Metternich Becomes Austrian Foreign Minister
Klemens von Metternich became the Austrian Foreign Minister on August 4, 1809, during a tumultuous period shaped by the aftermath of the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. His appointment came at a critical moment when Austria faced potential incorporation into the French Empire amid military defeat. Metternich, born in 1773 to a noble family, was recognized for his diplomatic skills and commitment to preserving the traditional political order. His notable achievements include negotiating peace with Napoleon through strategic territorial concessions and the marriage of Archduchess Maria Louise to the French Emperor, which helped legitimize Napoleon's rule.
As a leading diplomat, Metternich played a pivotal role in the Congress of Vienna, where he helped reshape Europe after the Napoleonic Wars, asserting Austria's status as a great power and advocating for the restoration of monarchies against liberal and nationalist movements. Although he achieved considerable influence, his tenure ended in 1848 during a wave of revolutions that ultimately forced him from office. Metternich passed away in 1859, leaving behind a legacy as a dominant figure in 19th-century European diplomacy and governance.
Metternich Becomes Austrian Foreign Minister
Metternich Becomes Austrian Foreign Minister
On August 4, 1809, Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar von Metternich became foreign minister of the Austrian Empire, a position from which he was able to save Austria from incorporation into the French Empire. Prince Metternich, as he later came to be known, was one of the 19th century's most skilled diplomats and statesmen. He was a staunch defender of the traditional social and political order, and while his efforts to prevent change ultimately failed and he was swept from power, Metternich was nevertheless a pivotal figure in 19th-century politics.
Metternich was born on May 15, 1773, in Koblenz, Germany, to a noble family. As a young man he studied philosophy at the University of Strasbourg, and then prepared for his later career by studying law and diplomacy at the University of Mainz. Metternich's first position was as ambassador to the German state of Dresden in 1801. It was a time of great unrest in Europe, following the French Revolution of 1789, and the armies of French conqueror Napoléon Bonaparte were on the march. Metternich's own family had been forced to leave their home in the face of French forces in 1794. He served the Habsburg rulers of Austria ably and quickly earned a reputation as a fine diplomat. In 1803, when he was barely 30, Metternich became ambassador to Prussia, one of Europe's great powers. He distinguished himself in that post and was sent to Paris in 1806 as an emissary to Napoléon, who was now Austria's most formidable enemy.
When war broke out in 1809 between Austria and France, the conflict went badly for Austria. Total defeat seemed imminent when the Austrian emperor, Francis I, appointed Metternich his foreign minister on August 4 of that year and charged him with obtaining a favorable peace from Napoléon. It took some major territorial concessions and the marriage of Francis's own daughter, Archduchess Maria Louise, to Napoléon on March 11, 1810, but Austria was saved by Metternich's diplomacy. Maria Louise's Habsburg lineage added some badly needed legitimacy to Napoléon's new status as Emperor of France, and Austria was spared incorporation into his domains. After Napoléon's disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812, Metternich saw the chance to recover Austria's possessions and power. Desperately trying to avoid defeat as the Russian armies entered Europe, in 1813 Napoléon begged for Austrian help, but Metternich refused. He organized the coalition with Russia, Prussia, and Great Britain that triumphed over the French in 1814, for which the grateful Austrian emperor raised Metternich to the status of prince.
It was no coincidence that the peace conference following the end of the Napoleonic wars—the Congress of Vienna—was held in the Austrian capital (Vienna). Metternich was at the height of his power, spearheading important negotiations as the map of Europe was redrawn and even holding critical diplomatic conferences among representatives from various nations at his own home. The result was the return of Austria to greatpower status and the triumph of traditional monarchical regimes over the forces of liberalism and nationalism which had been unleashed in the French Revolution. Metternich successfully kept these forces at bay and continued his rise within Austria's hierarchy, becoming chancellor in 1821 and thoroughly dominating Emperor Ferdinand I, Francis I's successor, who came to power in 1835.
In many ways Metternich was the de facto ruler of Austria, Europe's leading statesman and the embodiment of the old guard. However, in 1848 the pent-up forces of change finally erupted into revolution, which spread across Europe in general and Austria in particular. Metternich was forced to leave office and Emperor Ferdinand himself was forced to abdicate. Metternich never recovered his former stature, and he died in Vienna on June 11, 1859.