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Home , Congress of Vienna, Treaty of Paris (1814), Treaty of Paris (1815)

The Congress of

The was an international conference that was called in order to remake after the downfall of I. Many territorial decisions had to be made in the conference that was held in Vienna, , from September 1814 to June 1815. The main goal of the conference was to create a balance of power that would preserve the peace.

Important People: Though the conference opened with a series of glittery balls and conferences, the delegates soon got down to work. Mainly, the four major powers of Europe (Austria, , , and Great Britain) were left to make most of the big decisions. Austria was represented by Prince , the Austrian minister of state who was also acting president of the Congress. The Russians sent Alexander I, the emperor of Russia. The main delegate from Prussia was Prince Karl August von Hardenberg, and Great Britain was represented by Lord Castlereagh, and later Arthur Wellesley, the first duke of Wellington. This group of major powers decided that , Spain, and the smaller powers would have no say in important decisions. However, the French diplomat, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, was successful in allowing France to have an equal voice in the negotiations. Talleyrand became the deciding vote in many of the decisions.

Important Decisions:

• France was deprived of all territory conquered by Napoleon • The was united with the Austrian to form a single kingdom of the Netherlands under the House of Orange. • and were joined under a single ruler • was declared neutral • Russia got Finland and effective control over the new kingdom of • Prussia was given much of and important parts of and the . • Austria was given back most of the territory it had lost and was also given land in and (Lombardia and ) • Britain got several strategic colonial territories, and they also gained control of the seas. • France was restored under the rule of Louis XVIII. • Spain was restored under Ferdinand VII

Outcomes of the meeting: The goal of the congress was to reestablish a balance of power amongst the countries of Europe and have peace between the nations. The Congress was successful in achieving its goal, for the peace in Europe was left undisturbed for almost 40 years. Congress of Vienna Timeline

(Begins after Napoleon surrendered to the allied powers of Europe in after 150,000 troops were marched in to the city)

1814, May : The first is signed by England, Prussia and Russia; restored the Bourbon line to the throne of France and reduced it to its former size (pre-1792).

1814, September : The Congress of Vienna convened with representatives from England, Prussia, Russia, Austria, France, and several smaller countries; the congress met to reconstruct the map of Europe and develop a balance of power that would prevent another massive take-over by one country.

1815, March 1st: Napoleon landed in Southern France with an army of 1000 men hoping to take the allies by surprise and regain control of France; In Vienna, the representatives stopped fighting over which country received more land and banded together to form a powerful army

1815, March 13th: Napoleon reached Paris and defeated the army of Louis XVIII, declared himself emperor; began his 100 day reign of France

1815, June 8: Final act of Congress of Vienna signed, ending the summit with a reconstructed Europe and a plan for a balance of power

1815, June 18: , ; , Dutchmen and English defeated Napoleon's strengthened army due to Napoleon's unfortunate medical condition; ended Napoleon's final reign of France

1821, May 21: Napoleon died on St. Helena, a small, English-owned island in the South Atlantic