From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the London Straits Convention concluded on 13 July 1841 between the Great Powers of Europe at the time - Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Austria and Prussia - the 'ancient rule' of the Ottoman Empire was re-established by closing the Turkish straits of Bosporus and the Dardanelles (which linked the Black Sea to the Mediterranean) from all warships whatsoever (barring those of the Sultan's allies during wartime). It thus benefited British naval power at the expense of Russia because the latter lacked access to the Mediterranean.

The treaty is one in a series dealing with access to the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles. It evolved from the secret 1833 Treaty of Hünkâr İskelesi, in which Turkey guaranteed exclusive use of the straits to Black Sea Powers (i.e. Turkey and Russia) warships in the case of war. The latest treaty is the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits from 1936, which technically is still in force.

The Straits Convention evolved as a way to protect the Ottoman Empire from collapse. Egypt at this time, under the leadership of Mehmet Ali, was starting war with Turkey. Russian Tsar Nichoals I decided that the fall of Turkey would be disastrous and lead to greater war among the more powerful nations and so chose to support the Ottomans. The Turks responded by signing the Treaty of Unkiar Skelessi which promised to close the Straits to foreign warships if Russia were being attacked.

In 1833 Austria, Russia, and Prussia agreed that no matter what all steps should be taken to preserve the Ottoman Empire, and if that could not be done then these three countries would work together to create a new Balkan territory. This did not keep Turkey and Egypt out of war, because in 1839 it began again. Russia worked with Austria and Prussia to convince France (which had sided with Mehmet) to accept a multilateral agreement. This evolved into the Straits Convention of 1841, which included guarantees similar to the earlier Treaty of Unkiar Skelessi.

The motivation of Emperor Nicholas to agree to the closing of the straits has been said to be his uneasiness over the Treaty of Hünkâr İskelesi, which he feared might turn the other Great Powers against him by creating too tight an alliance between him and the Sultan. He also authorised the British Navy to quell the attack on the Ottoman Empire by its former vassal, Muhammad Ali of Egypt. However, Anglo-Russian tension over the region remained. Turkey was the area where their two empires rubbed side by side.

From the British point of view, this convention helped preserve the European balance of power by preventing Russia's powerful navy from dominating the Mediterranean. From the Russian point of view, the treaty encouraged aggressive politics of Britain in the region, which led to the Crimean War.

While the treaty forced Emperor Nicholas I to abandon his plans for reducing the Ottoman Empire into a complete dependent of Russia and liberating the Christian countries of the Balkans from Ottoman domination, the Ottoman Empire was not wholly independent after the convention, as it relied on Britain and France for protection.

• International waterway