The Anglo-Prussian Convention was agreed on 11 April 1758 between

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

formalising the alliance between them that had effectively existed since the

Convention of Westminster The Diplomatic Revolution of 1756 was the reversal of longstanding alliances in Europe between the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. Austria went from an ally of Britain to an ally of France, the Dutch Republic, a long st ...

in 1756. The two states agreed not to negotiate a separate peace. Britain promised to pay the Prussians a subsidy in gold (£670,000 a year, larger than any wartime subsidies Britain had previous given to an ally.) In exchange Britain hoped the Prussians would supply infantry and cavalry to the German

Army of Observation An army of observation is a military body whose purpose is to monitor a given area or enemy body in preparation for possible hostilities. Some of the more notable armies of observation include: *Third Reserve Army of Observation, a Russian army tas ...

commanded by

Ferdinand of Brunswick Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

to defend the

Electorate of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...

and neighbouring territories.

Nicholas Magens Esq. Nicholas Magens or Nicolaus Paul Magens (1697 or 1704–1764) was an attorney, a merchant on Spain and her colonies in America, and an expert on ship insurance, general average and bottomry who gained a great reputation in commercial matte ...

and

George Amyand Sir George Amyand, 1st Baronet (26 September 1720 – 16 August 1766) was a British Whig politician, physician and merchant. Origins He was the second son of Claudius Amyand, Surgeon-in-Ordinary to King George II, by his wife Mary Rabache, a ...

supplied the money. It was also agreed that the British would provide a garrison for the port of

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of E ...

, in 1757 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 Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

, and the Secretary of State, William Pitt had dismissed the prospect just months before. Neither Britain or Prussia could foresee the actual length of the conflict nor the ultimate intra-alliance frictions that were to arise. Both sides believed at first that the war would not extend past one or two campaigns. The Alliance between the two states lasted until 30 April 1762, when it was dissolved by

John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, (; 25 May 1713 – 10 March 1792), styled Lord Mount Stuart between 1713 and 1723, was a British nobleman who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763 under George III. He was arguabl ...

in acrimony. King George III supported Bute and

George Grenville George Grenville (14 October 1712 – 13 November 1770) was a British Whig statesman who rose to the position of Prime Minister of Great Britain. Grenville was born into an influential political family and first entered Parliament in 1741 as an ...

, against the Duke of Newcastle and Pitt.Schweizer, Karl W. (1991) Frederick the Great, William Pitt, and Lord Bute: The Anglo-Prussian Alliance, 1756–1763, p. 284, 289.

References

Bibliography

* Dull, Jonathan R. ''The French Navy and the Seven Years' War''. University of Nebraska Press, 2005. * Szabo, Franz A.J. ''The Seven Years' War in Europe, 1756-1763''. Pearson, 2008. * Spencer, Frank (1956) THE ANGLO‐PRUSSIAN BREACH OF 1762: AN HISTORICAL REVISION. In: History, pp. 100–102. * Schweizer, Karl W. (1977) Lord Bute, Newcastle, Prussia, and the Hague Overtures: A Re-Examinatio

Published online: 11 July 2014 {{Seven Years' War treaties Treaties of the Seven Years' War Treaties of the Kingdom of Great Britain Geopolitical rivalry 18th-century military alliances 1758 treaties Treaties of the Kingdom of Prussia Military alliances involving the Kingdom of Great Britain Military alliances involving Prussia 1758 in Great Britain 1758 in Prussia Prussia–United Kingdom relations Treaties of the Silesian Wars