Treaty of Alliance, Offensive and Defensive, between Austria and Prussiawith the Imperial Court of Russia, without having first deliber-
ated thereupon in common.
Contracting Parties renounce the Acquisition of any
Advantages.
ART. IV. The High Contracting Parties being animated with a
desire to maintain the Balance of Power in Europe, and having
no interested ends in view, renounce beforehand the Acquisi-
tion of any Advantage for themselves from the events which
may occur.
Admittance of European Powers into Alliance.
ART. V. Their Majesties the Queen of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland and the Emperor of the French will
readily admit into their Alliance, in order to co-operate for the
proposed object, such of the other Powers of Europe as may be
desirous of becoming party to it.
Ratifications.
ART. VI. The present Convention shall be ratified, and the Rati-
fications shall be exchanged at London within 8 days.
In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have
signed the same, and have affixed thereto the Seal of their Arms.
Done at London, the 10th day of April, in the year of Our
Lord, 1854.
(L.S.) CLARENDON.
(L.S.) A. WALEWSKI.
3.1160 Treaty of Alliance, Offensive and Defen-
sive, between Austria and Prussia
Alliance Members:Austria and Prussia
Signed On:April 20, 1854, in the city of Berlin. In force until March
30, 1856, when the peace treaty ending the Crimean War was signed.
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:British Foreign and State Papers,vol. 44, p. 84.
Additional Citations:Key Treaties for the Great Powers, 1814–1914,
vol. 1, p. 305.
SUMMARY
With Russia engaged in the remnants of the Ottoman Empire during
the Crimean War, Austria sensed an opportunity to capture territories
recently taken by the Russians. Despite a general distaste for entering
into alliances, Prussia agreed in a defense pact signed April 20, 1854, to
come to Austria’s defense should it come under attack while trying to
force Russia out of the Danubian Principalities. In addition to further-
ing Austrian ambitions, the pact also opened the possibility that unless
Russia gave up some of its recently occupied territory, the two leading
German states would also enter the war against Russia.
Russia evacuated the Danubian Principalities on August 7, 1854, two
months after the issuance of the Austrian demand, preventing the acti-
vation of the clause that would bring Prussia into the war; and after
the Russian concession the Prussians stopped cooperating with the
allies against Russia. In fact, during the war, Prussia allowed goods and
matériel to pass through on their way to Russia.
The Treaty of Paris that ended the Crimean War on March 30, 1856,
also signaled the end of this Prussian-Austrian alliance.Alliance Text
His Majesty the Emperor of Austria and His Majesty the King of
Prussia, impressed with the deepest regret at the failure of the
efforts which they had made up to the present time to prevent
the War between Russia, on the one part, and Turkey, France,
and Great Britain on the other ;
Faithful to the moral engagements which they contracted in
signing the Protocols of Vienna ;
In presence of the ever-increasing developments made, on
both sides, by military measures, and the dangers arising there-
from to the Peace of Europe ;
Convinced of the high mission which, on the approach of a
disastrous future, and in the interest of European well-being, is
imposed on Germany, closely united to their respective States ;
Have resolved to conclude, for so long as the War, which has
just broken out between Russia, on the one part, and Turkey,
Great Britain, and France, on the other, shall last, an Offensive
and Defensive Alliance, and have appointed as their Plenipoten-
tiaries to that effect, namely :
His Majesty the Emperor of Austria, Baron Henry de Hess,
his Actual Intimate Councillor, &c.; and Count Frederick de
Thun-Hohenstein, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of Prussia, &c. ;
And His Majesty the King of Prussia, Baron Othon Theodor
Manteuffel, his President of the Council of Ministers and his
Minister for Foreign Affairs, &c. ;
Who, after having exchanged their Full Powers, found to be
in good and due form, have agreed upon the following Articles :
ARTS. I to VI.
I. Mutual Guarantee of their German and non-German
States.
II. Preservation of Rights and Interests of Germany. Special
Agreement to be concluded respecting Mutual Protec-
tion of Territory in certain eventualities.
III. Armed Force to be kept on War Footing, to act in case of
necessity.
IV. Governments of Germanic Confederation to be invited
to accede to Alliance.
V. High Contracting Parties not to conclude a separate
Alliance with other Powers.
VI. Ratifications.
Done at Berlin, 20th April, 1854.
(L.S.) HENRY BON. DE HESS.
(L.S.) F. THUN.
(L.S.) BON. OTH. THEODOR MANTEUFFEL.Additional Article.
According to the conditions of Article II of the Treaty con-
cluded this day between His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of
Austria and His Majesty the King of Prussia for the