Convention of Constantinople

The Convention of Constantinople is a treaty concerning the use of the Suez Canal in the Ottoman-ruled Khedivate of Egypt. It was signed on 29 October 1888 by the United Kingdom, the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire. The Khedivate of Egypt, through whose territory the canal ran, was not invited to the negotiations and did not sign. The signatories included all the great European powers of the era, and the treaty was interpreted as guaranteeing the right of passage of all ships through the canal in war and peace. Britain effectively controlled the canal until Egypt nationalised the Suez Canal Company in 1956.