How was the British army formed?

Answer 1

The British Army came into being with the merger of the Scottish Army and the English Army, following the unification of the two countries' parliaments and the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated existing English and Scottish regiments, and was controlled from London.

Answer 2

It was mostly a gradual evolution. Originally England was an absolute monarchy. In 1295 King Edward I founded the 'Model Parliament' - a group of hundreds of representatives for towns and counties who would be in charge of taxes. Over the next 400 years, Parliament split into the Lords and Commons, and gained complete control over taxes. In the mid-17th Century, King Charles I believed he alone should rule the country. He got into so many arguments with Parliament they declared war on him, and won.

Oliver Cromwell led the Parliament forces but once the war was won, he disbanded an increasingly corrupt Parliament and ruled for over ten years as a dictator. After his death, Parliament returned and reinstated the King's son as King Charles II. Nevertheless, it wasn't until King William III's reign that the 'Glorious Revolution' saw a stable system established with the monarchy limited, with a Bill of Rights being passed to limit the monarch's power. In 1707, an Act of Union merged the English and Scottish Parliaments and established the United Kingdom.