Secret Treaty of Dover

Treaty of Dover

Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington, who led negotiations on behalf of Charles II of England
Signed	1 June 1670 (1670-06-01)
Location	Dover, England
Negotiators	France Marquis de Croissy  England Earl of Arlington
Original signatories	Louis XIV of France Charles II of England
Parties	France  England
Languages	French

The Treaty of Dover, also known as the Secret Treaty of Dover, was an agreement between Louis XIV of France and Charles II of England signed at Dover on 1 June 1670. Officially, it only committed England to provide France with general diplomatic assistance. However, of greater significance were secret provisions which remained largely unknown until published by historians over a century later.

Under these, Charles would provide military backing for a French invasion of the Dutch Republic, and committed to convert to Catholicism at some future date. In return, Louis agreed to pay him a secret pension of £230,000 per year, as well as a bonus when his conversion was made public. Charles hoped these payments would help make him financially independent of Parliament.

Although the conversion clause was never activated, the treaty led to the 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War, a related conflict of the 1672 to 1678 Franco-Dutch War.