A secret 1878 treaty granted Britain control of Cyprus in exchange for military support
A high-stakes diplomatic gamble in 1878 saw the Ottoman Empire trade the strategic island of Cyprus to the British in a desperate attempt to fend off Russian expansion.
The Cyprus Convention was a secret agreement signed on June 4, 1878, between Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire. In exchange for administrative control of the island, Britain promised to join the Sultan in defending his Asian territories against potential Russian aggression. It was a masterstroke of Victorian 'Great Game' politics.
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