Anne Biography and Timeline

Scottish Peace and War Act

During Anne's reign the Scottish Parliament asserted its authority to determine whether Scotland would join a future war separately from England.

Scottish Act of Security Passed

The Scottish Parliament passed the Act of Security providing for its choice of a Protestant successor unless English succession arrangements protected Scottish interests.

Alien Act Threatens Scottish Trade

The English Parliament passed the Alien Act threatening Scottish economic interests unless Scotland moved toward negotiations over succession and union.

Commissioners Open London Talks

Commissioners began formal negotiations at Whitehall in April 1706 while keeping each delegation's deliberations separate.

Single Parliament Proposed

The English commissioners proposed that the two kingdoms share one Parliament rather than retain separate national legislatures.

Union Commissioners Agree Articles

The commissioners agreed twenty five proposed Articles of Union for consideration by the separate parliaments.

Union Articles Presented to Queen

Representatives of both delegations presented the agreed Articles of Union to Queen Anne at Saint James's Palace.

Scottish Parliamentary Union Debate Opens

The Scottish Parliament opened its session to scrutinise the proposed Articles of Union amid strong public disagreement.

Union Commissioners Appointed

Queen Anne appointed English and Scottish commissioners to negotiate terms for a parliamentary union between the kingdoms.

Hanoverian Succession Negotiated

The commissioners negotiated recognition of the Protestant Hanoverian succession as a condition of political union.

Scottish Colonial Trade Access Negotiated

Negotiations provided Scottish merchants with access to trade opportunities formerly reserved for English subjects.

Trade Equality Article Debated

Scottish legislators debated treaty provisions granting subjects of the united kingdom reciprocal trading rights.

Union Debt Compensation Debated

Scottish legislators examined the financial payment known as the Equivalent intended partly to offset Scotland's share of English debt.

Scottish Legal System Protected

The proposed union terms preserved Scotland's separate legal institutions and courts despite the creation of a shared Parliament.

Scottish Education Institutions Protected

Union negotiations preserved the continued existence of Scottish universities and other institutions under Scottish law.

Common Customs Framework Debated

The union articles provided for common customs duties and trading regulations across England and Scotland.

Scottish Taxation Safeguards Debated

The proposed terms allowed specified Scottish taxation adjustments while harmonising much of the two kingdoms' fiscal system.

Scottish Representation Terms Examined

Members examined plans to send forty five Scottish representatives to the House of Commons at Westminster.

Scottish Peer Representation Defined

The union settlement provided for sixteen representative Scottish peers to sit in the House of Lords.

Presbyterian Church Protection Demanded

The Scottish Parliament made security for the Presbyterian Church of Scotland a key condition of union.

Church of Scotland Safeguard Enacted

Scottish legislation secured the Presbyterian Church's government and discipline as part of the union settlement.

Scottish Parliament Ratifies Union

The Scottish Parliament ratified the Treaty of Union by 110 votes to 67 after reviewing its provisions.

English Parliament Approves Union

The English Parliament approved legislation giving effect to the union articles agreed with Scotland.

Scottish Parliament Convenes Last Sitting

Scotland's separate Parliament met for the last time before the parliamentary union took effect.

Scottish Parliament Formally Dissolved

A royal proclamation dissolved the former Scottish Parliament ahead of the new Parliament of Great Britain.

Scottish Law Survives Political Union

The treaty preserved Scotland’s separate legal system and secured its Presbyterian church establishment. Queen Anne presided over a union of legislatures, not a wholesale merger of institutions.

Role range: 1702-1714

Scottish Succession Dispute Ends

The Scottish Act of Security had complicated agreement over the succession. The 1707 union replaced the prospect of divergent royal successions with a common Protestant settlement.

Role range: 1702-1714

Act of Union Takes Effect

On 1 May 1707, the parliamentary union of England and Scotland took effect under Queen Anne. The legislation had been passed in 1706 and 1707, not 1701.

Role range: 1702-1714

Queen Anne Rules United Kingdoms

Queen Anne became sovereign of the new Kingdom of Great Britain on 1 May. The settlement retained separate Scottish law and churches while combining parliamentary representation.

Role range: 1702-1714

English Scottish Customs Boundary Removed

The new fiscal union removed the former internal customs boundary separating English and Scottish commerce.

Scottish Courts Continue After Union

The creation of Great Britain left Scotland's distinct courts and substantive legal system in operation.

Shared Great Seal Authorized

The union articles provided for a Great Seal of Great Britain while keeping Scottish public records and regalia in Scotland.

United Parliament First Formal Meeting

The Parliament of Great Britain held its first formal meeting at Westminster following the union of the two kingdoms.

Great Britain Continues Allied War

After the union, Great Britain continued fighting France and its allies in the War of the Spanish Succession. The new state remained aligned with the Grand Alliance.

Role range: 1701-1714 – 1707-1714

Scottish Parliament Ratifies Union

In January, the Scottish Parliament approved the treaty articles enabling an incorporating union with England. This decision followed months of contentious debate over sovereignty, religion and economic advantage.

Role range: 1702-1714

English Parliament Approves Union

The English Parliament enacted the legislation implementing the agreed union with Scotland. Together with Scotland’s legislation, it provided the legal foundation for the new kingdom beginning on 1 May.

Role range: 1702-1714

First British Parliament Assembles

The first Parliament of Great Britain met in October, bringing members from Scotland into the former English parliamentary structures at Westminster. Its composition followed the representation terms negotiated in the union treaty.

Role range: 1702-1714

Forty-Five Scottish Commons Seats

Article 22 allocated Scotland 45 members in the House of Commons of Great Britain. Their inclusion replaced representation through a separate Scottish Parliament.

Role range: 1702-1714

Sixteen Scottish Representative Peers

Scotland received 16 representative peers in the new House of Lords. The arrangement differed from the position of English peers, who continued to attend by individual hereditary entitlement.

Role range: 1702-1714

Court of Session Retained

Article 19 preserved Scotland’s Court of Session and its established jurisdiction. The treaty therefore maintained a separate Scottish civil judicial system within the new kingdom.

Role range: 1702-1714