Kingdom of Great Britain

From 1707 to 1801, the Kingdom of Great Britain marked a tumultuous but transformative period from the perspective of Scotland. The Act of Union in 1707 merged the separate kingdoms and parliaments of Scotland and England to create the Kingdom of Great Britain, a union met with substantial resistance and discontent among many Scots, particularly due to perceived economic disparities and the erosion of Scottish identity and autonomy. Despite this, Scotland experienced an intellectual renaissance, known as the Scottish Enlightenment, where figures like Adam Smith and David Hume made pioneering contributions to philosophy and economics. Economically, Scotland oscillated between hardship and growth; the failure of the Darien Scheme left a debilitating impact, but access to English markets and colonies gradually fostered economic development and expansion in trade, agriculture, and industry. However, this era also witnessed Jacobite uprisings, as sections of the Scottish population remained staunchly opposed to the Union and the Hanoverian succession, symbolizing the ongoing struggle for Scottish sovereignty and identity within the larger British framework.