United Kingdom: Difference between revisions
History summary and notable legislation list
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The '''United Kingdom of Great Britain''', commonly known as '''Britain''' or the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pars_pro_toto pars pro toto]'' '''England''', is an island country in north-western Europe. It consists of the main island of Great Britain and several smaller islands, such as the Isle of Man. The North Sea borders the archipelago to the north, the English Channel to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the Breton Sea to the south-west.
==History==
{{Main|History of the United Kingdom}}The [[History of Europe#Second Anglo-Dutch War|Second Anglo-Dutch War]] in 1664 led to [[New Netherland]]'s defeat of Britain. In 1667, [[Henrietta I]], daughter of Charles I, became Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland. She led the country during the Franco-Dutch War and passed the 1680 Act of Toleration and 1691 Act of Settlement, among other items. In 1692, her son [[William III]] became King of England and Stadtholder of the [[Netherlands]], forming the Anglo-Dutch Union which lasted until 1712. In 1696, the Acts of Union united Scotland and England into one state. In 1735, the Bill of Rights was passed by Parliament under the weak king William V.
In the 1750s, British victory in the [[Great Silesian War|Silesian War]] and [[History of New Netherland#Prince Maurice’s War (1750-1755)|Prince Maurice's War]] established Britain as a world power, gaining new territories such as [[Carolina]]. When Queen Elizabeth II died heirless in 1771, William III's great-grandnephew-in-law [[Frederick I|Frederick]] of Wittelsbach became King of Great Britain. The country defeated [[France]] and its allies in the [[History of Europe#The Augustine period|Augustine Wars]] by 1815.
In 1833, Britain abolished slavery, directly leading to [[History of Virginia#First Anglo-Virginian War (1833-1834), Washington's Rebellion and the First Virginian Republic|a war with the colony of Virginia]]. The British-sponsored [[Ottoman Empire#Construction of the Suez Canal|Suez Canal]] opened in 1837. Two decades later, Britain gained Chinese treaty ports in the [[Canton War]] against the Dutch. The [[Ireland#The Great Famine|Irish Famine]] sparked a political crisis and the [[Piedmont#The Montferrat rebellion in Ireland|Montferrat insurrection]], leading to the 1863 Acts of Union with Ireland. Virginia ultimately [[History of Virginia#Second Anglo-Virginian War (1852-1854)|gained independence]] in 1854. By 1861, [[Colonial India#Great Britain|a rebellion in India]] was subdued. In 1877, [[History of Europe#British intervention of 1877|a coup was initiated]] in communard France. Britain waged war on the Ottomans [[Ottoman Empire#Anglo-Turkish War (1885)|in 1885]], taking control of [[Egypt]] and [[Malta]].
In 1914, London passed the [[New England#1914 Home Rule in America Act|Home Rule Act]], granting several colonies self-rule. The [[European Economic Crisis|Economic Crisis]] of the 1920s placed strain on Britain and its empire. In 1927, Ireland [[Ireland#The Dominion of Ireland|became a dominion]]. Starting from 1935, the United Kingdom entered [[Great War|the Great War]] alongside [[Russia]], [[Portugal]], and [[Venice]], eventually winning.
== Government and Politics ==▼
==== List of notable legislation ====
* '''1669''' - Habeas Corpus Act
* '''1680''' - Act of Toleration (Latitudinarian)
* '''1691''' - Act of Settlement
* '''1694''' - Declaration of Indulgence
* '''1696''' - Acts of Union
* '''1713''' - Act of Toleration (Tories)
* '''1714''' - Leveller Insurrection
* '''1715''' - Veto of 1715
* '''1727''' - Indulgence in Ireland
* '''1735''' - Bill of Rights
* '''1863''' - Acts of Union
* '''1871''' - Bill of Rights (Ireland)
* '''1911''' - Act for Defence of the Irish Church
▲==Government and Politics==
==Demographics==
==Culture==
== List of monarchs ==
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==== House of Stuart-Nassau ====
* [[William III]] (1692-1712)
* William IV (1712-1734)
* William V (1734-1737)
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==== House of Palatinate-Kensington ====
The '''House of Palatinate-Kensington''' is a cadet branch of the Wittelsbach dynasty that has ruled Britain since 1777.
* [[Frederick I]] (1777-1779)
* George I (1779-1804)
* George II (1804-1821)
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