Early modern period Major historical events in the early modern period include the English
Renaissance, the English Reformation and Scottish Reformation, the English
Civil War, the Restoration of Charles II, the Glorious Revolution, the Treaty
of Union, the Scottish Enlightenment and the formation of the First British
Empire.
19th century
Union of Great Britain and Ireland The Kingdom of Ireland was a settler state; the monarch was the
incumbent monarch of England and later of Great Britain. The Lord
Lieutenant of Ireland headed the government on behalf of the monarch. He
was assisted by the Chief Secretary of Ireland. Both were responsible to the
government in London rather than to the Parliament of Ireland. Before the
Constitution of 1782, the Irish parliament was also severely fettered, and
decisions in Irish courts could be overturned on appeal to the British House of
Lords in London.
Ireland gained a degree of independence in the 1780s thanks to Henry
Grattan. During this time the effects of the penal laws on the primarily Roman
Catholic population were reduced, and some property-owning Catholics were
granted the franchise in 1794; however, they were still excluded from
becoming members of the Irish House of Commons. This brief period of
limited independence came to an end following the Irish Rebellion of 1798,
which occurred during the British war with revolutionary France. The British
government's fear of an independent Ireland siding against them with the
French resulted in the decision to unite the two countries. This was brought
about by legislation in the parliaments of both kingdoms and came into effect
on 1 January 1801. The Irish had been led to believe by the British that their
loss of legislative independence would be compensated for with Catholic
Emancipation, i.e. by the removal of civil disabilities placed upon Roman
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Catholics in both Great Britain and Ireland. However, King George III was
bitterly opposed to any such Emancipation and succeeded in defeating his
government's attempts to introduce it.