Long lasting political alliances

[NodachiSam]

Does anyone know any examples of long lasting political partnerships/ alliances. Most countries have gone to war with their neighbours at least once but are there any remarkable incidents of two powers being very friendly to each other for long periods of time perhaps because of cultural similarity and mutal enemies?

The longest lasting political friendliess I can think of is not even two hundred years lasting (between Canada and the US) but that is mostly due to the limitations of my knowledge of history.

This train of curiosity was spurred by a thread in the guild about the best allies in MTW. In the game an ally might still attack you when they see a good opportunity despite factors like having an alliance lasting near or over a century, shared royal geneology, and shared religion and mutual enemies at one point or another.

[GoreBag]

Scotland and France had a kind of "on-again, off-again" relationship because of their mutual issues with England often called The Auld Alliance. It benefited the French occasionally and very rarely, if at all, the Scots.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

The longest lasting political friendliess I can think of is not even two hundred years lasting (between Canada and the US) but that is mostly due to the limitations of my knowledge of history.

Well, we invaded Canada twice, and relations were "cordial" throughout the middle 1800's, but hardly close. Since then the relationship has been friendly, but not truly an Alliance until NATO in 1957.

It may be that the Anglo-AMerican alliance forged in 1941 and maintained to the present is the closest and longest-lived. The "special relationship" is an exceptionally close alliance by the standard of international affairs (though a sizeable percentage of the English public (and a smaller percentage of their leaders) would prefer to repudiate it, as would the more isolationist fringe in the USA).

Seamus

[thrashaholic]

Britain (or England as it was back then) and Portugal have had an alliance lasting over 600 years. We both signed the Treaty of Windsor in 1386 after fighting alongside each other against the Spanish. As far as I am aware, this alliance has never been broken.

[caesar44]

The alliance between the Pope and the french (than Frankish) King formed in the 700' lasted until Louis 16' reign .

[Incongruous]

It is definately the Anglo-Portuguese alliance.

[Mount Suribachi]

Yep, I was gunna say England/Britain and Portugal.

[caesar44]

"Pippin then went to ask the Pope who should be complete ruler; the person with the title of king, or the person who makes the decisions of king. The Pope agreed that the decision making was more important than the title. He succeeded in obtaining the support of the papacy, which helped to discourage opposition. He was elected King of the Franks by an assembly of the Frankish leading-men and anointed at Soissons, perhaps by Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz.

During his reign, Pippin's conquests gave him more power than anyone since the days of King Clovis. He added to that power after Pope Stephen III traveled all the way to Paris to anoint Pippin in a lavish ceremony at Saint Denis Basilica, bestowing upon him the additional title of Patrician of the Romans. As life expectancies were short in those days, and Pippin wanted family continuity, the Pope also anointed Pippin's sons, Charles (eventually known as Charlemagne) and Carloman."

[Meneldil]

France/US

[Duke Malcolm]

The Auld Alliance lasted (officially) about 200-300 years, ending with the Reformation in Scotland in 1560. It resulted in the destruction of the Scottish nobility at the Battle of Flodden, but brought Scotland trade with the Continent.

Surely the Treaty of Union between Scotland and England is worth a mention. in 2007, it will be 300 years...

[GoreBag]

The Auld Alliance lasted (officially) about 200-300 years, ending with the Reformation in Scotland in 1560. It resulted in the destruction of the Scottish nobility at the Battle of Flodden, but brought Scotland trade with the Continent.

Surely the Treaty of Union between Scotland and England is worth a mention. in 2007, it will be 300 years...

Never.

[King Henry V]

The alliance with the Pope had a bit of a chequered record, with the Great Schism and the Popes of Avignon and so on.
The Alliance with Portugal really came into its own with the Peninsular War.

[Kraxis]

England-Portugal is certainly one of the longest... But there has to some that can give it a good run for the money. So bring 'em on.

The Rome-Massilia alliance was pretty long, some 400 years if I'm not wrong.