In the last days of March 1814, the Allied forces triumphantly entered Paris. This meant the complete defeat of Napoleonic France and the final cessation of many years of European wars. Napoleon himself soon renounced power and was exiled to the Elbe, and the victorious allies sat down at the negotiating table to remake the map of European countries.
To do this, the Vienna Congress was convened, which took place in Austria in 1814-1815. It was attended by representatives of Russia, England, Austria, Prussia, France and Portugal.
The following issues were considered as the main issues: the redistribution of Europe in favor of the victorious countries, the restoration of monarchical power in Europe and the prevention of any possibility of Napoleon returning to power.
Representatives of the Bourbon dynasty were reinstated in France, and Louis XVIII, the closest heir to the executed Louis XVI , took the throne . In addition, the winners wanted to restore the former system - the feudal nobility-absolutist. Of course, after all the political achievements of the French Revolution, this goal was utopian, but nevertheless, for many years Europe entered the regime of conservatism and reaction.
The main problem was the redistribution of land, especially Poland and Saxony. Russian Emperor Alexander I wanted to annex the Polish lands to the territory of Russia, and give Saxony to Prussia. But representatives of Austria, England and France in every possible way prevented such a decision. They even signed a secret cooperation agreement against the territorial aspirations of Prussia and Russia, so at the first stage such a redistribution did not take place.
In general, the Vienna Congress showed that the main preponderance of forces was observed in Russia, Prussia, England and Austria. Haggling and enmity among themselves, representatives of these countries carried out the main redistribution of Europe.
In the spring of 1815, Napoleon managed to escape from the Elbe, he landed in France and began a new military campaign. Soon, however, his soldiers were completely defeated at Waterloo, and the Vienna Congress of 1815 began to work in accelerated mode. Now its participants tried as quickly as possible to make final decisions on the territorial structure of Europe.
At the beginning of July 1815, a general act of Congress was signed, according to which France was deprived of all previously conquered lands. The Duchy of Warsaw, which was now called the Kingdom of Poland , went to Russia. The Rhine region, Poznan, Westphalia and most of Saxony were transferred to Prussia. Austria annexed Lombardy, Galicia and Venice to its territory, and in the union of the North German principalities (German Union) this country turned out to be the most influential. Of course, this affected the interests of the Prussian state.
In Italy, the Sardinian kingdom was restored, annexing Savoy and Nice to it, while at the same time affirming the rights of the Savoy dynasty. Tuscany, Modena and Parma came under the rule of the Austrian representatives of the Habsburg dynasty. Rome again came under the authority of the Pope, to whom all previous rights were returned. In Naples, they sat on the throne of the Bourbons. The Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed from Holland and Belgium.
The small German states that Napoleon abolished, for the most part, have not been restored. Their total number decreased by almost ten times. However, the fragmentation of Germany, which now had 38 states, remained unchanged.
Colonial lands passed to England, which she took from Spain, France and Holland. The islands of Malta and Ceylon, the Cape of Good Hope, Guiana, the Ionian Islands are now finally entrenched in the British Kingdom.
A confederation of nineteen Swiss cantons was formed, which proclaimed "eternal neutrality." Norway was transferred to the power of Sweden, removing it from Denmark.
But at the same time, without exception, all European states feared the excessive strengthening of Russia, since it was to this country that the role of the victor over Napoleonic troops belonged.
The Vienna conference ended there, but in the fall of 1815, Alexander I decided to strengthen the new European order and to establish the dominant role of Russia and England. On his initiative, an agreement was signed on the creation of the Holy Alliance, which included Austria, Prussia and the Russian Empire. According to the agreements, these states promised to help each other in the event of revolutions or popular uprisings.
The Congress of Vienna and its decisions had a decisive influence on the entire European system. Only after 1917, when the First World War ended, will European territory be redrawn again.