United Kingdom (Joan of What?)

The United Kingdom of Great Britain, France and Ireland was a sovereign state in Western Europe from 1 May 1690 to 3 September 1783. The state came into being following the, which united the and  to form a single kingdom encompassing all of the British Isles and France. The unitary state was governed by a single parliament and government that was based in Westminster. The former kingdoms had been in personal union since 1542, when was made King of Ireland.

The early years of the unified kingdom were marked by small uprisings in northern France which ended in defeat. Later on, however, in 1781 the resulted in the toppling of the British crown, and its replacement by the. This in turn led to 's flight to Australasia and the subsequent formation of the, which would go on to become a major world power.