Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of the major powers of Europe. It was held in Vienna from November 1, 1814, to June 8, 1815. The chairman was the Austrian statesman Klemens Wenzel von Metternich.
Its purpose was to decide about the political situation in Europe after the defeat of Napoleon. To be precise there was never one "Congress of Vienna". Instead, there were discussions in informal sessions among the Great Powers.
The Congress was concerned with determining the entire shape of Europe after the Napoleonic wars, with the exception of the terms of peace with France, which had already been decided by the Treaty of Paris, signed a few months earlier, on May 30, 1814.
The four victorious powers (the Concert of Europe) hoped to exclude the French from participation in the negotiations, but Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord managed to get into "her inner councils" in the first weeks of negotiations.
Congress Of Vienna Media
The national boundaries within Europe agreed upon by the Congress of Vienna
Frontispiece of the Acts of the Congress of Vienna
Architect of the Congress System, Prince von Metternich, chancellor of the Austrian Empire from 1821 until the Revolution in 1848. Painting by Lawrence (1815)
Talleyrand proved an able negotiator for the defeated French.
Marquis of Labrador, Spanish Ambassador to the Congress of Vienna – Painting by Vicente López Portaña
In pink: territories left to France in 1814, but removed after the Treaty of Paris
Italian states after the Congress of Vienna with Austrian-annexed territories shown in yellow
Alexander I of Russia considered himself a guarantor of European security
William II, King of the Netherlands - painting by Jan Adam Kruseman 1840)
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Other websites
- French text of the act of the Congress of Vienna Archived 2006-05-23 at the Wayback Machine
- Animated map of Europe at the time of the Congress of Vienna