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Kingdom of Great Britain - Definition and Overview |
| Related Words: Antonomasia, Archduchy, Area, Bailiwick, Branch, Class, Classification, Colony, Commonwealth, Country, County |
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The united Kingdom of Great Britain was created by the merger of the Kingdoms of Scotland and England in 1707 (see Act of Union 1707). A single parliament and government, based in Westminster in London, controlled the new kingdom. The two former kingdoms had shared the same monarch since King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England in 1603.
From 1707 onward, a joint "British" throne replaced the English and Scottish thrones and a joint Parliament of Great Britain replaced the Scottish and English parliaments. Scotland and England were given seats in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords of the new parliament. Although Scotland's representation in both houses was smaller than its population indicated it should have been, representation in parliament was at that time based not on population but on taxation, and Scotland was given a greater number of MPs than its share of the taxation warranted. Under the treaty, Scotland elected 45 members to the Commons and sent 16 representative peers to the Lords.
The united Kingdom of Great Britain was superseded by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801 when the Kingdom of Ireland was absorbed with the enactment of the Act of Union 1801.
Monarchs of Great Britain
See also
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