10. The Congress of Vienna reshaped the map of Europe
In 1814 Napoleon abdicated and went into exile on Elba. Following his return in 1815 and defeat at Waterloo, the British urged he be exiled further from the continent. He went to the remote British-held island of St. Helena, where he lived out his days. Meanwhile, the ministers of the European governments resumed their discussions at the Congress of Vienna, interrupted during the Waterloo Campaign. Often overlooked, the Congress of Vienna was one of the most significant events in European history. The Congress, which was a series of discussions among diplomats rather than a plenary session, shaped the framework of Europe. The new map of Europe remained the same, more or less, until the arms buildup which preceded the First World War.
The five great powers, France, Austria, Russia, Prussia, and Great Britain, held sway over delegations of smaller powers, though nearly all European states and principalities were represented. Britain’s representatives were Lord Castlereagh, and subsequently the Duke of Wellington. Austria’s Prince Metternich represented his Emperor’s interests. The Russian Tsar Alexander I demanded and received most of modern Poland into his realms. Nationalism and republican interests were overruled by conservative supporters of the noble houses of Europe. France lost all of the remaining territories obtained by Napoleon, and the United Kingdom of the Netherlands emerged. The scale of warfare which involved all of Europe (and most of the globe) did not emerge again until 1914, thanks in large part to the Congress of Vienna.