Anglo-Prussian Alliance (1788) facts for kids
The Anglo-Prussian Alliance was a special agreement, like a team-up, between Great Britain and Prussia. They signed it on August 13, 1788. This alliance was formed because they were worried about another team-up: the Austro-Russian alliance. Great Britain and Prussia wanted to stop Austria and Russia from taking too much land from the Ottoman Empire. This was happening during wars between Austria and the Ottomans, and Russia and the Ottomans.
Why the Alliance Was Formed
Both Prussia and Great Britain were concerned. They saw Austria and Russia gaining new lands near the Black Sea. This worried them because it could upset the balance of power in Europe. A "balance of power" means that no single country or group of countries becomes too strong.
In Great Britain, a leader named William Pitt the Younger strongly supported this idea. British ambassadors in Russia, Charles Whitworth, and in Prussia, Joseph Ewart, also agreed.
Pitt also had concerns about trade. Great Britain was buying more from Russia than it was selling to them. He wanted to change this. He hoped to buy more from and sell more to other countries, like the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Great Britain did not want a big war. They would have been happy if Russia simply stopped fighting the Ottomans without taking any land. However, they knew this was probably not going to happen.
The Triple Alliance
Before the Anglo-Prussian Alliance, Prussia made another important deal. In April 1788, Prussia secured a loan from the Netherlands. This money would help Prussia if it went to war with Russia.
Because of this, the team-up grew even bigger. The alliance between Great Britain, Prussia, and the Netherlands became known as the Triple Alliance.
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