Yes, you could say that James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne because his grandmother (greatgradmother?) was Henry VIII's sister. This was the union of the crowns. The union of the parliaments did not occur until 1707 and Ireland joined the United Kingdom in 1800. Wales had signed the treaties of union with England way back in 1528 and 1532 and adopted the English legal system which Scotland and Ireland never did. So English and British ARe NOT the same thing although it's a common mistake made by non-brits. Also a common mistake made by English sports commentators which really pisses the non-English Brits off. If you were to ask a Scot, and Irishperson and a Welshperson what their nationalality was chances are they would say Scots, Irish or Welsh in preference to British. the English would tend to say British rather than English although that is changing since there appears to be a new English nationalism emerging as a result of the new Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly. Sorry to ramble on a bit, but it's a very quiet morning at work!