Acts of Union 1707

The Acts of Union were a pair of Parliamentary Acts passed in 1706 and 1707 by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland respectively, that took effect on 1 May 1707. These Acts were the implementation of the Treaty of Union negotiated between the two countries.

The Kingdom of Great Britain was created by merging the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. Since the Union of the Crowns in 1603, the two countries shared a monarch but retained separate and sovereign parliaments.

The Acts of Union dissolved both the parliaments of England and Scotland and replaced them with a new Parliament, called the Parliament of Great Britain. This new parliament is based in Westminster, the former home of the English Parliament. These Acts are referred to as the Union of the Parliaments.