British Monarchy: Stuarts, Hanoverians, and Acts of Union
The Later Stuarts and William of Orange
After the Stuarts, James II caused fears of a Catholic restoration. William of Orange was invited to take the throne and sailed to England with an army. James II fled to France, and William and Mary were crowned joint monarchs in 1689.
The Eighteenth Century (1688-1789)
House of Hanover
Mary died in 1694, leaving William as sole ruler. The succession was problematic as neither William nor James II’s daughter, Anne, had children. Fears existed that the throne would revert to James II’s son or other Catholic claimants.
In 1701, after the deaths of William and Anne, the Act of Settlement ensured the throne would pass to the descendants of James I’s daughter, Elizabeth.
Acts of Union: The Creation of Great Britain
The Acts of Union were Parliamentary Acts passed in 1707 by the Parliaments of Scotland and England to enact the Treaty of Union. England had already absorbed Wales and Cornwall by 1543. These Acts joined the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into a single, united kingdom named “Great Britain.”
The newly formed Britain in 1707 lacked emotional enthusiasm and a clear purpose. In 1713, a motion to repeal the union in the House of Lords failed by only four votes. In 1715, after the Hanoverian succession, there were calls in Scotland to dissolve the union. Opposition came from Scots Jacobites and Whiggish trading communities in Lowland Scotland, who felt the union had not improved the Scottish economy.
The Late Middle Ages
Peasant’s Revolt (1381)
Richard II reigned during the Peasant’s Revolt. Peasants were not a homogeneous group, and their communities varied. Rent levels depended on the type of lord, the local economy, and the peasants’ ability to resist demands. Larger ecclesiastical lords were considered conservative, while lay lords were more amenable.
The “Black Death,” a plague that struck Britain from 1348, killed almost half the population. Surviving agricultural workers saw their wages rise significantly, but landlords resisted paying higher wages or allowing workers to move. Additionally, there were three poll taxes and legislation preventing wages from rising above pre-plague levels. This led to rebellion by Yeomen of Essex and Kent.
England at War: The Hundred Years War (1337-1453)
The Hundred Years War was fought primarily between France and England from 1337 to 1453, extending into regions like Italy, Spain, the Low Countries, and western Germany. It was the culmination of a 400-year struggle between the Valois Dynasty and the Capetians to control France. The Valois Dynasty, a cadet branch of the Capetians, had controlled France since its rise.