Britain & Europe, 1500-1780 sets the making of Great Britain in its European context. It describes how England and Wales came together with Scotland, first under one king in 1603, and then in the parliamentary union in 1707. It follows the development of the British kingdoms' relations with their mainland European neighbours and Ireland, culminating in the emergence of the newly created United Kingdom as one of the foremost European powers. It explores numerous political, religious, economic and cultural connections between Britain and the rest of Europe during the centuries between the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution.