The unification of Great Britain

Wales
Like much of the UK’s constitutional heritage, the concept of devolution originated
in the Middle Ages, when Wales and Scotland fi rst began to demand
the right to rule themselves independently of the English sovereign. Of the
two countries, Wales has the longest formal association with England.

Scotland
Scotland’s progress towards integration in the UK was a more complex
one—due, at least in part, to the fact that it was never formally absorbed
into the Roman Empire. It took centuries of confl ict during the medieval period
for it fi nally to succumb to the authority of the English Crown.

Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s incorporation into the UK was more problematic, encompassing
as it did its split from southern Ireland (Eire).