DBWI Great Britain United?

[black angel]

is there any way the England and Scotland could of ever become one Nation or at lest had the same Monarch/Head of State?

[Blackwood]

Well, it isn't difficult to at least impose England's will on Scotland, nor is it particularly difficult to set up an English monarch or ruler in there. To do just this wouldn't require a very earlier POD, either.

However, I can't see the two kingdoms unifying under one state, if that's what you mean. Too much work, IMHO, for England to go annexing a state outright. Perhaps with an early POD it would be more reasonable.

[rcduggan]

I think you would need a POD far back, before the Plague of London hit the isles... but the cultural different is far too strong. I mean, one people are Germans, the other are Celts, the two are too volatile, and any union would inevitably collapse due to political (not to mention religious) differences.

[Omnibus]

It's theoretically possible. If England had the will and the motive to conquer Scotland, they'd probably be able to claim it. Getting the residents to agree is another story, as the English found to their chagrin in Ireland.

The question here is, where would England find the time and the manpower to go after Scotland? Their plate was full enough trying to defend their Continental holdings and maintain an excellent colonial empire? They couldn't hold any part of Ireland, in the long run, so how could they take Scotland?

The German/Celt division is over-emphasized. What the Scotch-Irish forget is that many Celts--the Welsh and the Bretons, for example--are satisfied with English rule.

The English get along with their Celtic natives, who have the same rights and privileges as "Germanic" citizens. Breton, Welsh, and even Cornish are still native tongues to many in the English Empire.

[karl2025]

Even though Scotland's colonies allow it to far outclass England economically, having the English adopt a Scottish monarchy system isn't very likely: there are just too many English and not enough Scots.

And the reverse is just absurd in recent history: The 18th and 19th centuries were just too bad for England to do anything (What with the loss of Canada and India respectively) to gain a hold over Scotland. Heck, they lost Ireland, Cornwall, and Wales to the Celtic League, so how any POD could change that trend is beyond me.

[Nekromans]

This may sound stupid, but I don't suppose Scotland could conquer England?

[Geordie]

Originally Posted by karl2025

Even though Scotland's colonies allow it to far outclass England economically, having the English adopt a Scottish monarchy system isn't very likely: there are just too many English and not enough Scots.

And the reverse is just absurd in recent history: The 18th and 19th centuries were just too bad for England to do anything (What with the loss of Canada and India respectively) to gain a hold over Scotland. Heck, they lost Ireland, Cornwall, and Wales to the Celtic League, so how any POD could change that trend is beyond me.

How many aircraft carriers do Scotland have?

Warning, the Caledonian Carriers are heading this way!

[Blue Max]

Borderline ASB.

You need to remember that the closing of this situation was actually England's moment of greatest triumph--Henry V being crowned King of France and England.

Unfortunately for Henry, the HRE would push into French holdings as well, trying to grab some for themselves.

A Unified Britain requires England to actually be interested in moving north, as opposed to South. Besides, after William the Conqueror, England (or the Norman Empire) would spend the next centuries enlarging and stabilizing their hold on France.

The real kicker is Scotland's victory in Ireland and its new empire emerging as a considerable power on the mainland. So now you have the Celts as a single Kingdom while Normandy is very distracted in Mainland Europe.

You'd need England (and it would be England, not Normandy) to look north to Scotland for its continued Expansion, not south. Scotland with Irish support is simply too strong for Normandy to attack without endangering the other portions of the country.

These developments explain why Normandy to this very day only occupies half of Britain, although their borders at the Rhine and the Alps are based on Geography as well.

[ninebucks]

Perhaps some kind of Dual Monarchy, like what Austrohungaria is?