This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bastin (talk | contribs) at 15:16, 22 May 2006 (moved Luxembourg crisis to Luxembourg Crisis: Proper name of unique international incident, hence capitalised). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 15:16, 22 May 2006 by Bastin (talk | contribs) (moved Luxembourg crisis to Luxembourg Crisis: Proper name of unique international incident, hence capitalised)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)In 1867, France began by negotiating the purchase of Luxembourg from the Dutch government, as Luxembourg was then in personal union with the Netherlands. Assuming that Bismarck would honour his part of the agreement, the French government was shocked to learn that instead Bismarck, Prussia and the North German Confederation were threatening war should the sale be completed.
Luxembourg lay astride one of the principal invasion routes an army would use to invade either France or Germany. The city of Luxembourg's formidable fortifications, constructed by the famous military engineer Marshal Vauban, were considered "the Gibraltar of the North", and neither side could tolerate the other controlling such a strategic location. To mediate the dispute, the United Kingdom hosted the London Conference (1867) attended by all European great powers. It confirmed Luxembourg's independence from the Netherlands and guaranteed its independence from all other powers. War appeared to have been averted, at the cost of thwarting French designs.