Whitehall pact

The Whitehall Treaty , or Westminster Treaty , is a treaty between Great Britain and Prussia ; signed January 16, 1756 at the Whitehall Palace of Westminster . From the side of Prussia, negotiations were conducted by the Duke of Braunschweig. The Secretary of State for the Northern Department, Earl Holderness, spoke on behalf of the United Kingdom. He laid the foundation for the “ reversal of alliances ” - the regrouping of political forces in Europe on the eve of the Seven Years War of 1756-1763 .

Great Britain, fearing an attack on Hanover by France, hoped to get a military ally on the continent in the person of Prussia, and Prussia with the help of Great Britain intended to strengthen its position in the fight against Austria (who wanted to regain the territory lost during the Silesian Wars ) and Russia (considered as potential adversary) and create conditions for new territorial seizures.

Under the Whitehall Treaty, the parties pledged to join forces in order to prevent any foreign power from invading German states. The response to the Whitehall Treaty was the Franco-Austrian Treaty concluded at Versailles in May 1756 , to which Russia joined in January 1757 .