Convention of London (1840)
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Signed | 15 July 1840 |
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Location | London, United Kingdom |
Signatories |
The Convention of London of 1840 was a treaty with the title of Convention for the Pacification of the Levant, signed on 15 July 1840 between the Great Powers of United Kingdom, Austria, Prussia, Russia on one hand and the Ottoman Empire on the other. The Convention lent some support to the Ottoman Empire, which was having difficulties with the rebellious Wali of Egypt.
Because Muhammad Ali of Egypt did not accept the terms of the convention, the Oriental Crisis of 1840 resulted. Thus, Muhammad Ali finally had to accept the convention on 27 November 1840.
Negotiations
The treaty summarized recent agreements concerning the Ottoman Empire under
The Ottomans agreed to declare the
Oriental Crisis of 1840
The European powers agreed to use all possible means of persuasion to effect this agreement, but Muhammad Ali, backed by France, refused to accept its terms in the time given. That led to the Oriental Crisis of 1840, and British and Austrian forces attacked Acre, defeating his troops late in 1840. Muhammad Ali's forces faced increasing military pressure from Europe and the Ottoman Empire, fought a losing battle against insurgents in its captured territories, and saw the general deterioration of its military from the strain of the recent wars.
Muhammad Ali finally accepted the terms of the Convention and the and sent back the Ottoman fleet. The London Convention and the firmans were the legal basis for Egypt's status as an autonomous Ottoman province. Later Egyptian nationalists cited them to discredit claims for the British occupation.
See also
- London Straits Convention (1841)
- History of Ottoman Egypt
- History of Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty
Notes
- ^ Geoffrey G. Butler, Simon Maccoby, The Development of International Law, p. 440
References
- Goldschmidt, A.; Johnston, R. (2004) Historical Dictionary of Egypt (3rd ed.) American University in Cairo Press, p. 243
- Berger, M. (1960) Military Elite and Social Change: Egypt Since Napoleon. Princeton: Center for International Studies, p. 11
- Rich, N. (1992) Great Power Diplomacy, 1814–1914. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
External links
- Convention between Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia and Turkey for the pacification of the Levant (text of the treaty, published in William Cargill: The Foreign Affairs of Great Britain; Google Books)