Congress of Breda - Congress

Congress

The British were represented by Lord Sandwich and the French by the Marquis de Puyzieulx. Sandwich and the British delegation set up their headquarters in the pavilion of Breda Castle which was lent to them by their ally, William IV, Prince of Orange for the duration of the talks. Their instructions from the Duke of Newcastle were to prolong the talks until a significant British victory on the battlefield allowed them to negotiate from a position of strength. Although the French entered the talks following a string of victories, they had been beset by a financial crisis and wanted to bring the war to a swift conclusion.

The discussions convened in August 1746. Almost immediately they started to flounder, as it became apparent to both sides that the other was holding something back. France wanted to negotiate a treaty there and then, on behalf of their respective coalitions - but the British insisted that any settlement had to involve all parties. The British also rejected a French proposal to declare the Low Countries as "neutral territory" ending the war there, because they believed they would need the Dutch as allies in future conflicts.

Unsatisfied by his performance, the French had recalled Puyzieulx and replaced him. Sandwich stalled the talks for some time by demanding that his replacement proof his accreditation. There were further delays when a Spanish delegate turned up, claiming to have authority to represent the King of Spain. The British were constantly aware of the French negotiating strategy, as letters to the French delegates were intercepted and copied by postmasters in British pay.

While there Sandwich was appointed British Ambassador to the Dutch Republic. In this role he was instrumental in a coup which helped the Prince of Orange take power in the Netherlands - a move that was designed to boost the anti-French coalition in Flanders.

In spite of this, by 1747 the Allied war situation had grown more grave following defeats at Lauffeld and Bergen op Zoom, and the British were forced to take the talks more seriously. Eventually an offer was made to exhange Madras captured by the French for Louisbourg which had been captured by the British in 1745. This provided the basis for further talks and agreements on the European state of affairs. France would withdraw from the Low Countries and Prussian control over Silesia would be recognised.

Despite their earlier insistence that any peace agreement must be drawn up between all parties, the British began to move towards agreeing the terms solely with France - and then presenting them to the other states to agree. To enable this a fresh congress at Aix-la-Chapelle was arranged, where all warring states would participate - to offer formal approval to the agreement between Britain and France.