Alliance between Russia and Prussiaat coercing the sultan to protect adherents of Eastern Orthodoxy in
the Empire. This action ultimately touched off the Crimean War
(1853–1856).
Description of Terms
Austria and Russia mutually guaranteed their territories that
were formerly part of Poland (circa 1772). They pledged to help
each other in case of rebellion in their Polish provinces. The
country experiencing the rebellion was to determine the num-
ber of soldiers the other country should provide, while the
country asking for help would feed the additional troops. If the
additional troops needed to travel through the land of the other
country, these troops would be welcome to do so. Members of
the rebellion would not be allowed asylum in the other country.
The city of Krakow was to remain free.
3.1148 Secret Treaty among Austria, Prussia,
and Russia Concerning Common Action
against Revolutionaries (Convention of Berlin)
Alliance Members:Austria, Prussia, and Russia
Signed On:October 15, 1833, in the city of Berlin. In force until
March 31, 1848.
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:Martens,vol. 4, p. 460.
Additional Citations:Consolidated Treaty Series,vol. 220, p. 330.
SUMMARY
In the interests of protecting Austrian ascendancy in Prussia while also
maintaining the eastern European status quo, Metternich made an
attempt to rebuild the shattered Holy Alliance that had once united
the dominant autocratic powers of Europe.
After helping crush popular rebellions in the Italian states and person-
ally winning the support of Tsar Nicholas I, Metternich sealed the
pledges of the main autocratic states with the Convention of Berlin,
reaffirming the ideals of divine right and intervention in local spheres
of influence to maintain domestic stability. Specifically, signatories
affirmed the right to intervene in Poland and the weakened Ottoman
Empire. The Russians, in particular, were given exclusive responsibility
for Poland, Hungary, and the Balkans. Austria reserved sole rights for
the suppression of revolution in Hungary.
The series of revolutions that swept across Europe in 1848 effectively
ended the Convention of Berlin, as Austrian hegemony disappeared
and Hungary emerged as an independent state.
Description of Terms
The allies recognize that all independent, sovereign states can
ask for aid to suppress interior troubles and thwart exterior
threats. Each country can also refuse this help if it so desires. If
one of the allies does provide aid, all other signatories must
refuse to act in any way. If material assistance claimed by one of
the allies threatens another signatory, this aggression would be
considered a direct one by the allies, and measures would be
taken. This treaty was to be ratified in two weeks in Berlin. In a
separate article, the alliance members pledge to keep the treaty
secret until its use.3.1149 Alliance between Russia and Prussia
Alliance Members:Russia and Prussia
Signed On:October 16, 1833, in the city of Berlin. In force until
March 21, 1848, when the Prussian king released Polish prisoners
imprisoned in Berlin.
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:Consolidated Treaty Series,vol. 84, p. 69.
Additional Citations:Martens,vol. 8, p. 187.SUMMARY
The November Uprising of 1830 in Warsaw began when Russian plans
to use Polish troops in putting down revolts in France and Belgium
became known to the cadets training in the army office school in War-
saw. Outraged because these plans violated the Polish constitution, the
rebellious cadets stormed the palace of Grand Duke Konstantin. The
grand duke escaped the revolt, and so the cadets captured the local
arsenal and repelled all Russian forces from the city. The Warsaw
uprising spread throughout Poland; but within three months, Russia
had amassed over 100,000 troops to put down the insurrection.
Prussia and Austria-Hungary maintained a policy of benevolent neu-
trality with Russia during the Russo-Polish War. Prussia closed the
frontiers to Poland and prevented the transportation of supplies and
munitions. This allowed Russia to wage a war of attrition against a
smaller force, as Russian forces were able to put down the rebellion by
October of 1831, when the remaining Polish troops surrendered to
Prussia rather than face Russian reprisals.
Guerrilla actions still continued in the region after the revolt, and this
alliance was a cooperative alliance between Prussia and Russia that was
meant to keep their border country stable. The two countries pledged
to support each other to maintain Krakow’s neutrality and to keep the
status quo in Poland.Description of Terms
The allies guarantee each other the tranquil and peaceful pos-
session of the Polish provinces acquired at the Congress of
Vienna (1815). Following this guarantee, the high contracting
parties commit themselves to mutual aid and assistance. In the
case that the forces of one of the two powers, stationed in a part
of Poland, are not sufficient to suppress the insurgency, any of
them can demand the help of the other if the safety of its pos-
sessions permits it and if it has enough troops available in that
area.
The additional treaty of May 3, 1815, having guaranteed the
strict neutrality of the free town of Krakow and its territory, the
high contracting parties, in their function as protectors of
Krakow, have the right to ensure that nothing might compro-
mise the safety and tranquility of Krakow or the neighboring
states. Each public or clandestine act with such a goal, and any
participation in such an act, will be considered a violation of the