England, Great Britain or UK? A Short Explanation for the Dummies

• 1340 Edward III, first English claimant King of France styles himself « King of France ».
• 1535-1542 – The Laws in Wales Acts.

1706-7 – Acts of Union

• 1706 – Union with Scotland Act passed by the Parliament of England.
• 1707 – Union with England Act passed by the Parliament of Scotland.
  

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  => Kingdom of Great Britain

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• 1800 – Acts of Union between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland.
• 1801 – Coming into force of the 1800 Act of Union (from 1 January).

• George III was the last one to style himself King of France without questioning the rights of the Bourbons. He dropped his claim to the defunct French throne and removed the fleurs de lis from his coat of arms and from the British royal arms when the UK recognised the French Republic by the Treaty of Amiens in 1802.
• 1921 – Anglo-Irish Treaty.

• 1948 – Republic of Ireland Act passed by the Irish Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament) => Irish free State => Republic of Ireland.
• 1949 – Ireland Act passed by the British Parliament of the UK.

1998-99 – Devolution

• Scotland Act passed by the British Parliament. It established a devolved Scottish Parliament and a government with a First Minister appointed by the Queen with the approval of the Parliament.
• Government of Wales Act passed by the British Parliament. It established a National Assembly for Wales.
• Good Friday Agreement (GFA) or Belfast Agreement established a Northern Ireland Assembly and a Northern Ireland Executive. Approved by both voters from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Establishment of the Northern Ireland Executive (First Minister, deputy First Minister and other members of the local government).

• 1999 – Establishment of the Scottish Parliament and Government – Establishment of the National Assembly for Wales.