Treaty of London (1839)

Treaty Of London (1839)

The Treaty of London of 1839, also called the First Treaty of London, the Convention of 1839, and the London Treaty of Separation, was a treaty signed on 19 April 1839 between the European great powers, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium. It was the direct follow-up of the 1831 'Treaty of the XXIV Articles' which the Netherlands had refused to sign, and the result of negotiations at the London Conference of 1838-1839. Under the treaty, the European powers recognized and guaranteed the independence and neutrality of Belgium and confirmed the independence of the German speaking part of Luxembourg. Its main historical significance was Article VII, which required Belgium to remain perpetually neutral, and by implication committed the signatory powers to guard that neutrality in the event of invasion.