 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
 |
1 November 1814
The Congress of Vienna opens as the great powers of Europe – Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria – seek to determine the post-war order across Europe. Building a 'balance of power' that will both secure the interests of the major powers (and the royal dynasties ruling them) and create a lasting peace between them, the Congress redraws the map of Europe. France – represented by its clever and devious foreign minister Talleyrand, who now serves Louis XVIII as once he served Napoleon – does better than might be expected. It is allowed to keep some territory added to its eastern borders since 1792 and gets back most of its overseas territories seized by Britain. Before the Congress ends on 9 June 1815, Austria carves up northern Italy between itself and Piedmont-Sardinia, where the pre-Napoleonic royal dynasty is restored, as they are in Tuscany, Spain and elsewhere. A new Swiss confederation, with permanent guarantees of neutrality, is formed, and a new German confederation is created among the old Holy Roman Empire statelets (see Confederation of the Rhine). Prussia gains huge amounts of territory, including half of Poland; Russia takes the rest. The division of Europe turns out to be remarkably stable. The continent will not see another war such as those during Napoleon's era for almost a century. |
|
