Defensive Treaty of Peace and Alliance among Great Britain, Hungary (the Holy Roman Empire), and SardiniaBrunfwick, and Lunenburg, Arch-Treafurer, and Prince Elector
of the Holy Roman Empire, &c. To all and fingular to whom
thefe prefents fhall come, greeting. Whereas the minifters
plenipotentiary, as well on our part, as on the part of our good
Brother the King of Sardinia, &c. and of our good Sifter the
Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, &c. being affembled at
Worms, and fufficiently authorized thereto, did conclude, and
fign a certain treaty of mutual friendfhip and perpetual alliance,
on the day of the prefent month of September, in the form
and words following.
In the Name of the moft Holy Trinity.
BE it known to all, and every one, to whom it appertains, or
may appertain, in any manner whatfoever.
Forafmuch as the difturbances, which, upon the deceafe of
the Emperor Charles the Sixth, of glorious memory, without
male ifiue, arofe in Germany, notwithftanding the exprefs tenor
of the moft folemn and recent treaties of peace and alliance,
corroborated by the authentick guaranty of the body of the
Empire, which do affure to his eldeft daugther, and to her pof-
terity, the entire and indivifible fucceffion to his hereditary
dominions, do manifeftly tend to the overthrow of all balance in
Europe, and do expofe its liberty, and that of its commerce, to
the moft evident danger : which danger is ftill increafed by the
conqueft which the Kings of Spain and Naples have openly
undertaken to make of the dominions poffeffed by the moft fer-
ene Houfe of Auftria in Italy, contrary to the faith of their own
engagements ; after which, the reft of Italy would no longer be
able to refift them, and all the coafts of the Mediterranean fea
would be under fubjection to one and the fame family.
To obviate, as much as in them lies, fuch imminent evils, and
an enterprize, whofe confequences would be fo fatal to all the
princes and ftates of Italy, to their liberty and commerce, and to
that of the maritime powers in the Mediterranean lea, the moft
feme and moft potent Prince George the Second, King of Great
Britain, Elector of Brunfwick, Lunenburg, &c. and the moft fer-
ene and moft potent Princefs Maria Therefa, Queen of Hungary
and Bohemia, Archduchefs of Auftria, &c. and the moft ferene
and moft potent Prince Charles Emanuel King of Sardinia,
Duke of Savoy, &c. having fuch an effential intereft in the
prefervation of a juft balance in Europe, on which depends the
liberty of Europe, and in the maintenance of the liberty and
fecurity of Italy in particular, on which depends that of its com-
merce, and of the commerce of the Mediterranean, have
refolved to enter into clofer and more infeparable union, in this
fixt intention, and to prefevere inviolably in joining their forces
and counfels in order to obtaining the effect defired therefrom,
and more efpecially for the fake of repelling, with one accord,
the unjuft invafion made by the Kings of Spain and Naples, and
for fecuring Italy, if poffible, for the future, from all attempts of
the fame kind.
In this view and in order to prevent the faid invafion, without
lofs of time, his Majefty the King of Sardinia did enter, from the
1ft day of February, 1742, into a provifional convention with her
Majefty the Queen of Hungary, the tenor whereof is as follows.
As it is fufficiently evident, that the motions of the Spanifh
troops, which having landed in the States of the Praefidii, are
advancing in the dominions of the Pope, in order to join thofe
of Naples, and from thence to purfue their march as far as
Imola, are bent, according to certain
intelligence, towards Lombardy, and muft neceffarily very
much affect his Majefty the King of Sardinia, as well as her
Majefty the Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, their Majefties
have thought by the means of the Marquis d’Ormea and of the
Count de Schulenbourg (they being refpectively provided with
the neceffary full powers) of concerting and agreeing upon the
following articles, under the hopes of their being ratified and
accepted.
Article I. The forces of her Majefty the Queen of Hungary
alone, which are now in Italy, appearing fufficient to make head
againft the aggreffors, they fhall be brought together, in order to
march towards them, and to give an immediate check to their
progrefs, and particularly in order to cover the States of Mod-
ena, and Mirandola, which are as it were, a bulwark to the
dominions of the Queen of Hungary in Italy.
Article II. The faid King of Sardinia fhall, in the mean while,
have a confiderable body of his troops upon the frontiers of his
dominions towards the borders of the Milanefe, and of the
Duchy of Placentia, which fhall be difpofed in fuch a manner, as
that they may be brought together in a fhort time ; and in cafe
the forces of the aggreffors fhould come to be augmented, and
that there fhould be caufe to fear a new invafion on any other
fide, as is probable, according to the advices that have been
received, that a fecond convoy of Spanifh troops has already fet
fail at Barcelona, and that they are to land in the harbour of La
Spezia, his Majefty fhall then co-operate with all his forces for
preventing the body of Auftrian troops, which fhall have
marched forward, from being either taken in flank, or inter-
cepted by that new reinforcement of Spanifh troops: and to this
end, all the paffages in the States above-mentioned, and princi-
pally, the places of Parma, Placentia, and Pavia, fhall remain free
and open to the King’s troops for their convenience and fecu-
rity.
Article III. As to what relates to further motions, and fuch
other military operations, as might be afterwards undertaken,
as they muft depend upon the circumftances which fall out
from day to day, it is neceffary to refer them to the concert
which fhall be entered into, in proportion to the circumftances
which fhall happen ; and for this purpofe, his Majefty the King
of Sardinia fhall fend one of his general officers to the army of
her Majefty the Queen of Hungary, and her Majefty the Queen
of Hungary fhall fend one of her’s likewife to refide with his
Majefty the King of Sardinia : To which general officers fhall be
reciprocally communicated, all the advices that fhall be received
about the enemy ; and all the refolutions which fhall be taken
on either fide fhall be concerted with them.
Article IV. Nothing being fo neceffary towards obtaining the
end defired on each fide, as the reciprocal fecurity of the refpec-
tive poffeffions, and rights, and a confidence in the good faith of132