London Straits Convention

Europe [1841]

Also known as: Straits Convention of 1841

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June 30, 2026

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The London Straits Convention of 1841 was a diplomatic agreement concerning passage through the Turkish Straits: the Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, and Dardanelles, which connect the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. This convention stipulated that no warships belonging to powers not bordering the Black Sea could pass through the straits during peacetime. This agreement superseded an earlier treaty that had allowed Russia to restrict passage for non-Black Sea warships. The 1841 convention remained in effect until after World War I, when it was revised by subsequent agreements, notably the Montreux Convention in 1936.12

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Treaty of Hünkâr İskelesi
…privileges when it signed the London Straits Convention of 1841.
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…privileges when it signed the London Straits Convention of 1841.
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Russia
Foreign policy
…more durable gain by the Straits Convention of 1841, signed by all the great powers and by Turkey, which forbade the passage of foreign warships through either the Dardanelles or the Bosporus as long as Turkey was at peace, thus protecting Russia’s position in the Black Sea unless it was…
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…more durable gain by the Straits Convention of 1841, signed by all the great powers and by Turkey, which forbade the passage of foreign warships through either the Dardanelles or the Bosporus as long as Turkey was at peace, thus protecting Russia’s position in the Black Sea unless it was…
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Treaty of Çanak
The treaty anticipated the London Straits Convention of 1841, by which the other major powers committed themselves to this same principle.
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The treaty anticipated the London Straits Convention of 1841, by which the other major powers committed themselves to this same principle.
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Karl Vasilyevich, Count Nesselrode
…alliance that led to the Straits Convention of 1841, an international agreement recognizing the Ottoman sultan’s right to prevent warships of any nation from passing through the straits leading to the Black Sea. The two powers also agreed to support the Ottoman Empire.
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…alliance that led to the Straits Convention of 1841, an international agreement recognizing the Ottoman sultan’s right to prevent warships of any nation from passing through the straits leading to the Black Sea. The two powers also agreed to support the Ottoman Empire.
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