Key Players of Congress of Vienna

  • The “Host”  Prince Klemens von Metternich (Aus.)
  • Foreign Minister,   Charles Maurice de Tallyrand (Fr.)
  • Tsar Alexander I (Rus.)
  • King Frederick William III (Prus.)
  • Foreign Minister, Viscount Castlereagh (Br.)

Main Objectives

  • Its job was to undo everything that Napoléon had done:
  • Reduce France to its old boundaries -> frontiers were pushed back to the 1790 level.
  • Restore as many of the old monarchies as possible that had lost their thrones during the Napoléonic era.
  • Supported the resolution: There is always an alternative to conflict.

Key Principles Established at Vienna

  • Balance of Power
  • Legitimacy
  • Compensation
  • Coalition forces would occupy France for 3-5 years.
  • France would have to pay an indemnity of 700,000,000 francs.

Changes Made at Vienna

  • France was deprived of all territory conquered by Napoléon.
  • Russia was given most of the Duchy
    of Warsaw (Poland).
  • Prussia was given half of Saxony, parts of Poland, and other German territories.
  • A Germanic Confederation of 30+ states (including Prussia) was created from the previous 300, under Austrian rule.
  • Austria was given back territory it had lost recently, plus more in Germany and Italy.
  • The House of Orange was given the Dutch Republic and the Austrian Netherlands to rule.
  • Norway and Sweden were joined.
  • The neutrality of Switzerland was guaranteed.
  • Hanover was enlarged and made a kingdom.
  • Britain was given Cape Colony, South Africa, and various other colonies in Africa and Asia.
  • Sardinia was given Piedmont, Nice, Savoy, and Genoa.
  • The Bourbon Ferdinand I was restored in the Two Sicilies.
  • The Duchy of Parma was given to Marie Louise.
  • The slave trade was condemned (at British urging).
  • Freedom of navigation was guaranteed for many rivers.
author avatar
William Anderson (Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team)
William completed his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in 2013. He current serves as a lecturer, tutor and freelance writer. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, walking his dog and parasailing. Article last reviewed: 2022 | St. Rosemary Institution © 2010-2024 | Creative Commons 4.0

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