Alliance between Sardinia and the Two Sicilies against the Barbary RegenciesRatifications.
ART. V. The present Convention shall be ratified, and the Ratifi-
cations shall be exchanged at London, in the space of 8 days
from the date hereof, or sooner of possible.
In witness whereof, the respective Plenipotentiaries have
signed the same, and have affixed thereto the Seals of their Arms.
Done at London, the 22nd day of October, in the year of Our
Lord, 1832.
(L.S.) PALMERSTON.
(L.S.) TALLEYRAND.
3.1142 Convention between Belgium and
France, relative to the entrance of a French
Army into Belgium
Alliance Members:Belgium and France
Signed On:November 10, 1832, in the city of Brussels. In force until
May 21, 1833, with the signing of the armistice between Belgium and
the Netherlands.
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:British Foreign and State Papers,vol. 19, p. 1417.
SUMMARY
This alliance detailed plans for a joint Belgian-French force to repel
any possible Dutch action during the Belgian Revolution. The Belgians
and the French had already repelled the Dutch army in August of
1832, and this instrument laid the groundwork for a cooperative force
should the Dutch invade again. This alliance, together with Franco-
British alliance signed the month before (see Alliance no. 3.1141),
forced the Dutch king, William I, into an armistice.
Description of Terms
The French army agrees not to remain in any Belgian strong-
holds or established camps in the territories it traverses. When
the French army arrives in Antwerp, the Belgian army will give
the fort to them. Six thousand Belgian soldiers will stay in
Antwerp but will not fight against the Dutch. Most of the Bel-
gian army will be to the right of the French army. The fort of
Antwerp will be given to the Belgians as soon as the Dutch are
pushed out. The Belgian army shall not attack the Dutch army.
If the Dutch attack the Belgians, the French and the Belgians
will act together to stop this aggression. However, this response
must never become offensive as the goal of this operation is to
liberate Belgium.
3.1143 Secret Treaty among Austria, Prussia,
and Russia Relative to Common Action in the
Belgian Question
Alliance Members:Austria, Prussia, and Russia
Signed On:March 9, 1833, in the city of Berlin. In force until May 21, 1833,
with the signing of the armistice between Belgium and the Netherlands.
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:Consolidated Treaty Series,vol. 83, p. 915.
Additional Citations:Martens,vol. 4, p. 432.SUMMARY
This alliance embodies the response to the Belgian Revolution by the
remaining major powers in Europe. The Napoleonic Wars had ended
less than three decades prior, and many of the leaders remained suspi-
cious of any growth in French power. Fearing that an independent
Belgium would quickly be annexed by France, most leaders favored
the prewar status quo of Dutch territorial control.
The November 15 agreement to which the treaty refers stipulated a
settlement for the Dutch that was more favorable than the initial
armistice but still called for an independent Belgium. Thus, this secret
alliance signaled one part of the acceptable terms of Belgian settle-
ment to the British and the French. Nevertheless, the threat of action
by the three allied powers was not credible, given how hobbled the
allies were by domestic problems of their own—especially the Rus-
sians, whose forces were consumed with putting down unrest in
Poland.Description of Terms
The treaty of November 15 will always be the basis for negotia-
tions for Austria, Prussia, and Russia. For the success of the
negotiations, the Netherlands and Belgium shall be part of all
consultations along with the five powers. The three alliance
powers agree that harsher conditions than what have been
established will not be imposed on the Netherlands, that the
negotiations would be over if someone used force against the
Netherlands, and that if that happened, the three powers would
guarantee all of the Netherlands’ possessions according to the
treaty of November 15. This treaty is secret and shall only be
told to the French and the British.3.1144 Alliance between Sardinia and the Two
Sicilies against the Barbary Regencies
Alliance Members:Sardinia and the Two Sicilies
Signed On:March 28, 1833, in the city of Turin (Italy). In force until
January 12, 1848, when a revolutionary movement broke out in Sicily
that eventually spread throughout Italy.
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:British Foreign and State Papers,vol. 20, p. 28.SUMMARY
The pirates of the Barbary Coast had been in steep decline. Massive
naval building during the Napoleonic Wars made for better, faster
ships to counter pirates during peacetime. A Europe at peace was also
less willing to tolerate piracy taxes against its shipping, and even the
fledgling United States was no longer willing to bribe the pirates, and
it defeated them in war. This decline culminated with the conquest of
Algiers by French forces in 1830.
Weakened, the pirates turned their efforts on Mediterranean shipping,
and this alliance was the response by two Italian states with significant