Act of Union Creates Great Britain

May 1, 1707

England and Scotland merged parliaments at Westminster, ending a century of awkward personal union. Scots mobs rioted; Defoe reported from Edinburgh. Yet the bargain held: free trade, common tariffs, and a larger stage for Scottish talent. A new kingdom, awkwardly hyphenated, stepped onto the world map. Scottish merchants, engineers, and soldiers would soon build, govern, and profit from the empire more than anyone expected.