History Main / BindingAncientTreaty

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Portuguese_Alliance oldest diplomatic alliance still in force]] began with the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Windsor_1386 Treaty of Windsor]], signed between UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}} and UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} - the agreement having been established in 1373 and the actual treaty being signed in 1386. The British invoked it (with other incentives and reasons) to coax Portuguese assistance in both UsefulNotes/WorldWarI (in which Portugal contributed troops to the Allies) and UsefulNotes/WorldWarII (in which Portugal--by then a conservative/quasi-fascist dictatorship--[[WorldWarII/TheNeutralNations remained neutral]] but gave the Allies critical help, particularly the use of the Azores and Madeira as mid-Atlantic resupply stations). The Portuguese had less luck invoking it when India invaded Portuguese-held Goa (Britain cited many things to counter Portugal there, like how India was part of UsefulNotes/TheCommonwealth), as well as [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1890_British_Ultimatum that time it almost got broken]]. That said, the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance is less of this trope than most think, as it was repeatedly reaffirmed over the centuries, and was supported by a strong trading relationship throughout; Portugal was a good market for English textiles, and the English aristocracy has long [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff absolutely adored port wine]], to the point that most port houses have English names. Not for nothing did English economist David Ricardo's seminal 1817 treatise on the concept of comparative advantage use the example of English woolens and Portuguese wine. [[note]]Perhaps coincidentally, Ricardo himself came from a Sephardic Jewish family of Portuguese origin.[[/note]]

* In ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings: The Return of the King'', GondorCallsForAid, and Rohan answers. Leads to a very cool scene where signal fires on various mountain tops, maintained by likely very cold soldiers for hundreds of years, are lit in succession to tell the Rohirrim that Minas Tirith needs help. As befits this trope, King Théoden refuses when Aragorn first proposes this, claiming that Gondor hasn't kept up their half of the bargain when Rohan needed help. However, when the fires are lit, he personally leads the Rohirrim to help, presumably, to show that ''Rohan'' honors their agreements. (Of course, when Aragorn made his first proposal, Théoden was under an evil influence, but by the time that the beacons were lit, he had been released from it.)

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* MagnificentBastard that he was, UsefulNotes/OttoVonBismarck of course made use of those more than once. First he baited Denmark into a war it could not win by digging up an old treaty from 1460 that Schleswig and Holstein would be "op eewig ungedeeld" (forever un-separated), which he (through what modern historians have called a perhaps bit liberal interpretation of said treaty) claimed Denmark was violating through a new constitutional reform triggered in part by different inheritance laws in Denmark proper and Holstein. After he won that war in 1864 and another against erstwhile ally Austria in 1866, he finagled his way into a war with France that let France come off as the aggressor (the ''casus belli'' was the question of whether a distant relative of the Prussian king could or should inherit the vacant Spanish throne, to which the French demanded an unequivocal no for all eternity which the Prussian king was unable to give and which Bismarck doctored into an insult to France to be reported on by the French press). Bismarck had since engineered "Schutz- und Trutzbündnisse" with the South German states calling for joint defense should any of them (or Prussia) come under attack from an outside enemy. As France was technically speaking the aggressor, France now found itself facing all of Germany (sans Austria) with no allies in sight.

* Although newer than most of the entries on this list, UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates ratified nearly 400 treaties with various Native American tribes from 1778 to about 1850. These treaties are effectively considered to be between sovereign nations and many of them are still enforced in one way or another to this day (which is why many reservations allow gambling and have unique tax situations). Whether a certain treaty still applies, or if it even can be enforced, is a complicated enough issue that there is a specific specialization of law study for it (Tribal Law). Ironically, the United States is much more likely to abide by such treaties now than it was at the time they were signed.
* [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks The US military]] also still controls the infamous military base at Guantanamo Bay in UsefulNotes/{{Cuba}}. They built this base after the UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar, when Cuba gained independence from the [[UsefulNotes/TheKingdomOfSpain Spanish Empire]] but was then promptly occupied by the US. Over the following decades, Cuba threw off the US's domination -- ''especially'' once UsefulNotes/FidelCastro stepped up to the plate -- but the US military has still held on to that base despite cutting off most other diplomatic relations with Cuba for half a century.

* [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks The US military]] also still controls the infamous military base at Guantanamo Bay in UsefulNotes/{{Cuba}}. They built this base after the UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar, when Cuba gained independence from Spanish colonialism but was then promptly subjugated to US influence instead. Over the following decades, Cuba threw off the US's domination -- ''especially'' once UsefulNotes/FidelCastro stepped up to the plate -- but the US military has still held on to that base despite cutting off most other diplomatic relations with Cuba for half a century.

** Of particular note is the treaty which brought Britain into the conflict: the Treaty of London (signed 1839), which was so archaic that even after being told it was being invoked the German Chancellor could not believe the two countries were going to war over "A scrap of Paper".

* Happened on the plane of [[CityPlanet Ravnica]] in MagicTheGathering, where a supernatural treaty named the Guildpact was signed to bring peace to ten warring factions.

* Although newer than most of the entries on this list, the United States ratified nearly 400 treaties with various Native American tribes from 1778 to about 1850. These treaties are effectively considered to be between sovereign nations and many of them are still enforced in one way or another to this day (which is why many reservations allow gambling and have unique tax situations). Whether a certain treaty still applies, or if it even can be enforced, is a complicated enough issue that there is a specific specialization of law study for it (Tribal Law). Ironically, the United States is much more likely to abide by such treaties now than it was at the time they were signed.

* MagnificentBastard that he was, UsefulNotes/OttoVonBismarck of course made use of those more than once. First he baited Denmark into a war it could not win by digging up an old treaty that Schleswig and Holstein would be "op eewig ungedeeld" (forever un-separated), which Denmark was violating through a new constitutional reform triggered in part by different inheritance laws in Denmark proper and Holstein. After he won that war in 1864 and another against erstwhile ally Austria in 1866, he finagled his way into a war with France that let France come off as the aggressor (the ''casus belli'' was the question of whether a distant relative of the Prussian king could or should inherit the vacant Spanish throne, to which the French demanded an unequivocal no for all eternity which the Prussian king was unable to give and which Bismarck doctored into an insult to France to be reported on by the French press). Bismarck had since engineered "Schutz- und Trutzbündnisse" with the South German states calling for joint defense should any of them (or Prussia) come under attack from an outside enemy. As France was technically speaking the aggressor, France now found itself facing all of Germany (sans Austria) with no allies in sight.

* Uhtred notes that the church tries this a lot in TheSaxonStories. True to form as an unrepentant and profoundly anti-authoritarian worshipper of Thor who generally hates the Church, he ignores them. Since he has a reputation as being a badass who has acquired the nickname of [[TheDreaded 'Priest-Killer']], no one is overly inclined to push him on it.

** Arguably, it was reinstated when Scotland merged with England into Great Britain and then the United Kingdom, and then France reconciled with Britain and formed an alliance that arguably dates back to at least the CrimeanWar or a bit earlier (albeit a highly unreliable and informal one until the establishment of the ''Entente Cordiale'' about half a century later), making it another case of this trope altogether.

* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', the plot revolves around the Grey Wardens using a set of Ancient Treaties in order to rally the [[BadassBookworm Circle of Magi]], the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Dwarves of Orzammar]] and the [[ForestRanger Dalish Elves]] to create one BadassArmy in order to take on the Archdemon and end the Fifth Blight. Played with in that all three were willing to join out of pure self-interest anyway but are distracted by their own problems. [[spoiler: You can also get Templars instead of mages, werewolves instead of elves, and golems instead of dwarves. These mostly involve slaughtering the first choice, however.]]

* Uhtred notes that the church tries this a lot in TheSaxonStories. True to form as an unrepentant and profoundly anti-authoritarian worshipper of Thor who generally hates the Church, he ignores them. Since he has a reputation as being a {{Badass}} who has acquired the nickname of [[TheDreaded 'Priest-Killer']], no one is overly inclined to push him on it.

* MagnificentBastard that he was, OttoVonBismarck of course made use of those more than once. First he baited Denmark into a war it could not win by digging up an old treaty that Schleswig and Holstein would be "op eewig ungedeeld" (forever un-separated), which Denmark was violating through a new constitutional reform triggered in part by different inheritance laws in Denmark proper and Holstein. After he won that war in 1864 and another against erstwhile ally Austria in 1866, he finagled his way into a war with France that let France come off as the aggressor (the ''casus belli'' was the question of whether a distant relative of the Prussian king could or should inherit the vacant Spanish throne, to which the French demanded an unequivocal no for all eternity which the Prussian king was unable to give and which Bismarck doctored into an insult to France to be reported on by the French press). Bismarck had since engineered "Schutz- und Trutzbündnisse" with the South German states calling for joint defense should any of them (or Prussia) come under attack from an outside enemy. As France was technically speaking the aggressor, France now found itself facing all of Germany (sans Austria) with no allies in sight.

* MagnificentBastard that he was, OttoVonBismarck of course made use of those more than once. First he baited Denmark into a war it could not win by digging up an old treaty that Schleswig and Holstein would be "op eewig ungedeeld" (forever un-separated), which Denmark was violating through a new constitutional reform triggered in part by different inheritance laws in Denmark proper and Holstein. After he won that war in 1864 and another against erstwhile ally Austria in 1866, he finagled his way into a war with France that let France come off as the aggressor (the ''casus belli'' was the question of whether a distant relative of the Prussian king could or should inherit the vacant Spanish throne, to which the French demanded an unequivocal no for all eternity which the Prussian king was unable to give and which Bismarck doctored into an insult to France to be reported on by the French press). Bismarck had since engineered "Schutz- und Trutzbündnisse" with the South German states should any of them (or Prussia) come under attack from an outside enemy. As France was technically speaking the aggressor, France now found itself facing all of Germany (sans Austria) with no allies in sight.

* MagnificientBastard that he was, OttoVonBismarck of course made use of those more than once. First he baited Denmark into a war it could not win by digging up an old treaty that Schleswig and Holstein would be "op eewig ungedeeld" (forever un-separated), which Denmark was violating through a new constitutional reform triggered in part by different inheritance laws in Denmark proper and Holstein. After he won that war in 1864 and another against erstwhile ally Austria in 1866, he finagled his way into a war with France that let France come off as the aggressor (the ''casus belli'' was the question of whether a distant relative of the Prussian king could or should inherit the vacant Spanish throne, to which the French demanded an unequivocal no for all eternity which the Prussian king was unable to give and which Bismarck doctored into an insult to France to be reported on by the French press). Bismarck had since engineered "Schutz- und Trutzbündnisse" with the South German states should any of them (or Prussia) come under attack from an outside enemy. As France was technically speaking the aggressor, France now found itself facing all of Germany (sans Austria) with no allies in sight.

* Inverted in the ''HeraldsOfValdemar'' novel ''By the Sword'', when Valdemar comes to Rethwellan to beg for military aid against Hardorn. Rethwellen's king is aware of a treaty from a few generations back that gives Valdemar the right to demand their help, but Valdemar seems to have forgotten about it, and he isn't much inclined to enlighten them. It falls to the protagonist, who is the granddaughter of one of the witnesses to the agreement, to bring everything to light and secure the necessary aid, which turns out to be in the best interests of everyone after all.

* Scotland and France had the "Auld Alliance" against England from at least 1295 until 1560, with some sources at the time having claimed (falsely) that the treaty dated back to the time of [[HolyRomanEmpire Charlemagne]], who became king of the Franks in 768. The earliest realistic date for the start of the alliance was 1173, and there was informal cooperation against their common foe before the alliance was formalized.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Portuguese_Alliance oldest diplomatic alliance still in force]] began with the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Windsor_1386 Treaty of Windsor]], signed between UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}} and UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} - the agreement having been established in 1373 and the actual treaty being signed in 1386. The British invoked it (with other incentives and reasons) to coax Portuguese assistance in both World War I (in which Portugal contributed troops to the Allies) and World War II (in which Portugal--by then a conservative/quasi-fascist dictatorship--[[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII/TheNeutralNations remained neutral]] but gave the Allies critical help, particularly the use of the Azores and Madeira as mid-Atlantic resupply stations). The Portuguese had less luck invoking it when India invaded Portuguese-held Goa (Britain cited many things to counter Portugal there, like how India was part of UsefulNotes/TheCommonwealth). That said, the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance is less of this trope than most think, as it was repeatedly reaffirmed over the centuries, and was supported by a strong trading relationship throughout; Portugal was a good market for English textiles, and the English aristocracy has long [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff absolutely adored port wine]], to the point that most port houses have English names. Not for nothing did English economist David Ricardo's seminal 1817 treatise on the concept of comparative advantage use the example of English woolens and Portuguese wine. [[note]]Perhaps coincidentally, Ricardo himself came from a Sephardic Jewish family of Portuguese origin.[[/note]]

** Subverted by Italy: they were in the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Triple Alliance]] with Austria-Hungary and Germany, but when their allies asked them to do their part the Italians pointed out that the Triple Alliance was ''defensive'' in nature and Austria-Hungary had declared war ''first'' (admittedly because Serbia was supporting terrorism that had just resulted in the heir to the throne being assassinated), and declared they wouldn't help unless Austria-Hungary ceded some border territories that Italy claimed at their own (never mind that most of their inhabitants preferred staying Austrians). With Austria-Hungary not even considering it, Italy brought this to the logical conclusion by declaring war ''against their previous allies'' when the Entente promised them those disputed territories and more if they did just that.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Portuguese_Alliance oldest diplomatic alliance still in force]] began with the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Windsor_1386 Treaty of Windsor]], signed between UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}} and UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} - the agreement having been established in 1373 and the actual treaty being signed in 1386. The British invoked it (with other incentives and reasons) to coax Portuguese assistance in both World War I (in which Portugal contributed troops to the Allies) and World War II (in which Portugal--by then a conservative/quasi-fascist dictatorship--[[WorldWarII/TheNeutralNations remained neutral]] but gave the Allies critical help, particularly the use of the Azores and Madeira as mid-Atlantic resupply stations). The Portuguese had less luck invoking it when India invaded Portuguese-held Goa (Britain cited many things to counter Portugal there, like how India was part of UsefulNotes/TheCommonwealth). That said, the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance is less of this trope than most think, as it was repeatedly reaffirmed over the centuries, and was supported by a strong trading relationship throughout; Portugal was a good market for English textiles, and the English aristocracy has long [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff absolutely adored port wine]], to the point that most port houses have English names. Not for nothing did English economist David Ricardo's seminal 1817 treatise on the concept of comparative advantage use the example of English woolens and Portuguese wine. [[note]]Perhaps coincidentally, Ricardo himself came from a Sephardic Jewish family of Portuguese origin.[[/note]]
* While the network of interlocking treaties that triggered the massive involvement in UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne largely only went back fifty years, that's still a long enough time for the actual signatures of the people who scribbled the treaty to not be the same as those who were in charge at the start of the war. Given how devastating it was for everyone's chits to be called in at once, WWI deserves special mention here.

** The prequel game ''VideoGame/HomeworldDesertsOfKharak'' reveals that the ban wasn't completely forgotten but has merely [[LegendFadesToMyth passed into myth]]. The [[KnightTemplar religious fanatics]] of Kiith Gaalsien oppose the [[TheAlliance Northern Coalition]]'s space program and attempts to reach the Prime Anomaly because of their belief that their god Sajuuk will punish everyone for this. While the various kiithid of the Coalition are, presumably, are of the myth, they pay it no heed, especially since their actions are dictated by necessity (Kharak is becoming less habitable year-by-year, and the entire Kushan race is on the brink of extinction, unless they find a way to get off the planet).