Jarnac Convention
1847 treaty between France and the United Kingdom
The Jarnac Convention was a bilateral agreement between the Kingdom of France and the United Kingdom in 1847 at the end of the Franco-Tahitian War . Its purpose was to end Franco-British diplomatic tension by guaranteeing the independence of the Leeward Islands in Polynesia . It was abrogated with the agreement of both parties in 1887.
Background
In 1839, a British Protestant missionary, George Pritchard , was sent to Polynesia to convert its people. He became the British consul in Tahiti and persuaded the queen, Pomare IV , to expel Catholic missionaries from the islands. This prompted France to take control of the islands and to establish a protectorate over them in 1843 leading to the Franco-Tahitian War . Pritchard was expelled, leading to diplomatic tension between France and Britain.
Agreement
To bring this tension to an end, King Louis-Philippe agreed to the Jarmac Convention, under which both countries recognised the independence of the Leeward Islands and agreed not to place them under a protectorate. [1] It was signed in London on 19 June 1847 by Lord Palmerston , the British Foreign Secretary and the comte de Jarnac , French Minister Plenipotentiary in London. [2]
Abrogation
The convention was to have effect for forty years. However, in 1880 France placed the islands of Raiatea and Tahaa under a provisional protectorate at their own request, to prevent their being annexed by the German Empire . [3] [4] In October 1887 Britain and France agreed to formally abrogate the convention. [5] This led to a rebellion on the islands that lasted for a decade [6] and their eventual annexation by military force. Together with all the remaining Leeward Islands, Raiatea and Tahaa became part of French Polynesia on 19 March 1898. [5]
References
- ↑ de la Roncière, Bertrand (2003). La reine Pomaré: Tahiti et l’Occident 1812-1877 . Éditions L’Harmattan. p. 232.
- ↑ Toullelan, Pierre-Yves. Encyclopédie de la Polynésie . Vol. 6, La Polynésie s'ouvre au monde 1769-1842. p. 65.
- ↑ Deschanel, Paul (1884). La politique française en Océanie. À propos du Canal de Panama . p. 527 . Archived from the original on 2016-11-23 . Retrieved 2019-11-07 .
- ↑ "Le fait colonial en Polynésie orientale 1880-1939" . des.pf . Archived from the original on 8 October 2014 . Retrieved 4 November 2006 .
- 1 2 Cheung, Francis (1998). Tahiti et ses îles (1919-1945) : étude d'une société coloniale aux antipodes de sa métropole . L'harmattan. p. 44.
- ↑ "Hapaitahaa a Etau, dit Teraupoo, le rebelle" . ladepeche.pf . 24 January 2010. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013.