Vienna, 1814

January 7, 2008
Leaders from the world’s five major diplomatic forces—Great Britain, France, Austria, Prussia and Russia—convened in Vienna in 1814 to found a new order for post-Napoleonic Europe. Historian King (Finding Atlantis
) calls it “the greatest and most lavish party in history,” at which delegates “would plot, scheme, jockey for position, and, in short, infuriate each other as they competed in affairs of state and the heart.” King covers the diplomatic wrangling well, particularly over the fates of Poland, Saxony and the Kingdom of Naples. His greater strength is in depicting the personalities and motivations of the key players, such as Metternich’s daring love affair with a baroness and Czar Alexander I’s growing reliance on a German mystic. Despite endless parties, the Congress achieved pioneering work in culture and human rights, including Jewish rights and a vote to abolish slavery. Most important, it established alliances that defeated Napoleon’s attempt to regain power in 1815 and helped “foster a spirit of cooperation that, in some ways, has still not been surpassed.” King’s fine work is not quite as scholarly as the book it recalls, Margaret Macmillan’s Paris 1919
, but it is more deftly paced and engagingly written. 16 pages of b&w photos.

Starred review from February 1, 2008
The conquerors of Napoléon were in a festive mood when they met in Vienna in the fall of 1814 to decide the fate of Europe. A bacchanalian atmosphere prevailed even as the victors bickered over the fate of such kingdoms as Poland and Saxony. The festivities came to an abrupt halt in February 1815 when Napoléon escaped from Elba to meet his destiny at Waterloo, but by then the conferees had reconfigured the geopolitical parameters of Europe. King (history, Univ. of Kentucky; "Finding Atlantis") does a superb job of evoking the bedazzling social scene that served as the backdrop to the Congress of Vienna. His characterizations of such luminaries as Czar Alexander, Metternich, Talleyrand, and Castlereagh are lucid and thoroughly grounded in primary sources. In his final analysis he argues that the end result of the conference was the creation of a balance of power among evolving European nations, leading to a century of peace on the Continent. Libraries with Adam Zamoyski's recent "Rites of Peace" may be inclined to bypass King's work, which would be a mistake, as his is equal to Zamoyski's in scholarship and more concise in content. This is a worthy contribution to the study of a critical historical event long neglected by historians. It should be in every European history collection.Jim Doyle, Rome, GA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2008
By fall 1814, Europe seemed ready to relax after two decades of revolution, almost constant warfare, and continent-wide privation. Napol'on had been defeated and safely exiled to Elbaapparently. Many of the participants of the Congress of Vienna, which convened on November 1, 1814, hoped for and expected a speedy resolution of the major problems facing the Great Powers. Instead, the congress turned into a six-month marathon that was interrupted by Napol'ons escape and reconstitution of his army. As this author makes clear, it wasnt all drudgery at Vienna. In his fascinating account, King details how the various delegates, kings, and commoners partied; made love; spied on each other; and enhanced or ruined their reputations. The dominant figures at the congress were certainly an interesting lot, and King provides fine insight into their personalities and motivations. As illustrated, the congress successfully created a balanced system that prevented a general European war for decades, but the seeds of destruction were sown by the congress failure to confront many social and political issues. An outstanding addition to European history collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)