[nb 2] He enjoyed being in demand and was happy to be sent to France on a generous salary of 90,000 florins a year. [1] It became a turning point in the history of Central Europe. This arrangement worked to balance a potentially pro-British Naples, as well as an independently minded Piedmont-Sardinia, which had traditionally been a thorn in Austria's side. Concomitantly, the major powersto the exclusion of Franceagreed to monitor events in Europe in order to preserve the newly established "equilibrium.". His supporters pointed out that he presided over the "Austrian system" when international diplomacy helped prevent major wars in Europe. From mid-August Melanie began to push for a move to Brussels, a city cheaper to live in and closer to continental affairs. In Germany, he gained the restoration of Hanover to the British royal family, and thereby wrested it from the Prussians, who had possessed it since 1806. The Concert of Europe, despite later changes and diplomatic breakdowns a few decades later, formed the basic framework for European international politics until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. The leading statesmen in attendance at the congress were Prince Klemens von Metternich of Austria, Tsar Alexander I of Russia, Frederick William III and Prince Karl von Hardenberg of Prussia, Viscount Castlereagh of Great Britain (the Duke of Wellington replaced him, and Lord Clancarty replaced the duke), and Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Prigord of France. [16] He arrived at a critical juncture in European diplomacy,[15] soon growing worried about the territorial ambitions of Napoleon Bonaparte, newly the leader of France. The ex-Chancellor was also depressed by the lack of communication from the new Emperor Franz Joseph I and his government. His vanity tempted him to disguise the waning of his influence by accepting responsibility for decrees that neither came from him nor accorded with his views. This led to the creation of a cycle of regular multilateral conferences in various European cities, the so-called Congress System, which functioned at least from 1815 to 1822. [47] Despite criticism from within Austria, Metternich was pleased with the outcome and the degree of control it granted Habsburgs, and, through them, himself. Under the leadership of Metternich, the prime minister of Austria (180948) and Lord Castlereagh, the foreign minister of Great Britain (181222), the Congress set up a system to preserve the peace. [74] Although pleased by this, Metternich's mood was soured by news of unrest in Brussels (then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands), the resignation of Wellington in London, and calls for constitutionality in Germany. The four decided that they were to determine the fate of all the conquered territories. The Congress of Vienna (September 1814-June 1815) was the climax of Metternich's work of reconstruction. [73] Instead, Metternich met with Nesselrode as planned and, while the Russian rejected his plan to restore the old Alliance, the pair agreed on the Chiffon de Karlsbad: that panic was needless unless the new government showed territorial ambitions in Europe. Otto Paul Julius Gustav (18 May 1829 24 August 1906). He was ultimately successful in this, as many of the middling German states found Prussia's enhanced strength and size a threat to their relative independence. [2] He had known the Tsar well and was reminded of his own frailty, although the death potentially wiped the soured diplomatic slate clean. Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Hugues-Bernard Maret remained elusive, though Metternich did manage to discuss the state of affairs with the Tsar on 1819 June at Opotschna. In practice, the monarchs refused to answer the increasing demands for political representation by the cultured elites. Having led the reader through the origins of Congress diplomacy between 1812 and 1815, Jarrett then provides an expert guide to the subsequent course of negotiations to . The Congress of Vienna was a series of meetings held from 1814-1815 to determine a plan for peace in Europe following a period of war and political conflict arising from the French Revolution. That, however, must be ascribed to his diplomatic capability rather than to his political foresight. Congress of Vienna | Goals, Significance, Definition, & Map The fate of Italy and Germany were foremost on Metternich's mind, too. However, Lithuanian and Polish forces decisively defeated the Russian army at the Battle of Orsha on 8 September 1514, changing the balance of power. The generous Treaty of Paris was signed on 30 May. He had precise ideas about the basis for a new order in Europe but knew from the start that he would have to modify them substantially if he was to salvage even a small part of his plans against the opposition of self-interested princes. Correctly interpreting this document is key to understanding the European order after 1815. Therefore, held Europe together, even though it was faulty and helped the continent sail through one of the toughest periods in their history. This relieved Metternich's fears that an overconfident Alexander might act unilaterally.[37]. Reprint. Watch on The Congress of Vienna was the assembly held between 1814 and 1815. The most pressing issue was Hungary, where Metternich remained reluctant to support the centrist (but still nationalist) Szchenyi. Metternich authorised the occupation of the city and the use of troops to restore order in surrounding areas, intent on undoing the pseudo-independence that had been granted Krakw in 1815. Not even within the Austrian Empire was Metternich able to prevail with the idea (already at the root of his plans of 1811) of overcoming the spirit of national revolution by revitalizing the old historical regions and the privileges they enjoyed in pre-absolutist times. He wanted to secure Austrias predominance by forming two confederations, one German and the other Italian, with Austria as the leading power in both. Napoleon struck first at Brussels, in front of which a Prussian army under Blcher and a mixed British, German, and Dutch-Belgian army under Wellington were caught almost unprepared. Hence, he proposed a German Confederation with Austria acting as the presiding power. As discussions began, Metternich pushed for the withdrawal of allied troops from France and means for preserving the unity of the European powers. And to contain the Russian empire, Poland was divided up between Austria, Prussia, and Russia. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Klemens von Metternich, in full Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Frst von Metternich-Winneburg-Beilstein, (born May 15, 1773, Coblenz, Archbishopric of Trier [Germany]died June 11, 1859, Vienna, Austria), Austrian statesman, minister of foreign affairs (1809-48), and a champion of conservatism, who helped form the victorious alliance against Nap. Visitors included Wellington, who still watched out for Metternich; Johann Strauss, the composer; and Dorothea de Dino, sister of Metternich's former lover Wilhemine of Sagan;[nb 9] and former lover Catherine Bagration. We shall see how he shapes up in Berlin. Within six years, Napoleon was dead, but the legend of his exploits would only grow over time. The only consolation was July's news that Metternich was to receive new estates along the Rhine at Johannisberg, only 25 miles (40km) from his birthplace at Koblenz. Traditionally, British strategy had been anti-hegemonic and forward-looking. Talleyrand had initially secured France's position as an equal among its former enemies. Metternich therefore proposed multilateral support for the Ottomans and a Viennese Congress to sort out details, but the French were evasive and the British refused to support any congress held in Vienna. Stadion tendered his resignation as Foreign Minister in the aftermath, and the emperor immediately offered the post to Metternich. a conference held to establish a long-term peace plan for Europe following the Napoleonic Wars Which French author used the revolution of 1830 as a backdrop in his novel Les Misrables? Alexander had been a man of fairly liberal disposition,as far as Russia was concerned. The Congress resolved the PolishSaxon crisis at Vienna and the question of Greek independence at Laibach. In 1814, Murat and Caroline defected to the allied coalition in exchange for their thrones. [37] In the absence of the Prussians and Russians the Coalition agreed to the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty. Klemens Metternich was born into the old Rhenish House of Metternich on 15 May 1773 to Franz Georg Karl Count of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (17461818), a diplomat who had passed from the service of the Electorate of Trier to that of the Imperial court, and his wife Countess Maria Beatrix Aloisia von Kageneck (1755-1828). 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/congress-vienna, "Congress of Vienna Under the Concert of Europe, the major European powersBritain, Russia, Prussia, Austria, and (after 1818) Francepledged to meet regularly to resolve differences. On arrival, he found an exiled and powerless government in a headlong retreat from the latest French advance. On 5 November 1827 Baroness Antoinette von Leykam, daughter of diplomat Christoph Ambros Baron von Leykam (17771830) and Donna Antonia Caputo dei Marchesi della Petrella (b.1783), became Metternich's second wife. In spite of this, the union of these small Italian States led indirectly to the . Shortly afterwards, a separate treaty reaffirmed the Quadruple Alliance and established through its sixth article the Congress System of regular diplomatic meetings. Indeed, its envoys actively participated in the Congress System in the years to follow. Required fields are marked *. Over time, Metternich came to see an eventual war with France as inevitable. Two years later he wrote that his "life ended there," and his old frivolity took some time to return. [80] His illness had, it seemed to others, broken his love of being in office. Reorienting his German policy, he began to rely not on the assembly but on the common interest of the princes whom he led to share his point of view by personal contact. The House of Savoy that ruled Piedmont-Sardinia had been in exile since 1802. The Conservative Order is a term applied to European political history after the defeat of Napoleon in 1815. . Metternich wanted no rash change of course, and at first, there was little impact on the Congress. [75] The latter was more strained but, as Nicholas warmed, three Mnchengrtz Agreements were reached that shaped a new conservative league to uphold the existing order in Turkey, Poland, and elsewhere. Parliamentary figures, particularly Disraeli, travelled down to visit them, as did Metternich's former friend Dorothea Lieven (Melanie led a reconciliation between the two). Metternich desired to restore some semblance of Habsburg authority to counter Prussia. In January 1803 Metternich and his wife had a child whom they named Viktor. [35] At the informal discussions held in lieu of the conference, Caulaincourt implied that Napoleon would not negotiate until an allied army threatened France itself. Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 - 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich (German: [klemens fn mtni]) or Prince Metternich, was a conservative Austrian statesman and diplomat who was at the center of the European balance of power known as the Concert of Europe for three decades as the Austrian Empire's foreign . You have no idea what sufferings the people at headquarters impose upon us! He authorised troop withdrawal from the Papal States in July, but by January 1832 they were back to put down a second rebellion. Alexander I emperor of Russia Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Irish statesman Karl August von Hardenberg Prussian statesman Ercole Consalvi Italian cardinal Hans Christoph, baron von Gagern German politician and writer Hans Reinhard Swiss statesman Emmerich Joseph von Dalberg, duke de Dalberg Discussions about Germany would drag on until early June when a joint Austrian-Prussian proposition was ratified. [24] In early 1810 Metternich's earlier affair with Junot became public but, because of Eleonore's understanding, the scandal was minimal. [82] He was described by a Saxon diplomat as, in the words of biographer Musulin, "having shrunk to a shadow of his former self".[83]. Pointing to the examples of Tirol and Galicia, he attempted in 181718 to encourage the German states to introduce constitutions resurrecting the historical provinces and to set up their own diets instead of a central parliament. Yet the one-bloc system went on for three decades. They declined, and four meetings were held in the city itself. The French artillery then began blasting holes in the allied centre. Britain and France appeared similarly outraged, although calls for Metternich's resignation were ignored. This critical problem was resolved by January 1815, when all parties grudgingly agreed to a middle course. The victorious Great Powers (Russia, Great Britain, Austria and Prussia) invited the other states of Europe to send plenipotentiaries to Vienna for a peace conference. Despite this, the first 18 months of Nicholas' reign did not go well for Metternich: firstly, the British were chosen over the Austrians to oversee Russian-Ottoman talks;[nb 7] and, as a result, Metternich could exercise no influence over the resulting Akkerman Convention. Congress of Vienna - Wikipedia He also put effort into bringing new technology like the railways into Austria. . In order to heal its wounds, Europe needed peace. With Countess Maria Eleonore von Kaunitz-Rietberg[nb 11] (10 October 1775 19 March 1825), grand-daughter of Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg: With Baroness Maria Antoinette von Leykam, Countess von Beylstein (15 August 1806 17 January 1829), daughter of Christoph Ambros Freiherr von Leykam (1781-1830) and his wife, Lucia Antonia Caputo dei Marchesi della Petrella (b.