat 100x.
The Kingdom of England was formed in 927. In the late 13th century, King Edward I tortured Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the ruler of Wales at the time until he gave Edward land in Wales (Treharne, 1999). In 1284, the Statue of Wales was passed and the western Principality of Wales was English territory. Still, hyped from this accomplishment, he invaded the northern Kingdom of Scotland in 1296. However, his luck ran out and he failed to obtain Scotland (Little & Little, 2023). In 1332, under King Edward III, England attempted another war to gain Scotland. Still, again, they lost the Scottish War of Independence (“Edward III (1312–1377),” 2004).
So England hadn’t been able to conquer Scotland, but they still had Wales, right? Well…kind of. Wales was under the control of England, but they were not officially part of the Kingdom of England until King Henry VIII passed the Acts of Union in 1536 which integrated English law into Wales (Gruffudd et al., 2024).
In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I of England died. The next heir to the throne was King James VI of Scotland, her cousin. So, naturally, he also became King James I of England. Scotland and England now shared the same monarch, but they remained completely separate kingdoms with their parliaments (Little & Little, 2023). However, they did merge into one nation with the 1707 Act of Union under Queen Anne. This arrangement benefitted both parties. Scotland was in debt after attempting to establish a colonial empire in America. Further, Scotland wanted to ensure that they had a Protestant constitutional monarchy and would never return to absolutism. Willing to satisfy both of these conditions for Scotland and worried about the Scots siding with France in the War of Spanish Succession, England agreed to pay off Scotland’s debt if they became one nation. So, on May 1st, 1707, England and Scotland became the united nations of Great Britain (Act of Union 1707, 2024).
And then there was Ireland. Back in 1542, the Crown of Ireland Act mandated that England’s king was also Ireland’s king. This meant that King James was now King James VI of Scotland, King James I of England, and King James I of Ireland. Using the 1707 act as a blueprint, Great Britain united with Ireland under the 1801 Act of Union. Great Britain now became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1998). However, in 1919, the Irish Republican Army decided to fight for their independence from Great Britain. This Irish War of Independence ended in 1922 with Ireland being divided into northern and southern Ireland. Great Britain kept the north region and thus the name changed once again to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Southern Ireland became the Irish Free State (Boland et al., 2024).
The history of how the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland came to be is long and complicated. It was formed through ages of wars, peace treaties, political maneuvering, and a king of just about everywhere. England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland were once separate states, but over time they became one collective through marriage, conquest, and negotiation. Wales became part of England through law, and Scotland became part of England through economic and political deals. But Ireland’s path was marked by war and eventually division. The UK as we know it today is a reflection of how these historical relationships have changed over time. Its unique history was formed through hundreds of years of conflict and cooperation.
REFERENCES:
A Beginners Guide to UK Geography (2023). (n.d.). https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/datasets/a-beginners-guide-to-uk-geography-2023/about
Act of Union 1707. (2024). UK Parliament. Retrieved September 22, 2024, from https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/act-of-union-1707/#:~:text=The%20Acts%20of%20Union%2C%20passed,first%20time%20in%20October%201707
Boland, F. H., Edwards, R. W. D., Fanning, R., Ranelagh, J. O., & Kay, S. (2024, September 22). Ireland | History, Map, Flag, Capital, Population, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Ireland
Edward III (1312–1377): king of England and lord of Ireland, and duke of Aquitaine. (2004). The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/8519
Gruffudd, P., Smith, B., & Carter, H. (2024, September 22). Wales | History, Geography, Facts, & Points of Interest. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Wales/Wales-from-the-16th-to-the-21st-century#ref484004
Little, B., & Little, B. (2023, May 4). How Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Became a Part of the U.K. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/news/united-kingdom-scotland-northern-ireland-wales
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (1998, July 20). Act of Union | Ireland, Scotland & England. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Act-of-Union-United-Kingdom-1801
Treharne, R. F. (1999, July 28). Edward I | Biography, Reign, Reforms, Wars, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-I-king-of-England/Wars
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Shay Marie Taylor 
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