London Pact
Encyclopedia
London Pact or more correctly, the Treaty of London, 1915, was a secret pact
between Italy and Triple Entente
, signed in London
on 26 April 1915 by the Kingdom of Italy, Great Britain
, France
and Russia
.
According to the pact, Italy was to leave the Triple Alliance
and join Triple Entente, as already stated in a secret agreement signed in London, on 4–5 September 1914. Furthermore, Italy was to declare war
against Germany
and Austria-Hungary
within a month (this would happen against Austria-Hungary
within a month but much later, 1916, with Germany
), Italy was to obtain the following territorial gains (see Italia irredenta
) at the end of the war:
The Kingdom of Serbia
was promised
The Kingdom of Montenegro
was assigned
Also, but less precisely, Serbia was promised
The Italians insisted, and the Allies agreed, that the question of the Adriatic coast between Zara and Istria should be settled after the war. They also insisted that Serbia should not be informed about the agreements. However, the Allies overruled this by sending to the Government of Serbia an official note, dated 4 August 1915, confirming the post-war territorial claims of Serbia and Montenegro.
The pact was to be kept secret, but after the October Revolution
, it was published by Russian journal Izvestia
, in November 1917.
At the Paris Peace Conference, the Italians insisted that they would negotiate only with their wartime allies Serbia and Montenegro, not with their defeated enemies who were included in the delegation of the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In particular, they were incensed that three members of the delegation were former Austro-Hungarian deputies (Croats Ante Trumbić
, Josip Smodlaka, and the Slovene Otokar Rybář), and that one (the Slovene Ivan Žolger) had served as Minister in the wartime Austrian Cabinet.
The pact was nullified with the Treaty of Versailles
because President Woodrow Wilson
—supporting Slavic claims and not recognizing the treaty—rejected Italian requests on Dalmatian territories. Italy was also denied the treaty's previous agreement of expanding the Italian colonial empire with Germany's Asian and African colonies and make claims on Albania.
The partition of the Tyrol on the water divide line was confirmed by the Treaty of St. Germain.
Pact
A pact is a formal agreement.Pact, The Pact or PACT may also refer to:-PACT as an acronym:* Protein ACTivator of the interferon-induced protein kinase, a protein that activates protein kinase R...
between Italy and Triple Entente
Triple Entente
The Triple Entente was the name given to the alliance among Britain, France and Russia after the signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907....
, signed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 26 April 1915 by the Kingdom of Italy, Great Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
According to the pact, Italy was to leave the Triple Alliance
Triple Alliance (1882)
The Triple Alliance was the military alliance between Germany, Austria–Hungary, and Italy, , that lasted from 1882 until the start of World War I in 1914...
and join Triple Entente, as already stated in a secret agreement signed in London, on 4–5 September 1914. Furthermore, Italy was to declare war
Declaration of war
A declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. The declaration is a performative speech act by an authorized party of a national government in order to create a state of war between two or more states.The legality of who is competent to declare war varies...
against Germany
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
and Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
within a month (this would happen against Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
within a month but much later, 1916, with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), Italy was to obtain the following territorial gains (see Italia irredenta
Italia irredenta
Italian irredentism was an Italian Irredentist movement that aimed at the unification of all ethnically Italian peoples....
) at the end of the war:
- TyrolCounty of TyrolThe County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
, up to the Alpine water divide at the Brenner PassBrenner Pass- Roadways :The motorway E45 leading from Innsbruck via Bolzano to Verona and Modena uses this pass, and is one of the most important north-south connections in Europe...
, which includes the modern-day Italian provinces of Trentino) and South TyrolSouth TyrolSouth Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
. - the entire Austrian LittoralAustrian LittoralThe Austrian Littoral was established as a crown land of the Austrian Empire in 1849. In 1861 it was divided into the three crown lands of the Imperial Free City of Trieste and its suburbs, the Margraviate of Istria, and the Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca, which each had separate...
, including the port of TriesteTriesteTrieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
and the CresCresCres is an Adriatic island in Croatia. It is one of the northern island in the Kvarner Gulf and can be reached via ferry from the island Krk or from the Istrian peninsula ....
-LošinjLošinjLošinj is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, in the Kvarner Gulf. It is almost due south of the city of Rijeka and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
(Cherso-Lussino) archipelago, but without the HungarianKingdom of HungaryThe Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
port of RijekaRijekaRijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
(Fiume). - the western part of the Duchy of CarniolaDuchy of CarniolaThe Duchy of Carniola was an administrative unit of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy from 1364 to 1918. Its capital was Ljubljana...
up to the watershed between the Adriatic and Black Sea, including the towns of Ilirska BistricaIlirska BistricaIlirska Bistrica is a town and a municipality in Slovenia. It belongs to the traditional region of Primorska.The town of Ilirska Bistrica is the major economic centre of the district of the same name...
, IdrijaIdrijaIdrija is a small town and municipality in the Goriška region of Slovenia. It is known for its mercury mine and lace....
, and VipavaVipava, SloveniaVipava is a small town in western Slovenia with 1500 inhabitants. It is the center of a municipality with 5,185 people. Vipava is built near the numerous sources of the Vipava River, in the upper Vipava Valley, 102 m above sea level...
in Inner Carniola. - some smaller border areas of southern Carinthia (PontebbaPontebbaPontebba is a comune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located about 100 km northwest of Trieste and about 50 km north of Udine, on the border with Austria...
and Malborghetto ValbrunaMalborghetto ValbrunaMalborghetto Valbruna is a comune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 100 km northwest of Trieste and about 50 km northeast of Udine, on the border with Austria. , it had a population of 1,025 and an area of 120.5 km²...
) - Northern DalmatiaDalmatiaDalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, including ZadarZadarZadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
(Zara), ŠibenikŠibenikŠibenik is a historic town in Croatia, with population of 51,553 . It is located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea...
(Sebenico), and most of the Dalmatian islands, except KrkKrkKrk is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
and RabRabRab is an island in Croatia and a town of the same name located just off the northern Croatian coast in the Adriatic Sea.The island is long, has an area of and 9,480 inhabitants . The highest peak is Kamenjak at 408 meters...
. - DodecaneseDodecaneseThe Dodecanese are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, of which 26 are inhabited. Τhis island group generally defines the eastern limit of the Sea of Crete. They belong to the Southern Sporades island group...
- VlorëVlorëVlorë is one of the biggest towns and the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës, with a population of about 94,000 . It is the city where the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1912...
- Protectorate over AlbaniaAlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
- part of the German Asian and African colonial empire
The Kingdom of Serbia
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
was promised
- the Dalmatian coast between the KrkaKrka (Croatia)Krka is a river in Croatia's Dalmatia region, famous for its numerous waterfalls. It is long and its basin covers an area of .Possibly the river called Catarbates by the ancient Greeks, it was known to the ancient Romans as Titius, Corcoras, or Korkoras.The river has its source near the border...
and StonStonSton is a village and municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. The town of Ston is the center of the Ston municipality.- Demographics :...
, including the PelješacPelješacPelješac is a peninsula in southern Dalmatia in Croatia. The peninsula is part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and is the second largest peninsula in Croatia...
peninsula (Sabbioncello), the port of SplitSplit (city)Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, and the island of BračBracBrač is an island in the Adriatic Sea within Croatia, with an area of 396 km², making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. Its tallest peak, Vidova Gora, or Mount St. Vid, stands at 778 m, making it the highest island point in the Adriatic...
(Brazza).
The Kingdom of Montenegro
Kingdom of Montenegro
The Kingdom of Montenegro was a monarchy in southeastern Europe during the tumultuous years on the Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World War I. Legally it was a constitutional monarchy, but absolutist in practice...
was assigned
- the Dalmatian coast between BudvaBudvaBudva is a coastal town in Montenegro. It has around 15,000 inhabitants, and it is the centre of municipality...
(Budua) and StonStonSton is a village and municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. The town of Ston is the center of the Ston municipality.- Demographics :...
, including DubrovnikDubrovnikDubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
(Ragusa) and the Kotor Bay (it. Cattaro), but without the PelješacPelješacPelješac is a peninsula in southern Dalmatia in Croatia. The peninsula is part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and is the second largest peninsula in Croatia...
peninsula; - and the coast south to the AlbaniaAlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n port ShengjinShëngjinShëngjin is a coastal town in the Lezha District, northwestern Albania. The town is home to one of Albania's entry ports, Port of Shëngjin....
(San Giovanni di Medua).
Also, but less precisely, Serbia was promised
- BosniaBosnia (region)Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
and HerzegovinaHerzegovinaHerzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva... - SremSyrmiaSyrmia is a fertile region of the Pannonian Plain in Europe, between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia in the east and Croatia in the west....
- BačkaBackaBačka is a geographical area within the Pannonian plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east of which confluence is located near Titel...
- SlavoniaSlavoniaSlavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
(this one against the Italian objections) - Some unspecified areas of Albania (to be divided between Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece).
The Italians insisted, and the Allies agreed, that the question of the Adriatic coast between Zara and Istria should be settled after the war. They also insisted that Serbia should not be informed about the agreements. However, the Allies overruled this by sending to the Government of Serbia an official note, dated 4 August 1915, confirming the post-war territorial claims of Serbia and Montenegro.
The pact was to be kept secret, but after the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, it was published by Russian journal Izvestia
Izvestia
Izvestia is a long-running high-circulation daily newspaper in Russia. The word "izvestiya" in Russian means "delivered messages", derived from the verb izveshchat . In the context of newspapers it is usually translated as "news" or "reports".-Origin:The newspaper began as the News of the...
, in November 1917.
At the Paris Peace Conference, the Italians insisted that they would negotiate only with their wartime allies Serbia and Montenegro, not with their defeated enemies who were included in the delegation of the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In particular, they were incensed that three members of the delegation were former Austro-Hungarian deputies (Croats Ante Trumbić
Ante Trumbic
Ante Trumbić was a Croatian politician in the early 20th century. He was one of the key politicians in the creation of a Yugoslav state....
, Josip Smodlaka, and the Slovene Otokar Rybář), and that one (the Slovene Ivan Žolger) had served as Minister in the wartime Austrian Cabinet.
The pact was nullified with the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
because President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
—supporting Slavic claims and not recognizing the treaty—rejected Italian requests on Dalmatian territories. Italy was also denied the treaty's previous agreement of expanding the Italian colonial empire with Germany's Asian and African colonies and make claims on Albania.
The partition of the Tyrol on the water divide line was confirmed by the Treaty of St. Germain.
See also
- Treaty of RapalloTreaty of Rapallo, 1920The Treaty of Rapallo was a treaty between the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes , signed to solve the dispute over some territories in the upper Adriatic, in Dalmatia and in the region which became known as the Julian March.The treaty was signed on 12 November 1920 in...
(1920) - Agreement of St.-Jean-de-MaurienneAgreement of St.-Jean-de-MaurienneThe Agreement of St.-Jean-de-Maurienne was an agreement between France, Italy and the United Kingdom, signed at Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne on April 26, 1917, and endorsed August 18 – September 26, 1917. It was drafted by the Italian foreign ministry as a tentative agreement to settle its Middle...
- Julian MarchJulian MarchThe Julian March is a former political region of southeastern Europe on what are now the borders between Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy...