Treaty of London (1839)

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Treaty of London
Belgian borders claimed before The Treaty of the XXIV articles.
TypeMultilateral Treaty
Signed19 April 1839 (1839-04-19)
LocationLondon, United Kingdom
Original
signatories
Ratifiers
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • France
  • German Confederation
  • Netherlands
  • Russia
  • United Kingdom

The Treaty of London of 1839,[1] was signed on 19 April 1839 between the major European powers, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium. It was a direct follow-up to the 1831 Treaty of the XVIII Articles, which the Netherlands had refused to sign, and the result of negotiations at the London Conference of 1838–1839 which sought to maintain the Concert of Europe.[2]

Under the treaty, the European powers recognised and guaranteed the independence and neutrality of Belgium and established the full independence of the German-speaking part of Luxembourg. Article VII required Belgium to remain perpetually neutral.[3] Following the German invasion of 1914, Belgium abandoned its policy of neutrality (except for a brief, unsuccessful resumption from 1936 to 1940).[citation needed]

  1. ^ also called the First Treaty of London, the Convention of 1839, the Treaty of Separation, the Quintuple Treaty of 1839, or the Treaty of the XXIV articles
  2. ^ Eric Van Hooydonk (2006). "Chapter 15". In Aldo E. Chircop; O. Lindén (eds.). Places of Refuge: The Belgian Experience. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff. p. 417. ISBN 9789004149526. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  3. ^ Eric Van Hooydonk (2006). "Chapter 15". In Aldo E. Chircop; O. Lindén (eds.). Places of Refuge: The Belgian Experience. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff. p. 417. ISBN 9789004149526. Retrieved 30 May 2012.