The Act anent Peace and War (c. 6) was an act of the

Parliament of Scotland In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

passed in 1703. The act concerned

foreign policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

and the

royal prerogative The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, Privilege (law), privilege, and immunity recognised in common law (and sometimes in Civil law (legal system), civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy) as belonging to the monarch, so ...

: it provided that following the death of Queen

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

without direct heirs, no future monarch of Scotland and England could take Scotland to war without the explicit consent of the parliament. It was a response to the English

Act of Settlement 1701 The Act of Settlement ( 12 & 13 Will. 3. c. 2) is an act of the Parliament of England that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to only Protestants, which passed in 1701. More specifically, anyone who became a Roman Catho ...

which had made members of the

House of Hanover The House of Hanover ( ) is a European royal house with roots tracing back to the 17th century. Its members, known as Hanoverians, ruled Hanover, Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Empire at various times during the 17th to 20th centurie ...

heirs to the throne of England. The Scots, already unhappy with the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

, were concerned that rule by Hanoverians would lead to unwelcome Scottish involvement in German and continental wars. Later the same parliament forced royal assent to the

Act of Security 1704 The Act of Security 1704 (c. 3), also referred to as the Act for the Security of the Kingdom, was a response by the Parliament of Scotland to the Parliament of England's Act of Settlement 1701. Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne's last su ...

. The English parliament retaliated with the Alien Act 1705, removing Scottish trading privileges in England. The conflict between the two parliaments was finally resolved by their merger under the terms of the

Acts of Union 1707 The Acts of Union refer to two acts of Parliament, one by the Parliament of Scotland in March 1707, followed shortly thereafter by an equivalent act of the Parliament of England. They put into effect the international Treaty of Union agree ...

. The union made the Act anent Peace and War and the Act of Security void, and they were formally repealed in December 1707 by the

Repeal of Certain Scotch Acts 1707 The Repeal of Certain Scottish Acts (6 Ann. (GB), 6 Ann. c. 36) was a repeal of several acts originating in the Scottish and English parliaments, supplementing the Acts of Union 1707, passed by the Parliament of Great Britain. The acts repealed ...

( 6 Ann. c. 32).

Notes

References

Acts of the Parliament of Scotland 1703 in law 1703 in Scotland Foreign relations of Scotland England–Scotland relations Political history of Scotland Scottish monarchy Royal prerogative Military history of Scotland {{Euro-mil-stub