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Union and revolution

Union of the Crowns

Portrait of James VII of Scotland (James II of England) as Duke of York
Figure caption,
James VII of Scotland

In 1603, the Union of the Crowns took place - James VI of Scotland became James I of England upon the death of his cousin, the English Queen, Elizabeth I.

During the 1600s there were different times when either Scots or English MPs wanted full ‘Union’, but an agreement was never reached.

The Glorious Revolution 1688-1689

The Glorious Revolution saw King James VII and II deposed and replaced by his daughter Mary and her Dutch husband William in 1689.

Engraving of King William and Queen Mary
Figure caption,
King William and Queen Mary

The English Parliament claimed that James had abdicated, but the Scots declared that he had lost the throne.

Scotland and England had different opinions of the relationship between monarch and people.

This suggested that Union would not happen. However, attempts by William’s English government to bring Scotland into a Union led to the eventual Treaty negotiated in 1705, when Anne was Queen.

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