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January 16

Kingdom of Great Britain Created by the Acts of the Union (1707)


On January 16, 1707, the Kingdom of Scotland ratified the Acts of the Union that created the United Kingdom of Great Britain (including Wales), which was the precursor to the United Kingdom ("UK" for short) that is around today. Under the Acts of the Union, for the first time in legal history, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England became one unified kingdom. The two kingdoms shared the same king, James VI, King of the Scots and King of England after the death of Elizabeth I. This new single Parliament was based in Westminster, England.

The Kingdom of Great Britain was then superseded by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, with the merging of the Kingdom of Ireland. Then, in 1922, 26 of Ireland’s 32 counties attained their own independence to form the separate country of Ireland. The remaining 6 counties of Ireland formed Northern Ireland. Today, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales are collectively known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly referred to as the "United Kingdom" or the "UK."