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 entire history of european integration 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 twenty 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 leaded 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 provoekd quite 130.000 among died and thousands 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 site of the battle was built a monument to remember 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 remeber the sacrifice that saved Europe during the Persian Wars.

The winning powers plus France agreed to meet in Wien and on 9th June established the "new order" for the future of Europe. They restored the ancient regime on the royal european genealogies ruling the european reigns in "divine right", 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-clericalist and nationalist, 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 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 Two Sicily plus the Duchy of Parma&Piacenza ceded by Habsburg-Lotrhingen dinasty, still ruling in Austria and in Granduchy of Tuscany after recovering their possessions in Northern Italy plus 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 Nassau-Orange dinasty, who obtained the Austrian Netherlands from Habsburg-Lothringen dinasty that shifted forever their interests in Eastern Europe. Germany, always fractioned in hundreds of authonomies but orphan of the ancient Reich Empire (after one thousand years!), was riconfigured in a Confederation under hegemony of Austrian Empire and coordinated and administered through the Frankfurt Diet by the kingdoms of Prussia, Hannover, Bavaria, Saxony and Württenberg. Russia annexed additional territory in Poland and the baltic region, consolidating its strategic position and ambition in Eastern Europe and the Baltic Sea, 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 had 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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