Editing History of the United Kingdom (section)

===Birth of the Union===
{{Main|Treaty of Union|Acts of Union 1707}}
{{See also|Union of the Crowns|History of the formation of the United Kingdom}}
[[File:Articles of Union between England and Scotland 28 Jan 1707.png|thumb|"Articles of Union with Scotland", 1707]]

The [[Kingdom of Great Britain]] came into being on 1 May 1707, as a result of the [[political union]] of the [[Kingdom of England]] (which included [[Wales]]) and the [[Kingdom of Scotland]] under the [[Treaty of Union]]. This combined the two kingdoms into a single kingdom and merged the two parliaments into a single [[parliament of Great Britain]]. [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] became the first monarch of the new Great Britain. Although now a single kingdom, certain institutions of Scotland and England remained separate, such as [[Scots law|Scottish]] and [[English law]]; and the [[Presbyterian]] [[Church of Scotland]] and the [[Anglican]] [[Church of England]]. England and Scotland each also continued to have their own system of education.

Meanwhile, the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] against France was underway. It see-sawed back and forth until a more peace-minded government came to power in London and the treaties of [[Peace of Utrecht|Utrecht]] and [[Treaty of Rastatt|Rastadt]] ended the war. British historian [[G. M. Trevelyan]] argues: {{Blockquote|That [[Treaty of Utrecht|Treaty [of Utrecht]]], which ushered in the stable and characteristic period of Eighteenth-Century civilization, marked the end of danger to Europe from the old French monarchy, and it marked a change of no less significance to the world at large,—the maritime, commercial and financial supremacy of Great Britain.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Trevelyan |first=G.M. |title=A shortened history of England |date=1942 |page=363 |author-link=G. M. Trevelyan}}</ref>}}