Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1373

Common card · No. 436179

The Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1373 was signed on 16 June 1373 between King Edward III of England and King Ferdinand I and Queen Leonor of Portugal. It established a treaty of "perpetual friendships, unions [and] alliances" between the two seafaring states, and remains the longest-standing treaty still in effect today. It was reinforced throughout history, including in 1386, 1643, 1654, 1660, 1661, 1703, 1815, and by a secret declaration in 1899. It was recognised in the Treaties of Arbitration in the 20th century between Britain and Portugal in 1904 and 1914. The treaty was temporarily void during the Iberian Union from 1580 to 1640, when the monarchies of Spain and Portugal were in a dynastic union. However, with Portugal's restoration of independence, the alliance returned and came to a new height during the Napoleonic Wars when the British sent one of their most successful generals, the Duke of Wellington, to stop Napoleon's armies in the Peninsular War. It was activated again during...

Read on Wikipedia · Image English and Portuguese diplomats, Public domain