Acts of Union: Britain and Ireland Merge Into One
The Acts of Union 1800 dissolved the Irish Parliament and merged Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, effective January 1, 1801. The Act passed partly through outright bribery: Irish MPs were offered peerages, government positions, and cash. Catholic emancipation had been promised as part of the deal but King George III refused to allow it, leaving the Catholic majority without representation in the Parliament that now governed them from London. Daniel O'Connell spent thirty years fighting for repeal. The Great Famine of the 1840s, during which a million Irish died while food was exported to England, turned the Union into a symbol of colonial exploitation. The southern counties finally broke away in 1922.
August 1, 1800
226 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Kingdom of Great Britain
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Kingdom of Ireland
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United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
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Act of Union 1800
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Acts of Union 1800
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Acts of Union 1800
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Kingdom of Great Britain
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Ireland
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United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
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George III
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