Anglo-Prussian Convention
Encyclopedia
The Anglo-Prussian Convention was agreed on 11 April 1758 between Great Britain
and the Kingdom of Prussia
formalising the alliance between them
that had effectively existed since the Convention of Westminster in 1756.
The two states agreed not to negotiate a separate peace. Britain promised to pay the Prussians a subsidy
of £670,000 a year, larger than any wartime subsidies Britain had previous given to an ally. In exchange Britain hoped the Prussian would supply infantry and cavalry to the German Army of Observation commanded by Ferdinand of Brunswick to defend Hanover
and neighbouring territories.
It was also agreed that the British would provide a garrison for the port of Emden
, recently re-captured from French and Austrian forces by the Allies. This was a significant development as Britain had previously refused to deploy troops on the Continent, and the Secretary of State, William Pitt
had dismissed the prospect just months before.
The Alliance between the two states lasted until 1762, when it dissolved in acrimony.
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
and the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
formalising the alliance between them
Anglo-Prussian Alliance
The Anglo-Prussian Alliance was a military alliance created by the Westminster Convention between Great Britain and Prussia which lasted formally between 1756 and 1762 during the Seven Years' War. It allowed Britain to concentrate the majority of its efforts against the colonial possessions of the...
that had effectively existed since the Convention of Westminster in 1756.
The two states agreed not to negotiate a separate peace. Britain promised to pay the Prussians a subsidy
Golden Cavalry of St George
The Golden Cavalry of St George was the colloquial name of subsidies paid out by the British government to other European states in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, through particularly during the Napoleonic Wars...
of £670,000 a year, larger than any wartime subsidies Britain had previous given to an ally. In exchange Britain hoped the Prussian would supply infantry and cavalry to the German Army of Observation commanded by Ferdinand of Brunswick to defend Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
and neighbouring territories.
It was also agreed that the British would provide a garrison for the port of Emden
Emden
Emden is a city and seaport in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia; in 2006, the city had a total population of 51,692.-History:...
, recently re-captured from French and Austrian forces by the Allies. This was a significant development as Britain had previously refused to deploy troops on the Continent, and the Secretary of State, William Pitt
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War...
had dismissed the prospect just months before.
The Alliance between the two states lasted until 1762, when it dissolved in acrimony.