The Congress of Vienna: The History of the Diplomatic Meetings that Reshaped Europe after the Napoleonic Wars

To the extent the Congress of Vienna is remembered today, it’s often portrayed as an international meeting that assembled after the fall of Napoleon to cement the balance of power within Europe in the wake of the French Empire, but it actually started in 1814 after Napoleon was exiled to Elba. Convened and led by Austria’s Prince Klemens von Metternich between September 1814 and June 1815, representatives from virtually every European state met in the Austrian capital to redraw the continent’s borders, restore various governments, resolve territorial disputes, and establish an agreement that would prevent another major conflict. Although the negotiations frequently became contentious and were interrupted by Napoleon's dramatic return from exile, the settlement ultimately produced a status quo that directly influenced everything in Europe that has happened since.

The challenges confronting the Congress of Vienna went far beyond what to do about the defeated French. Poland and Saxony became the subjects of intense disputes, the future organization of the fractured German states remained unclear, the Italian peninsula was still subjected to multiple claims, and several smaller nations sought to benefit in various ways despite the dominance of the major powers. Of course, each government approached the negotiations with its own objectives, with Austria hoping to preserve its influence in Central Europe, Russia seeking to expand its authority further west, Prussia seeking compensation for its sacrifices during the Napoleonic Wars, and the British aiming to prevent another European nation from challenging them. Even the French, represented by the experienced diplomat Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, had an influential voice in the negotiations by exploiting disagreements among the victorious allies.