Treaties and Acts of Parliament, Etc.
This is a listing of the more important treaties, Acts of Parliament, and other legal instruments and events affecting the nature and territorial extent of the British Empire.
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
| Effective date | Name of treaty, etc. | Territorial effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1536/1542 | Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542 | Wales annexed to the Kingdom of England |
| 1707 | Acts of Union 1707 | Scotland and England unite as the Kingdom of Great Britain |
| 1713 | Treaty of Utrecht | Spain cedes Gibraltar to Britain. France cedes Newfoundland, Hudson Bay and Acadie to Britain. |
| 1763 | Treaty of Paris | France cedes all its territories in America to Britain except Saint Pierre and Miquelon Islands. |
| 1776 | Declaration of Independence of the United States | The Thirteen Colonies (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia) assert independence |
| 1783 | Second Treaty of Paris | Great Britain formally recognises the independence of the United States. End of the American Revolution. |
| 1788 | New South Wales is established by settlement as a penal colony | |
| 1791 | Constitution Act | The Province of Quebec is divided in two sections Upper Canada (now Ontario) and Lower Canada (now Quebec). |
| 1801 | Act of Union 1800 | Ireland unites with Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| 1814 | Third Treaty of Paris | France cedes the Seychelles to Britain |
| 1840 | Treaty of Waitangi | New Zealand becomes a British colony |
| 1867 | British North America Act 1867 (known in Canada as the Confederation Act, 1867) | The Province of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia federate as the Dominion of Canada |
| 1870 | Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory are annexed to Canada | |
| 1871 | British Columbia becomes a province of Canada | |
| 1876 | proclamation under the Royal Titles Act 1876 | Queen Victoria adopts the title "Empress of India" |
| 1899 | Joint British-Egyptian condominium established over Sudan | |
| 1901 | proclamation under the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (1900) | The Commonwealth of Australia is formed by the federation of the colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania |
| 1910 | proclamation under the South Africa Act 1909 | Union of South Africa formed by the federation of the colonies of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Transvaal, and the Orange River Colony |
| 1914 | Cyprus (Annexation) Order in Council 1914 | Cyprus formally annexed |
| 1920 | Kenya (Annexation) Order in Council 1920 | Most of the East Africa Protectorate is annexed as the Colony of Kenya |
| 1922 | Anglo-Irish Treaty | The Irish Free State is separated from the United Kingdom |
| Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence | Egypt becomes independent | |
| 1931 | Statute of Westminster | Canada, the Irish Free State, and the Union of South Africa obtain effective sovereignty |
| 1934 | Financial difficulties result in Newfoundland losing its status as a dominion | |
| 1942 | Australia adopts the Statute of Westminster, backdated to 1939 | |
| 1947 | New Zealand adopts the Statute of Westminster | |
| Indian Independence Act 1947 | British India is partitioned into the independent dominions of India and Pakistan | |
| 1948 | King George VI relinquishes the title "Emperor of India" | |
| 1949 | Newfoundland becomes a province of Canada | |
| 1960 | Nigeria Independence Act 1960 | The colony and protectorate of Nigeria become independent |
| 1962 | Jamaica Independence Act 1962 | Jamaica becomes independent |
| 1983 | The status of "colony" is renamed "dependent territory" | |
| 1997 | Sino-British Joint Declaration (1984) and the Hong Kong Act 1985 | Hong Kong is transferred to the People's Republic of China |
| 2002 | The status of "dependent territory" is renamed "British Overseas Territory" |
Read more about this topic: Territorial Evolution Of The British Empire
Famous quotes containing the words treaties and, treaties and/or acts:
“The admission of Oriental immigrants who cannot be amalgamated with our people has been made the subject either of prohibitory clauses in our treaties and statutes or of strict administrative regulations secured by diplomatic negotiations. I sincerely hope that we may continue to minimize the evils likely to arise from such immigration without unnecessary friction and by mutual concessions between self-respecting governments.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)
“The fate of the State decides theirs: clauses of treaties determine their affections.”
—Pierre Corneille (1606–1684)
“Every judgement of conscience, be it right or wrong, be it about things evil in themselves or morally indifferent, is obligatory, in such wise that he who acts against his conscience always sins.”
—Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–1274)