Capitulation

Capitulation (Latin capitulum), an agreement arranged under heads; usually, but not always, dealing with the surrender on terms of a besieged city or vanquished army. Capitulations are also the set of agreements between European governments and certain semi-civilised powers, in virtue of which the subjects of the former resident in the territory of the latter possess certain privileges, especially that of being subject to the jurisdiction of their own consuls instead of the native courts. Such arrangements exist with Egypt and Japan at the present time, and in the last century obtained between France and the Porte.