Convention of Defensive Alliance between Great Britain and Turkey
Majesties have appointed as Their Plenipotentiaries, to wit:
His Majesty the Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, etc.,
and Apostolic King of Hungary, the Sieur Julius Count
Andrassy of Czik-S ́zent-Királyi, Grandee of Spain, His Actual
Privy Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, etc., etc.;
and His Majesty the Emperor of All the Russias, the Sieur
Eugene Novikow, His Ambassador Extraordinary, etc., etc.:
Who, after having exchanged their full powers, found in
good and due form, have agreed upon the following Articles:
ARTICLE I. The two High Contracting Parties, having as
their ultimate aim the amelioration of the lot of the Christians,
and wishing to eliminate any project of annexation of a magni-
tude that might compromise peace or the European equilib-
rium, which is neither in their intentions nor in the interests of
the two Empires, have come to an agreement to limit their even-
tual annexations to the following territories:
The Emperor of Austria, etc., and King of Hungary: to
Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the exception of the portion
comprised between Serbia and Montenegro, on the subject of
which the two Governments reserve the right to reach an agree-
ment when the moment for disposing of it arrives;
The Emperor of All the Russias: in Europe to the regions of
Bessarabia which would re-ëstablish the old frontiers of the
Empire before 1856.
ARTICLE 2. The High Contracting Parties engage to lend
each other mutual assistance in the diplomatic field, if the terri-
torial modifications resulting from a war or from the dissolu-
tion of the Ottoman Empire should give rise to a collective
deliberation of the Great Powers.
ARTICLE 3. His Majesty the Emperor of Austria, etc., and
King of Hungary, and His Majesty the Emperor of All the Rus-
sias, in the interview which took place between them at Reich-
stadt, came to an agreement in principle on the following
points: In case of a territorial modification or of a dissolution of
the Ottoman Empire, the establishment of a great compact
Slavic or other state is excluded; in compensation, Bulgaria,
Albania, and the rest of Rumelia might be constituted into inde-
pendent states; Thessaly, part of Epirus, and the island of Crete
might be annexed to Greece; Constantinople, with a territory of
which the limit remains to be determined, might become a free
city. Their said Majesties record that they have nothing to
change in these views, and declare anew that they wish to main-
tain them as bases of their subsequent political action.
ARTICLE 4. The High Contracting Parties engage to keep
secret the stipulations of the present Convention, which shall be
ratified and whose ratifications shall be exchanged at Vienna
within the space of four weeks, or sooner if may be.
In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have
signed it and have affixed thereto the seal of their arms.
Done at Budapest, the fifteenth day of the month of January
in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
(L.S.) Andrássy.
(L.S.) Novikow.
3.1191 Convention of Defensive Alliance
between Great Britain and Turkey
Alliance Members:Great Britain and Ottoman Empire (Turkey)
Signed On:June 4, 1878, in the city of Constantinople (Istanbul,
Turkey). In force until November 25, 1880.
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:Key Treaties for the Great Powers, 1814–1914,vol. 2, p. 547.SUMMARY
At the close of the final Russo-Turkish War, Great Britain sought to
limit further Russian gains in the remnants of the Ottoman Empire.
After the Treaty of San Stefano freed much of the Balkans from Turk-
ish rule and created an independent Bulgaria in the Russian sphere of
influence, an uneasy Britain sought to safeguard its hegemony by sign-
ing a defense pact with the Turks, pledging assistance should the Rus-
sians attempt to occupy Constantinople in return for winning control
of the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
Several weeks later, an annex to the convention provided for British
evacuation of Cyprus in return for the evacuation of particular Rus-
sian gains, although when Russia did return the lands in 1917 the
British did not leave the island.
Although the July Treaty of Berlin eventually trimmed Russian gains,
the potential of British intervention likely played some role in reduc-
ing Russia’s share of the postwar bargain. The treaty’s provisions came
to an end in 1880.Alliance Text
HER Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, and His Imperial Majesty
the Sultan, being mutually animated with the sincere desire of
extending and strengthening the relations of friendship happily
existing between their two Empires, have resolved upon the
conclusion of a Convention of defensive alliance with the object
of securing for the future the territories in Asia of His Imperial
Majesty the Sultan.
Their Majesties have accordingly chosen and named as their
Plenipotentiaries, that is to say :
Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, the Right Honourable
Austen Henry Layard, Her Majesty’s Ambassador Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Sublime Porte ;
And His Imperial Majesty the Sultan, his Excellency Safvet
Pasha, Minister for Foreign Affairs of His Imperial Majesty ;
Who, after having exchanged their full powers, found in due
and good form, have agreed upon the following Articles :—
I. If Batoum, Ardahan, Kars, or any of them, shall be retained
by Russia, and if any attempt shall be made at any future time
by Russia to take possession of any further territories of His
Imperial Majesty the Sultan in Asia, as fixed by the Definitive
Treaty of Peace, England engages to join His Imperial Majesty
the Sultan in defending them by force of arms.
In return, His Imperial Majesty the Sultan promises to
England to introduce necessary reforms, to be agreed upon later