Acts of Union, 1536 and 1543

Causes of the Acts of Union:

Political:

• Henry wanted to unite Wales and England.
• Henry was concerned marcher lords were harbouring English criminals - it was once reported that a marcher lord received payments from 23 murderers and 25 robbers in return for protection from English justice.
• Many criminals were committing crimes in England near the border, before crossing over into Wales to escape punishment. 
• Overall, Wales was lawless and needed to be addressed. 

Religious:

• Henry was concerned the Welsh lords did not support his break from Rome. He feared they would continue to support the Pope and possibly rebel against him.
• Henry apprehended the Catholic Monarchs of France and Spain, who wanted to see a restoration of Papal authority in England, would use Wales as a gateway to England to begin an invasion, similarly to what his father did in 1485.
• Overall, Henry believed that the Welsh would continue to support the Pope.

Social:

• In Wales, all male siblings could inherit land: it was distributed evenly. However, this created more opponents for Henry.

Consequences of the Acts of Union:

• Wales had its own members of Parliament.
  
• Land in Wales was to be given to the eldest son, and not divided equally, reducing the number of opponents created.
• Wales and…