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The Act of Union 1800 merged the Kingdom Of Ireland and the Kingdom Of Great Britain (itself a merger of England And Wales and Scotland under the Act Of Union 1707 ) to create the United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Ireland on 1 January 1801 . The act received the Royal Assent on 1 August 1800 . The Act was passed by both the British and Irish parliaments. The Irish parliament had been given a large measure of independence by the Constitution Of 1782 , after centuries of being subordinated to the English (and later, British) Parliament. Thus, many members had guarded its autonomy jealously, including Henry Grattan , and had rejected a previous motion for Union in 1799 . However, a concerted campaign by the British government, and the uncertainty that followed the Irish Rebellion Of 1798 , made Union a more palatable prospect. The final passage of the Act in the Irish Parliament was achieved with substantial majorities, even though many members of Grattan's Parliament opposed the proposed bill. The Act had eight articles:
Part of the attraction of the Union for many Irish Catholics was the promise of Catholic Emancipation , thereby allowing Roman Catholic MPs (which had not been allowed in the Irish Parliament). However this was blocked by King George III who argued that emancipating Roman Catholics would breach his Coronation Oath ; it was delayed until 1829 . ]] The flag created by the merger of the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801 still remains the Flag Of The United Kingdom . Known as the " Union Flag " (or Union Jack), it combines the flags of England and Scotland with St Patrick's Cross , representing Ireland. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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