1815 A.D.

1815 A.D. has been selected by Roberto Amati in relation to the real history of european integration, then enlisted in the People, Dates, Places and Events category, accompanied by own fact SHEET useful to the comprehension, completed of historical MAPS AND IMAGES or with a direct linking to the related Blog contents dedicated to the aeternitas and the future of Europe.

1815 A.D. is one of the most important date in whole history of european integration and will probably have influence on the future of United Europe, because it carried definitely Europe into the Modern Age until nowadays and confirmed the substantial balanced system of European states began with the Treaty of Westfalia and 'restored' by the new international congress of Wien.

What happened in 1815 A.D.? On 18th June had been fought the Battle of Waterloo, in Belgium, where Napoleon I was definitely defeated, obliged to retirement and put an end to the napoleonic epoch that had deeply changed Europe in last 20 years. Who defeated Napoleon I? The last coalition of Allies was formed by Great Britain, Austrian Empire, Russian Empire and the knigdoms of Prussia, Hannover, Sweden, Portugal and Spain, all against France led by the petit empereur got back to power during 'the Hundreds days': the final battle in Waterloo was commanded by the irish general Duke of Wellington, helped by the prussian marshal Blucher, and provoked quite 130,000 among died and of wounded soldier in both fronts. The impression of that immane tragedy was high all over Europe and moved the winning states to establish a new order of stability to avoid another napoleonic adventure, so that on the site of the battle was built a celebration monument on a high hill with a lion at the top visible from far, similar to the memory monument erected at the Thermopylae pass in Greece to always remember the sacrifice that saved Europe during the Persian Wars.

The winning powers plus France agreed to meet in Wien and on 9th June established a 'new order' for the future of Europe. They restored the ancient regime on the royal european genealogies ruling the european reigns in 'divine right', as for example the Borbone dinasty who got back on France throne after the long exile caused by the French Revolution and the guillotining of the king Louis XVI in a public square in Paris! As second point, it was signed the Saint Alleance by Russia, Austria and Prussia to limit the popular revolts of anti-clericalists and nationalists, burned by the illuminism thinking spreaded all around Europe also by the same Napoleon I. The winning states defined a New Order of 'power balance' endured until the First World War and founded on the Ius Publicum europeum, renewed the neutrality of Switzerland with an international treaty (where the richest noble european families held their heritage within the bank system still existing nowaday!), meantime recognized the indipendence of the new states founded in Latin America from the dissolved colonial spanish empire.

In Europe the new political map saw France back to its originary bordes at 1792 A.D., ruled again by the Borbone dinasty as well as in Spain and the restored Kingdom of 2 Sicily and in the Duchy of Parma&Piacenza ceded by the Habsburg-Lotrhingen dinasty, still ruling in Austria and in the Granduchy of Tuscany after recovering their possessions in Northern Italy, included the ex-Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Modena&Reggio. The rest of Italy was free in the Kingdom of Sardinia, returned to Savoy dinasty and enlarged to the ex-Republic of Genoa, and the restored State of Roman Church. The Kingdom of the Netherlands was restored and returned to the Nassau-Orange dinasty, adding the Austrian Netherlands from the Habsburg-Lothringen dinasty who shifted forever their interests in Eastern Europe. Germany, always fractioned in hundreds of autonomies but remained orphan of the ancient Reich Empire (after one thousand years!), was riconfigured in a Confederation under hegemony of the Austrian Empire, coordinated and administered through the Frankfurt Diet by the kingdoms of Prussia, of Hannover, of Bavaria, of Saxony and of Württenberg. Russia annexed additional territory in Poland and the whole baltic region, consolidating its strategic position and ambition in Eastern Europe and the Baltic Sea, since centuries ruled by the Oldenburg house who controlled also the northern kingdoms of Sweden (joined again to Norway) and Denmark. Prussia was enlarged to Duchy of Westfalia-Palatinato and Pomerania region under the Hohenzollern dinasty, while Bavaria got back the Palatinato-Renania County under the Wittelsbach dinasty, whereas the Kingdom of Hannover annexed the Frisian lands. In the end, all the french colonies around the world passed under possessions of Great Britain.

With the general agreement of all European states reached by the most important player as Metternich, Talleyrand, Castlereagh, Wellington, von Hardenberg and the Zar Alexander I, after 1815 A.D. Europe could proceed along through a hundred years of peace and development that allowed the Industrial Revolution to spread over the continent and rise the balances and the richness of all European peoples. That situation continued until the first half of XX century A.D. and signed one of the most interesting epoch of the whole history of european integration, called belle epoque.

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