Louis XVI authorized the 1778 Treaty of Alliance with the United States. The treaty was signed in Paris on February 6, 1778, by French representatives and American commissioners Benjamin Franklin, Arthur Lee, and Silas Deane.
The agreement created a defensive military alliance during the American Revolutionary War. France pledged support if Britain attacked French interests because of the new relationship, while the United States agreed not to make a separate peace with Britain without French consent.
The treaty followed the American victory at Saratoga, which helped persuade French leaders that the rebellion had a realistic chance of success. France had already provided secret aid, but the treaty formalized military cooperation and recognition. French troops, ships, weapons, and financing later played an important role in the campaign that forced the British surrender at Yorktown.