The Reichstadt agreement was an agreement made between

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 ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

in July 1876, who were at that time in an alliance with each other and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in the

League of the Three Emperors The League of the Three Emperors or Union of the Three Emperors (german: Dreikaiserbund) was an alliance between the German, Russian and Austro-Hungarian Empires, from 1873 to 1887. Chancellor Otto von Bismarck took full charge of German foreign po ...

, or ''Dreikaiserbund''. Present were the Russian and Austro-Hungarian emperors together with their foreign ministers, Prince Gorchakov of Russia and Count Andrassy of Austria-Hungary. The closed meeting took place on July 8 in the Bohemian city of Reichstadt (now

Zákupy Zákupy (; german: Reichstadt) is a town in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,900 inhabitants. The town centre with the castle is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. A ...

). They agreed on a common approach to the solution of the Eastern question, due to the unrest in 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) ...

and the interests of the two major powers in the Balkans. They discussed the likely

Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histor ...

of 1877–1878, its possible outcomes and what should happen under each scenario. The later Budapest Convention of 1877 confirmed the main points, but when the war concluded with the

Treaty of San Stefano The 1878 Treaty of San Stefano (russian: Сан-Стефанский мир; Peace of San-Stefano, ; Peace treaty of San-Stefano, or ) was a treaty between the Russian and Ottoman empires at the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-187 ...

in 1878, the terms of the treaty were quite different leading to Austrian insistence on convening a revision at the

Congress of Berlin The Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878) was a diplomatic conference to reorganise the states in the Balkan Peninsula after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, which had been won by Russia against the Ottoman Empire. Represented at th ...

later that year. These events laid the background for the subsequent Bulgarian Crisis of 1885-1888, and ultimately

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Format

The negotiations took place in a private and almost informal setting. It is significant that the results of the meeting were not written down, so that the Austrian and Russian view of what was agreed on differed significantly. There was neither a signed formal convention nor even a signed protocol. The minutes were dictated separately by both Andrassy and by Gorchakov suggesting that neither side really trusted the other side. The extent of agreed Austrian annexation in Bosnia and Herzegovina has remained controversial. It was these inconsistencies that necessitated further discussions at the Constantinople Conference and the subsequent Budapest Convention, though these largely confirmed or amended the Reichstadt discussions.

Terms of the agreement

The Balkan Christians would gain a measure of independence. Austria would allow Russia to make gains in

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

. Russia would allow Austria to gain

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

. Russia and Austria agree not to create a big Slavic state in the Balkans.

Implications

This effectively meant that Austria was assuring Russia that to stay out of a war between Russia and the

. It also meant that the Austrians and the Russians were agreeing on how 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 ...

would be split up in the case of a Russian victory. image:Andrássy Gyula 1871.jpg, Andrassy image:Franz Joseph 1865.jpg, Franz Joseph image:Alexander II 1870 by Sergei Lvovich Levitsky.jpg, Alexander II. image:A.M.Gorchakov.jpg, Gorchakov

References

Bibliography

Crampton, R. J. ''A Concise History of Bulgaria''. Cambridge University Press 1997

Beller, Steven. ''A Concise History of Austria''. Cambridge University Press 2007
{{Great Eastern Crisis History of the Balkans 1876 treaties 1876 in the Russian Empire 1876 in Austria-Hungary Treaties of Austria-Hungary Treaties of the Russian Empire Austria-Hungary–Russia relations Bilateral treaties of Russia

Format

Terms of the agreement

Implications

See also

References

Bibliography