Why is an Englishman called John Bull?

John Bull originated as a creation of Dr John Arbuthnot, Queen Anne’s physician, who in 1712, wrote a collection of pamphlets entitled ‘The History of John Bull’ but wanted to remain anonymous. The term became a national personification of England, and in particular, Great Britain, especially in political cartoons. It sometimes refers to the whole of the United Kingdom, but has not been accepted in Scotland and Wales.