What Led to the Unification of England and Scotland in 1707?

What led to the unification of England and Scotland in 1707?

Introduction

The English crown and Scottish crown joined together in 1603 by accession to the English throne of James Ⅵ of Scotland (JamesⅠ of England).^[1] However, James Ⅵ failed to turn the union of crown into the United Kingdom, because the negotiation of unification was opposed by England and Scotland.^[2] It was not until 1707, both the Scottish and English parliament became unanimous to the unification. It is an intriguing historical problem as to why the Act of Union in 1707 succeeded after the failure of JamesⅠ, and the subsequent long time grievance between England and Scotland during the seventeenth century. This essay argues that necessity for Scotland’s economic recovery, the political interests that belong to England and the appropriate tactics that led to the unification in 1707.

Scotland’s economic recovery

The union was necessary for Scotland to recover economy, because unification with England could offer Scotland an economic therapy through expansion of foreign trade. Since 1690, Scotland suffered severe famine, diminishing crop yields and sharp increases in the price of food.  These then forced Scotland to rely on imports to feed the population. However, similar famine occurred in Europe and Scotland therefore was not able to get enough food, then in turn caused a deterioration of the Scottish famine.^[3] In an attempt to try and reverse the bad situation that the famine had caused, Scotland established ‘Company of Scotland trading to Africa and the Indies’ in 1695.^[4] Although a large portion of the company’s initial subscription was from London, William the Ⅲ felt that his foreign policy under threat with the creation of the Company of

Scotland.  William Ⅲ was also afraid of Spain and France who had previously fought against England.  Therefore, his thinking was not to protect Scottish colonization from Spanish attack.^[5] England not only prohibited English settlers assisting Scotland but prevented Holland from investing in the Company of Scotland, so as to avoid antagonizing Spain. Eventually in 1701, the Company of Scotland failed and lots of Scottish merchants became bankrupt, as they were shareholders of the Company.^[6] Simultaneously, Scottish trade was obstructed by the Navigation Act.^[7] It seemed that Scotland was on the verge of economic collapse and there was a sense of urgency to revive its economy.