Jacobean debate on the Union

The Jacobean debate on the Union took place in the early years of the reign of James I of England, who came to the English throne in 1603 as James VI of Scotland, and was interested in uniting his Kingdoms of England (including Wales) and Scotland. With one monarch on the two thrones there was a personal union; since James was very widely accepted in England, the debate was not on that plane. A political union with a common Parliament (called “statutory union” at the time), was supported by James, but proved too difficult at the time. Political union did not in fact come about until 1653 during the Commonwealth, and more permanently with the Union of England and Scotland in 1707.

While the "Union of the Crowns" represented by James on his accession in England was essentially undisputed, the further political union, thought of as "Union of the Kingdoms" or "statutory union", was resisted. Legislation was produced in both England and Scotland, which engendered caustic parliamentary debate from 1604 to 1607, but it was limited in scope, mainly removing hostile laws. While jurists and religious figures supported a deeper union, the envisaged process stalled, and incompatibilities of the English and Scottish societies became more apparent.