Act of Security 1704

The Act of Security ( Safety Act ) was a Scottish law passed in 1704. It was passed by the Scottish Parliament in response to the English Act of Settlement of 1701.

Queen Anne's last heir, William, Duke of Gloucester, died on 29 July 1700 smallpox. It therefore had a Protestant successor be found. The English Parliament agreed on the Hanoverian Electress Sophia of the Palatinate, the granddaughter of King James I, but without consulting the Scottish Parliament ( both countries were in personal union since 1603).

In response, in 1703 the Scottish Parliament passed a bill: if Anne died without descendants, the Scottish Parliament would choose among the descendants of the Kings of Scotland a Protestant successor. Only if certain economic, political and religious conditions were met, it would also accept the English successors. The Queen's Commissioner ( equivalent to a Governor-General ), however, the submission rejected. 1704 became the Act of Security, however, even without the consent of the king's representative, the force of law after the Scottish Parliament threatened to raise any more taxes and deduct the Scottish army parts from the War of Spanish Succession.

The English Parliament, which had to fear that an independent Scotland would revive the Auld Alliance with France again, responded with the Alien Act 1705. This law allowed it to trade with Scotland to impose significant limitations to explain Scots to foreigners and thereby restrict their right to own real property in England. Finally, Scotland remained nothing else, the Act of Union in 1707 than agree, with the England and Scotland were merged with the United Kingdom.