United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

This article is about the specific polity United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics

Is an insular country in Europe that includes the island of Great Britain and the north-eastern portion of the island of Ireland. It emerged from the Personal Union of England and Scotland in 1603, its two predecessors having formed during the Middle Ages. The actual state form was established in 1927 after most of Ireland detached from the United Kingdom (only Northern Ireland remained under its control). Great Britain was able to built up a global thalassocracy that included territories like India, Canada, a large portion of Africa from Cape Town to Cairo, Australia and many other. It was the most powerful country of the world in the XIX and early XX centuries, as well as the first industrialised country. After World War II its Colonial Empire ended with the independence of its major territories. Today, the United Kingdom still controls small territories scattered around the world, like Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands.

Summary

James VI of Scotland became King James I of England in 1603 after the death of Queen Elizabeth I. This united the crowns of England and Scotland under one monarch, though the two countries continued to have separate parliaments and laws. James was known as the "wisest fool in Christendom" - he was learned but mean and undignified, and never truly understood his English subjects. He insisted on the divine right of kings, leading to constant disputes with Parliament.

James I was succeeded by his son Charles I, who was executed by Parliament in 1649 after a civil war. England then became a republic known as the Commonwealth, ruled by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell was a skillful military leader who crushed rebellions in Ireland and Scotland, but his Puritan rule was resented. After Cromwell's death, the monarchy was restored in 1660 with the coronation of Charles II.

Charles II was succeeded by his brother James II, a Catholic, in 1685. This caused unrest, and in 1688 James was deposed in the "Glorious Revolution." The English Parliament invited William of Orange, a Protestant, to take the throne as William III, jointly with his wife Mary, the daughter of James II. This established the supremacy of Parliament over the monarchy.

Growing desire for Irish self-governance led to the Irish War of Independence almost immediately after the conclusion of World War I, which resulted in British recognition of the Irish Free State in 1922. In light of these changes, the British state was renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on 12 April 1927 with the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act.

In 1707, the Acts of Union officially united the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain. The Hanoverian succession began in 1714 with the accession of George I, who relied on the Whig party. His successor George II faced Jacobite rebellions from supporters of the deposed Stuart dynasty, but these were suppressed.

Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837 and her long reign saw great changes and expansion of the British Empire. Despite the monarch's reduced political powers, Victoria was a hugely popular and influential figure. Under her reign, the monarchy was reformed and the country experienced major social and political reforms, including the abolition of slavery and the expansion of the franchise.

Establishment

April 1927: As most of Ireland was lost, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was renamed to the current United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1927.