Act of Union 1800
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Template:UKFormation The Act of Union 1800 merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain (itself a merger of England and Wales and Scotland under the Act of Union 1707) to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801. The act received the Royal Assent on 1 August 1800.
The Act was passed by both the British and Irish parliaments. The Irish parliament had been given a large measure of independence by the Constitution of 1782, after centuries of being subordinated to the English (and later, British) Parliament. Thus, many members had guarded its autonomy jealously, including Henry Grattan, and had rejected a previous motion for Union in 1799. However, a concerted campaign by the British government, and the uncertainty that followed the Irish Rebellion of 1798, made Union a more palatable prospect. The final passage of the Act in the Irish Parliament was achieved with substantial majorities, even though many members of Grattan's Parliament opposed the proposed bill.
The Act had eight articles:
- Articles I-IV dealt with the political aspects of the Union which included Ireland having over 100 MPs representing it in the united parliament, meeting in the Palace of Westminster (more than would be proportionate according to population).
- Article V created a united Protestant Church of England and Ireland
- Article VI created a customs union in which British duties on some Irish goods would be removed, but Irish duties on imports would remain.
- Article VII stated that the Ireland would have to contribute two seventieths of their total revenue to the government. The figure was a ratio of Irish to British foreign trade.
- Article VIII formalised the legal and judical aspects of the Union
Part of the attraction of the Union for many Irish Catholics was the promise of Catholic Emancipation, thereby allowing Roman Catholic MPs (which had not been allowed in the Irish Parliament). However this was blocked by King George III who argued that emancipating Roman Catholics would breach his Coronation Oath; it was delayed until 1829.
Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg The flag created by the merger of the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801 still remains the flag of the United Kingdom. Known as the "Union Flag" (or Union Jack), it combines the flags of England and Scotland with St Patrick's Cross, representing Ireland.
See also
External links
- Act of Union - Virtual Library
- Abstract of an article from the journal History about the Act of Union.
Template:Irish constitutionsde:Act of Union 1800 ga:Acht an Aontais 1800 it:Atto di Unione (1800) ja:連合法 (1800年) pt:Acto de União de 1800