What Role Did Religion Play In Uniting The Three Kingdomss

The eighteenth century created the United Kingdom. It began with the unity of Scotland and England in 1707 and the century ended with a discussion of the unity of the United Kingdom and Ireland. This essay will examine the importance of religion, empire, and war in helping to unite the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The most important factor in uniting the three kingdoms was war because it helped to create a national identity by bringing together regional identities and focusing on similarities. Empire had little relevance in creating one kingdom, as for most of this period, Ireland was viewed as a subordinate part of the empire and not a partner. The last factor, religion, was the most controversial. It helped unite members
of the state churches but excluded those who were not. An examination will show that each of these factors either had a prominent role in unity, or they are evidence of weaknesses in the United Kingdom.
The first section of the essay will debate the role of religion in uniting the three kingdoms. Confessional churches in the eighteenth century were expected to be a role model on how society ought to act, rather than teach about salvation. The church was to be the educational centre of ethics for the present life more than it was to teach about the fruits of the next. In England, the established church was the Church of England. This was an Episcopalian Anglican church. Despite being the established church of most of the English population, there were still some of the population that practised a different religion. These protestant dissenters included Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers, and most increasingly during the eighteenth century, Methodists. They concentrated in the urban centres and particularly among those in the industries of trade, commerce, and manufacturing. Another religion in England was Roman Catholics, with the largest numbers in Lancashire, West Midlands, and in London. The established church in Scotland was Presbyterian. Hence the religious minorities were the Episcopalians and Roman Catholic, but these groups were only 10 percent of the population in Scotland by 1790. In Ireland, like England, the established church was the Episcopalian Church Ireland. However, unlike England, members of this group were minority of the population but had much of the economic and political power. This power came from the social elite members, who were less than ten percent of the Irish population, but owned ninety-five percent of the land by 1776. The establishment gained tithe (money) from the people of Ireland, eighty percent of whom were Catholic. Yet, there were also protestant dissenters present in Ireland, especially in the north-east province of Ulster, where lived Presbyterians, consisting of twelve percent of the population.
Linda Colley stated that ‘Protestantism was the foundation that made the invention of Great Britain possible’. This essay will examine this opinion and debate whether this was correct. To begin, the debate will state why this statement is true, then move to how Colley’s statement was incorrect. Protestantism was used during the eighteenth century to draw on Britons’ commitment against continental Europe. Britain was Protestant and proud and thankful that they were not Catholic as most of Europe were during this period. Essentially helping to form a British national identity. The Act of Union in 1707 permitted Scotland to retain their established church of Presbyterianism, which helped to pass the legislation to unite Scotland and England.
In Ireland, there was a belief by Anglicans that if Catholics would rise than Presbyterians would stand with them to defeat them as they had done during the Williamite wars. This was wrong as Anglicans had oppressed the Presbyterians as much as the Catholics. Anglicans discriminated against Presbyterians, in the United Kingdom, was because they were not members of the confessional church. Irish Anglicans opposed Presbyterians as much as Catholics, shown in a law that outlawed Irish Presbyterian marriages. Penal laws were enacted in the seventeenth century, this included the 1673 and 1678 Test Acts. The legislation stated that any officeholders, civil, or military were to take Anglican sacrament 3 months into their post, and they also stated that Catholics were to be excluded from Parliament. One of the reasons for the legislation of penal laws was the belief that opposition of Catholics would lead to the end of the religion in Britain and hence make the country the Protestant nation it boasted. However, this reality never occurred.
Anti-Catholicism was not good in times of war, so relief acts were passed to help unite the country and gain manpower from Irish Catholics. Another reason for the Relief Acts in the late eighteenth century was the decay of the term papist. By this period, the potential threat of Catholicism no longer a problem. Relief Acts was stretched out during the late eighteenth century. From 1774 Catholics were permitted to take a new oath of allegiance to the Hanoverian succession, because of the Oath Act. By the end of the eighteenth century, Catholics could own property, vote, practise law, and had the freedom of worship. These factors have helped to support Colley’s statement that Protestantism helped to unite the three kingdoms, yet it has shown weaknesses in the argument. Further weaknesses are the presence of anti-Catholicism throughout the century, and in divisions within the important religion.
Anti-Catholicism was still present in England; becoming clear in riots and demonstrations against the Relief Acts. The biggest riot was the Gordan riots. Anti-Catholicism helped the national war effort but was uncomfortable for Catholics as Britain was using the belief of Protestantism superiority to suppress an inferior Catholic enemy country. In periods of insecurity, Catholics were scapegoats to which fear and anger could be inflicted. There was a rise in Protestant versus Catholic celebrations, for example, Bonfire night, that further alienated Catholics.
There were also divisions within Protestantism. The struggles and martyrdom of the seventeenth-century covenanters shaped the Scottish national identity. These covenanters opposed the legislation enacted by Charles I to have the Episcopalian style of preaching to be consistent throughout his kingdom. This was the major difference between Scotland and England and explained why the term of the continuing of the Scottish established church was important in the Act of Union. A fear that arose among the Presbyterians in the United Kingdom of Anglican imperialism. This fear was that the Anglicans would impose their religious practices on all the island, creating further tensions, especially between Scotland and England. In Ireland, there was a fear that Presbyterians, who had a numerical and geographical concentration strength, would want their church as the established church. The Society of United Irishmen was formed in 1791 to unite Catholics and Presbyterians and liberate Ireland from English interference.
Colley’s statement is both right and wrong. It is right as, without the term of the continuing of Presbyterianism in Scotland, the Act of Union in 1707 would not have been enacted. However, it is wrong, as there were divisions between the three kingdoms, that alienated many citizens from civil life. This alienation was being ratified. Religion was not the sole ingredient, in the foundation of the United Kingdom: there are many other ingredients to be added.
The second section of the essay will examine the role of empire in uniting the three kingdoms.
The definition of empire, according to Sir William Temple, is ‘a nation extended over vast tracts of land and numbers of people arrives in time at the ancient name of kingdom or modern of empire’. Britain had expanded its influence over many lands. This empire included settlements, meaning that Britons colonised the lands in the name of Britain, in the east coast of North America and the Caribbean islands. The first British Empire traded with these settlements, with the colonies of the Spanish and the Portuguese in the Americas, and the coasts of India and China. The empire also controversially traded in the slavery triangle, bringing slaves from West Africa to the Americas. Trade with Europe was slow, so an empire was needed to boost the economy. The empire expanded quickly in this century due to the revolutionary motion of industrialisation. Britain led the way of industrialisation from the second half of the eighteenth century. This was concentrated in England with the rise of new technologies, better power sources, centralised factory production, improved transport, entrepreneurs, profit-seekers, and rapid population
rate.
The expansion of empire helped to create the United Kingdom in several ways. In the 1760s and 1770s, Scottish and Scotch-Irish emigrated to the thirteen colonies of America, helping increase the network of trade and investment for Britain. The English paid for the adventure, the two other kingdoms were the labourers, helping to unite the three kingdoms. Scotland was a major presence in the officer corps of the East Indian Company and by had a prominent role in the conquest of Quebec. Ireland contributed to the empire in terms of trade by exporting linen and salted beef to England and the West Indies. In the early 1770s, Britain had gained more lands at the expense of the Spanish and French in North America. Despite this, by the end of the decade, it lost influence over significant colonies because of the American Revolution. The loss of the thirteen colonies was humiliating for Britain. It was not as humiliating, however, if the navy did not prevent the Franco-Spanish attack on Jamaica and fought for Gibraltar. The importance of the expansion of the British Empire was viewed as necessary. Hence, the reason for Britons to unite together and show patriotism to their King and country.
There was anti-Franco diplomacy in the 1780s, but there was a good relationship between the two countries in terms of trade.
This exemplifies that trade within Europe was important but that these European powers preferred to compete for trade outside of the continent. There were enemies within Britain which could disrupt the unity of Britain and the empire. This included Highland Scots and the Irish. This was a problem as these groups could refuse to participate in the empire, preventing its growth. These groups did disrupt the peace in the British Isles, but that will be discussed as a factor for disunity due to
war.
During the eighteenth century, Ireland was not enacted into the United Kingdom, it was still under a composite monarchy. In the 1770s, a question arose to whether Ireland was an imperial partner or a subordinate colony. The use of Britain in Marshall’s article shows that the union of England and Scotland was successful in creating the island of Britain, yet Irish unification was still a question. The empire helped to secure unity in two kingdoms, but Ireland was part of that empire. Ireland was more like the American colonies than the kingdoms of England or Scotland in the early eighteenth century. The similarities included the presence of local representative assemblies and the control of defence and trade from London. However, the Irish government saw themselves as part of a kingdom rather than a colony. To summarise, the three kingdoms helped to expand the British empire. Yet, the question of the century was whether Ireland was a kingdom.