The Vienna Congress: Lord Castlereigh

Castlereagh was the first British Foreign Minister to leave England to deal with affairs on the continent since 1743. Though his absence would be sorely felt in Britain, it was believed that he was the only man in the British Parliament graced with the negotiation skills necessary to re-mediate the chaotic situ

Not only did he have to contend with Russia over Poland, but Prussia was struggling with Austria over Saxony. Prussia wanted to transplant the King of Saxony into Prussian territories in the Rhineland; however, Castlereagh opposed this. He resisted Prussia’s plan, for he wanted to see a power of the first order protect the Rhineland and back up Holland. Prussia received the Northern and smaller part of Saxony, along with the Duchy of Posen with Danzig and Thorn, Swedish Pomerania and a large province (Rhenish Prussia); but she still did not get the whole desired Saxon territory. In her eyes, Austria was the ‘winner,’ and on December 29, Prussia, upset about the settlement, threatened war. Castlereagh saw the threat as impotent, but regardless, he went into action. On January 3, 1815, in response to Prussia’s threat of war, England, France and Austria entered into a Treaty of Defensive Alliance.

“Never perhaps was a man charged with a more delicate and important mission or possess more advantages for executing it. With consummate ability he combines all the graces of the most exquisite politeness. Moderate, but firm, he conceives laudable projects only, and executes them by honourable means. He is a statesman without guile, a courtier without falsehood; such a man is a glory to his country; and if England is proud of a Nelson, of a Wellington, so ought she to be of having provided a Castlereagh.”

He was a tactful and dedicated politician who, due to uncontrollable circumstances, has a tarnished reputation. His value at the Vienna Congress was immeasurable, and he is too often underappreciated. He should be heralded as a hero, for “his skill during long, complicated negotiation after a costly war went far beyond what most statesmen of his time would’ve been capable of.”

Castlereagh went to Vienna with the best of intentions. As opposed to only looking out for the self-interest of his country, which was in maritime protection and rights, Castlereagh, before anything else, participated in the Congress as a concerned European, intent on restoring a balance of power that would stave off future wars. His plans were not self-interested. As the historian Stephen Graubard so aptly states,

Some topics in this essay:
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