The Mediterranean Agreements (German ''Mittelmeerentente''; French ''Entente de la Méditerranée'') were a series of treaties signed in 1887 by Great Britain with

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

on 12 February (through the mediation of Germany), with

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

on March 24 and with

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

on May 4. Further notes were exchanged between Britain, Italy and Austria-Hungary on 12 December. On the face of it the treaties recognised the ''status quo'' in the Mediterranean Sea. In fact, one of the objectives was to halt the expansion of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and her wish to control the straits of the Bosphorus and

Dardanelles The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...

. From that perspective it also assured the survival of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. It also protected Italian interests against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Thus it united forces hostile to Russia in the Balkans and to France in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. From the point of view of the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the benefit of these agreements to which Germany was not a party, was in bringing Britain closer to the Triple Alliance of Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. The treaty potentially conflicted with the

Reinsurance Treaty The Reinsurance Treaty was a diplomatic agreement between the German Empire and the Russian Empire that was in effect from 1887 to 1890. Only a handful of top officials in Berlin and St. Petersburg knew of its existence since it was top secret. T ...

of 1887, between Germany and Russia. In the secret protocol to the Reinsurance Treaty, Bismarck lent support to Russia's expansion efforts. Thus the Mediterranean Agreement, while not a ''de jure'' contradiction of the Reinsurance Treaty was at least contrary to its spirit.

Bibliography

W. N. Medlicott. The Mediterranean Agreements 1887. The Slavonic Review Vol. 5, No. 13 (Jun., 1926), pp. 66-88

Pribram, Alfred, ed. (1921) The Secret Treaties of Austria-Hungary. Vol. 2. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. pp. 47-57, 71-78
(''Text of Agreements'') * Gregor Schöllgen, Imperialismus und Gleichgewicht. Deutschland, England und die orientalische Frage 1871–1914, Munich, Oldenbourg, 2000 (), p. 23
Die Grosse Politik der Europäischen Kabinette
{{Authority control Treaties of the United Kingdom (1801–1922) Treaties of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) History of the Mediterranean 19th-century military alliances 1887 treaties Italy–United Kingdom relations Treaties of Spain Austria-Hungary