England has long been the "ruler" of Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. Here is a timeline rundown about how they earned this role.
- The Kingdom of England formed in 927.
- In the 1200s, Edward I (also called Longshanks), conquered Wales, to the west of England.
- Longshanks then invaded Scotland to the north. If you've seen the Mel Gibson movie Braveheart (1995), this is that story.
- Although Braveheart doesn't full cover this story, Scotland retained its independence while Wales remained conquered. If you hear today's Prince William called "the Prince of Wales," that's why. England really wanted to rub in the fact that they conquered Wales.
- England started passing real legal proof of their conquering in the 1500s, under King Henry the VIII, with the Acts of Union.
- Ireland was also placed under English rule with the 1542 Crown of Ireland act.
- After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, her cousin, King James VI of Scotland (and Ireland) became the king of England, Scotland, AND Ireland. However, they all remained separate countries with separate governments until 1707.
- The main reasons the countries united as Great Britain was for economic reasons; Scotland was going bankrupt and England was becoming a global superpower with all its colonies (including those in North America).
- In 1801, Ireland also officially joined, and the country was now called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. However...
- Ireland was very unhappy with this union, and the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) resulted in Northern Ireland remaining with the UK and the rest of the island becoming (eventually) the Republic of Ireland.
- Ireland is now a member of the European Union while the rest of the country left in 2020 (this is called Brexit).
- Scotland has held referendums (or votes) to leave the UK several times, including as recently as 2014. The referendum did not pass.
SOURCE:
Little, Becky. “How Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Became a Part of the U.K.” History, A&E Television Networks, 20 December 2019, https://www.history.com/news/united-kingdom-scotland-northern-ireland-wales. Accessed 21 August 2023.
Little, Becky. “How Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Became a Part of the U.K.” History, A&E Television Networks, 20 December 2019, https://www.history.com/news/united-kingdom-scotland-northern-ireland-wales. Accessed 21 August 2023.