Great Britain
Hierarchical Path: War of the Spanish Succession (Main Page) >> States >> Great Britain
| Capital | London (England) and Edinburgh (Scotland) until the official formation of Great Britain in 1707 |
| Language(s) | English, Scots, Gaelic, Welsh, Manx, Cornish, Jerriais, Guernésiais, Sercquiais, Auregnais |
| Religion | Protestant (Anglican) |
| Population | about 9,500,000 (including 2,500,000 in Ireland alone) |
| Annual Revenues | about £5,500,000 |
| Government | Constitutional monarchy N.B.: at the beginning of the war, the country was known as the "Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland". In 1707, these kingdoms became known as the "Kingdom of Great Britain" |
| Dependencies | New-England, which stretched between the Atlantic Coast of the actual United States and the Appalachian Mountains. To avoid encirclement by the French colonies, the British established commercial counters in the Hudson Bay. During this period, the English colonies counted some 400,000 inhabitants against some 20,000 French in Nouvelle-France.
West Indies:
South America
Asia
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| Rulers | 1689-1702: King William III 1702-1714: Queen Anne |
| Army | see the article British Army |
| Navy | Since 1690, the Royal Navy of Great Britain had demonstrated a constant superiority over its European rivals.
For a comprehensive list of the warships of the Royal Navy see the article British Navy |
| International relations |
To do |
| Trade | Like most colonial power, Great Britain had imposed a monopoly of trade to its colonies. Thus:
By 1700, Great Britain imported 10 million kg of sugar, a quantity that had already increased to 14 million kg by 1710 when imports of cotton reached 530,000 kg; and of tea 775,000 kg. British merchants were selling wool cloths in every European country. Great Britain was also the main reseller of tobacco on this market. Commerce with the 13 colonies of continental North America was regulated by the Navigation Acts of 1651 and 1660 which reserved all trade to British vessels. Furthermore most exports (tobacco, sugar, molasses, indigo, furs, wood, naval furniture) from these colonies had to be exclusively destined to Great Britain while exports of grains, flour, rice, vegetables, fruits and salted fish could be sent to any country. Imports had to be transported by ships coming British ports. The only other imports tolerated were wines (from Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands) and salt destined to fisheries. Furthermore, the 13 colonies were not allowed to establish heavy industry (for ex: foundries). |
References
Abtheilung für Kriegsgeschichte des k. k. Kriegs-Archives: Feldzüge des Prinzen Eugen von Savoyen, Series 1, Vol. 1, Vienna 1876, pp. 100-101
Anon.: The History of Modern Europe, Part II, London: 1784, pp. 298-315
McEvedy, Colin: The Penguin Atlas of Modern History (to 1815), Harmondsorth: Penguin Books, 1972, pp. 54-61
Scherer, Herman: Histoire du commerce de toutes les nations depuis les temps ancies jusqu'à nos jours, Vol. 2 – Temps Modernes; Paris: Capelle, 1857, pp. 13, 72
