Convention, in Diplomacy, is a kind of treaty (especially military) of a temporary kind.
In Politics, it is a branch of the royal prerogative of Britain that no parliament shall be convened by its own authority, or by any other authority than that of the sovereign. Where the crown is in abeyance, this prerogative cannot of course be exercised, and the expedient of Convention Parliaments has been resorted to, the enactments of which shall afterwards be ratified by a parliament summoned in accordance with the provisions of the constitution. The convention parliament which restored Charles II. to the throne met five weeks before his return, and was afterwards declared to be a good parliament, notwithstanding the absence of the king's writs. In like manner, at the Revolution of 1688, the Lords and Commons, on the summons of the Prince of Orange, met in convention, and disposed of the crown and kingdom, and this convention was subsequently declared to be really the two Houses of Parliament, notwithstanding the want of writs and other defects of form. Under the name of Convention there also took place a meeting of the Estates of Scotland, called by the Prince of Orange on the same occasion. The word convention was frequently used in the United States during the struggles with the British authorities which preceded the revolutionary war. For the French National Convention, see FRANCE. For the Convention of Royal Burghs, see BOROUGH.