| Defensive Treaty of Alliance between the King of Great Britain, the most Christian King, and the King of Prussia, concluded at Hannover the 3rd of September 1725. | |
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| Type | Defensive Alliance |
| Context | Stately Quadrille |
| Signed | 3 September 1725 |
| Location | Hannover, Germany |
| Effective | 30 September 1725 |
| Signatories | List
|
| Ratifiers | |
| Language | French |
TheTreaty of Hanover was a treaty of defensive alliance signed on 3 September 1725 by theKingdom of Great Britain, theElectorate of Hanover, theKingdom of France and theKingdom of Prussia, an extension of the earlierAnglo-French Alliance. The alliance was formed as a reaction to Austria withdrawing from theQuadruple Alliance and founding the Austro-Spanish alliance at thePeace of Vienna months earlier in May 1725.[1]
TheUnited Provinces and theKingdom of Sweden later acceded to the Hanoverian Alliance through the Treaties of The Hague (1726) and Stockholm (1727).[1] TheKingdom of Denmark-Norway did not formally join the Hanoverian Alliance but signed the Treaty of Copenhagen with Great Britain and France in April 1727.[2] In 1728, Prussia would ally itself with EmperorCharles VI and the Viennese Alliance by signing the secretTreaty of Berlin [de].
TheSpanish, who were allies and close friends of theHabsburg monarchy following the succession ofCharles I (V) to the Spanish throne in 1516, broke their partnership with the Austrians in 1700. This was due to the death ofCharles II, the last Habsburg king of Spain, who died without issue.[3] King Charles II appointedPhilip de Bourbon, Duke of Anjou as his successor.[4] The following succession crisis sparked theWar of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), and consequently ended the two century alliance between Austria and Spain.
After the defeat of the Spanish in theWar of the Quadruple Alliance (1717-1720), the Austrians decided to ally the Spanish once again in order to reset the balance of power in Europe; which had leaned towards France in recent years. KingGeorge I had also become wary of a renewed hegemony of Europe by Spain and the Empire. The Treaty of Hanover marks the beginning of the Hanoverian Alliance as a formal opposition to the renewed Austro-Spanish alliance (which would later be joined by theRussian Empire, and the Electorates ofBavaria andCologne in 1726).[5][6] Separate reassurances of full military support were also given in the event of theHoly Roman Empire attacking theFrench unexpectedly.[1]
"There shall be now, and in all Time coming, a true, firm, and inviolable Peace, the most sincere and intimate Friendship, and the most strict Alliance and Union between the said three most serene Kings, their Heirs and Successors...and prevent and repel all Wrongs and Damages, by the most proper means they can find out."
It was agreed among the signers that approximate amounts of troops and cavalry would be supplied immediately in support if an enemy were to declare war.Great Britain andFrance would both send eight thousand troops and four thousand cavalry, whilePrussia would send only three thousand troops and two thousand cavalry.[1] Naval support was also guaranteed if needed.[1]
In 1714, a religious massacre occurred in Polish-ruledRoyal Prussia called theTumult of Thorn. Religious tensions had been present in the city since theJesuits entered intoThorn due toPoland-Lithuania's acceptance of theCounter-Reformation in 1595. After theTreaty of Oliva[a] in 1660, religious tolerance was enforced in Royal Prussia; the city had become about halfCatholic and halfLutheran.[7]
On 16 and 17 March 1726, the Jesuits were celebrating thefeast day of Corpus Christi[b] when a Jesuit student of a monastery complained that Lutherans who were watching theCorpus Christi procession did not take off their hats or kneel before the statue of Mary. Fights on both sides ensued, and a Jesuitmonastery was damaged.[8]
Jesuits were badly beaten, portraits of Catholic saints were destroyed, and part of thealtar was damaged. The Lutherans also gathered a pile of Catholic books and paintings, which were set on fire outside the monastery.[8] After these events, the Jesuits sued the City in the Polish Supreme Court inWarsaw. The court, directed by KingAugustus II,[c] issued a verdict where thirteen Lutherans were set to be executed.[9]
Great Britain andPrussia, who both guaranteed theTreaty of Oliva, were greatly concerned with this massacre.[1] The Polish court's verdict revealed religious intolerance present in Poland towards its Lutheran population, which both powers believed needed to be corrected and damaged Poland's international reputation.[10]Prussia andGreat Britain agreed to concert efforts towardsPoland to enforce tolerance in the area.[1]
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