The Act anent Peace and War ( Scots ''anent'' means ''about'' or ''concerning'') was an act of the

Parliament of Scotland The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...

passed in 1703. The Act concerned foreign policy and the

royal prerogative The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy, as belonging to the sovereign and which have become widely vested in th ...

: it provided that following the death of Queen

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

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 The Act of Settlement 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 Catholic, or who married one, bec ...

which had made members of the

House of Hanover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house or ...

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 that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

, 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. The English parliament retaliated with the Alien Act, 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 union made the Act anent Peace and War and the Act of Security void, and they were formally repealed in December 1707.

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