Viscount Castlereagh (Fig 4), the British foreign secretary, in particular saw an alliance as fundamental to the maintenance of the balance of power in Europe, and the four powers agreed to hold periodic peacetime conferences to settle disputes and problems that might arise.īut the relative cooperation and harmony of views shown at Vienna did not continue in the four later congresses held between 18. To try to prevent future disturbances in Central Europe, the heads of state of the German Confederation were advised to offer constitutions to their subjects – advice which, for the most part, they subsequently ignored.įinally, the Vienna settlement had to be maintained to this end the four great military powers – Austria, Russia, Prussia and Britain – renewed their Quadruple Alliance and pledged to uphold the settlement, by force if necessary, for 20 years. The best hope for stability seemed to lie in the restoration of the legitimate monarchs who had been overthrown. The French Revolution was largely blamed for the upheavals and wars of the pervious generation. In addition to the territorial changes, political settlement was considered essential for future peace.
Although the monarchy was restored in the shape of Louis XVIII (1755–1824), he was obliged to reign under the charter of 1814. The frontiers of 1790 were restored and an army of occupation was installed only until France had paid an indemnity of 700 million francs to the allies – a condition met by 1818. Yet in the treaties of Paris of 18, France was generously treated. The Kingdom of Piedmont was strengthened Belgium (previously the Austrian Netherlands) was joined with Holland in the kingdom of the Netherlands and the Holy Roman Empire (consolidated by Napoleon into the Confederation of the Rhine) became the German Confederation – 39 states joined in a weak Bund and dominated by an Austrian president. Three buffer states were created to hinder her expansion eastwards (Fig 1). From this time until the Crimean War (1854–1856), fear of Russia was a dominant theme in European diplomacy.Īt the Congress of Vienna, however, the immediate fear was that France might cause another European war. In fact Russia took the major share and established a dangerous foothold in Europe. It was hoped to prevent any one power from gaining more than its fair share of rewards, and to establish a balance of territorial interests. Their fear of revolution and desire to restore the political situation of the 18th century meant that France was left intact. Five monarchs and the heads of 216 Princely families arrived in Vienna for the peace negotiations and the festivities. The monarchs of Europe danced to celebrate the restoration of their political power and the promise of armed backing by all powers.
In 1815 Napoleon was safely on St Helena and the waltz took fashionable society by storm. From the start the Congress was dominated by four great powers, Austria, Britain, Prussia and Russia, although Prince Talleyrand (1754–1838) soon skillfully gained an equal voice for France. Intended to ratify decisions made at the first Treaty of Paris, the Congress was announced and from September 1814 delegates from throughout Europe arrived in Vienna. Even before Napoleon Bonaparte's first defeat, in 1814, the idea of an international diplomatic assembly to restore order in Europe was proposed by Prince Metternich of Austria (1773–1859).
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