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 north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

and formalised the alliance between them that had effectively existed since the Convention of Westminster in 1756. Both kingdoms 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 that Britain had ever given to an ally). In exchange, Britain hoped that the Prussians would supply infantry and cavalry to the German Army of Observation, commanded by Ferdinand of Brunswick, to defend the

Electorate of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover ( or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an Prince-elector, electorate of the Holy Roman Empire located in northwestern Germany that arose from the Principality of Calenberg. Although formally known as the Electorate of Brun ...

and neighbouring territories. Nicholas Magens and George Amyand supplied the money. It was also agreed that the British would provide a garrison for the port of

Emden Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...

, which had been in 1757 re-captured from French and Austrian forces by the Allies. That was a significant development, as Britain had refused to deploy troops on the Continent, 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 or 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 Tory statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763 under George III. He became the ...

in acrimony. King George III supported Bute and

George Grenville George Grenville (14 October 1712 – 13 November 1770) was a British Whig statesman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain, during the early reign of the young George III. He served for only two years (1763-1765), and attempted to solv ...

, against

the Duke of Newcastle Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne, 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne (21 July 1693 – 17 November 1768) was an English Whig statesman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain, and whose official life extended througho ...

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

References

Sources

* 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 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