Second Peace of Paris
The Second Peace of Paris was the final treaty established between France and the victorious allies after the defeat of Napoleon I in 1815. This agreement was part of the broader negotiations that took place during the Congress of Vienna and followed Napoleon's brief return to power known as the Hundred Days. Signed on November 20, 1815, it represented a shift towards a more stringent settlement compared to the earlier First Peace of Paris. The treaty incorporated changes in territorial boundaries, with France losing some land while largely retaining its borders as they were in 1790. Additionally, France was required to pay a significant indemnity, support an Allied occupation force, and saw some stolen artworks returned.
Despite being harsher than its predecessor, the Second Peace of Paris is noted for its relative leniency, as it allowed France to maintain a degree of sovereignty and stability. The treaty aimed to prevent future French aggression while fostering a balance of power in Europe. This diplomatic approach contributed to a period of relative peace in Europe until tensions rose again in the mid-19th century, setting the stage for future conflicts including World War I.
Second Peace of Paris
Date November 20, 1815
The Second Peace of Paris ended the Napoleonic Wars and established the framework for European politics for the next century.
Also known as Treaty of Paris
Locale Paris, France
Key Figures
Alexander I (1777-1825), czar of Russia, r. 1801-1825Friedrich Gentz (1764-1832), secretary of the Congress of Vienna, 1814-1815Karl von Hardenberg (1750-1822), chancellor of PrussiaMetternich (1773-1859), Austrian foreign affairs ministerArmand-Emmanuel du Plessis (duc de Richelieu; 1766-1822), chief minister of Louis XVIII who succeeded Talleyrand in 1815Viscount Castlereagh (Robert Stewart; 1769-1822), British foreign secretary, 1812-1822Talleyrand (1754-1838), French foreign affairs ministerDuke of Wellington (Arthur Wesley or Wellesley; 1769-1852), British general
Summary of Event
The Second Peace of Paris was the final peace treaty made between France and the victorious allies after the final defeat of Napoleon I. It was part of the general settlement made by the Congress of Vienna (1815-1816) and can be understood only in relation to that conference. The participants were the same at both conferences, but the Second Peace of Paris was made after the settlement at Vienna. The Second Peace of Paris also was linked to negotiations leading to the Quadruple Alliance of Great Britain, Prussia, Austria, and Russia. Both agreements were signed November 20, 1815.
The first Peace of Paris consisted of seven treaties signed on May 30, 1814, by the French government of the restored Bourbon king, Louis XVIII, and each of the seven belligerent powers: Great Britain, Austria, Russia, Prussia, Spain, Sweden, and Portugal. Basically generous, this treaty restored French boundaries as they had existed in 1792 with some added frontier districts and enclaves including some 450,000 people and 150 square miles. France also regained most of its colonies, except Tobago, St. Lucia, and Mauritius, which had been seized by the British. French posts in India were restored, though without sovereign rights, and France promised to abolish the slave trade in French colonies within five years. No indemnity was imposed, and France was even allowed to keep works of art taken by Napoleon from other countries. This treaty also united Flanders with Holland and Genoa with Piedmont as buffer states against possible French expansion.
While the Congress of Vienna debated the territorial divisions of Europe, however, Napoleon IIII38IIII returned to France from Elba on March 1, 1815. The French army and people rallied to his cause, and the restored Bourbon king, Louis XVIII, again fled into exile. Napoleon was soundly defeated at Waterloo on June 18 by an allied army under the command of the duke of Wellington, ably assisted by a Prussian army under General Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. Napoleon’s second period of rule, the Hundred Days, came to an end. He surrendered to the British, who imprisoned him first in England, and then on the island of St. Helena in the south Atlantic.
Napoleon’s return resulted in a new and harsher peace treaty, since the French nation had broken the First Peace of Paris and again waged war. The fact that only the British and Prussian armies were responsible for defeating Napoleon at Waterloo and were the first to occupy France gave these two nations added bargaining power. Louis XVIII again was restored to the French throne and Talleyrand was made prime minister of France, but the French were largely excluded from the negotiations taking place at Vienna. The smaller powers played no significant role.
Negotiations continued for four months because Prussia desired a harsh treaty. Prussian pillaging and misconduct of Prussian soldiers also led to friction and objections from Wellington and the British. Some of the smaller German states and the Netherlands supported the Prussian demands. Although Prince Karl von Hardenberg, chancellor of Prussia, favored moderation, the Prussian generals largely overrode his influence. The Prussian military sought a large indemnity and the acquisition of Alsace , Lorraine, French Flanders, and Savoy, as well as the return of works of art stolen by Napoleon.
Metternich, the Austrian minister of foreign affairs, followed a somewhat hesitant course. He had to tread carefully because of hostile Austrian popular opinion. He also may have been willing to shift his position in order to gain territorial advantages for Austria. Metternich’s appointee as secretary of the Congress of Vienna, Friedrich Gentz , favored a moderate peace. He closely associated himself with Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, foreign secretary of Great Britain, and was basically sympathetic with his policies. Czar Alexander I of Russia remained firmly opposed to territorial changes but favored a moderate indemnity.
Castlereagh and Wellington essentially agreed with Alexander but were under pressure from the press, public opinion, the prince regent, the prime minister, and the British cabinet to punish France severely. There was considerable agitation for punishing French military and political leaders who joined Napoleon after his return from Elba. The arrest and execution of Michel Ney tended to quiet public outcry in Great Britain for punishment.
Castlereagh, however, convinced Lord Liverpool and his cabinet that a policy of “security, not revenge” was preferable. He pointed out that a vengeful peace would lead to French attempts to regain lost territory, and that France should be kept strong and friendly as a possible future ally. As security against possible French expansion he proposed temporary occupation of France, minor frontier adjustments, and dismantling certain French forts. He also proposed a moderate indemnity and the returning of works of art. Metternich basically agreed, and Alexander IIII16IIII was persuaded without undue difficulty to accept this compromise. The Prussians found themselves alone and gave way. Talleyrand, however, would not accept this arrangement, and resigned. Louis XVIII replaced him with Armand-Emmanuel du Plessis, duc de Richelieu, who signed the treaty after obtaining a few minor concessions.
Territorial provisions of the Second Treaty of Paris were based on French boundaries as they existed in 1790. Compared to the earlier treaty, this took away a small area of the Netherlands frontier, gave part of the Saar in Germany (including the forts of Saarlouis and Landau) to Prussia, and annexed part of Savoy to Piedmont. The fortress of Huningen near Basel was demolished. Colonial provisions remained as in the first treaty. A F–700 million indemnity was awarded to the allies, and F–240 million was awarded to private creditors. France also had to support the Allied Army of Occupation in northern France under Wellington. Some art treasures taken by Napoleon were returned to their original owners.
Significance
Although the Second Peace of Paris was harsher to France than the first treaty had been, it remained generous. The indemnity and occupation payments were less than may have been justified, for France had suffered little devastation from the Napoleonic Wars. French boundaries of 1790 were essentially restored, and France lost little land and even retained some minor acquisitions.
The lenience shown to France perhaps was the last flowering of eighteenth century balance of powerdiplomacy as opposed to the emotional and vengeful settlements in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and later. The wisdom of the settlement was attested by the fact that France did not attempt to retaliate and soon was admitted to the Congress of Europe. The “Congress” system, the Quadruple Alliance, and the Holy Alliance of Prussia, Austria, and Russia successfully prevented major European conflict until the Crimean War of 1854. With the decay of the Quadruple Alliance, progressive tensions arising in large part from the Italian and German wars of unification Europe led to a divisive pattern of alliances that culminated in World War I.
Bibliography
Kissinger, Henry. Diplomacy. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994. Concisely summarizes European diplomacy of the Second Treaty of Paris and thereafter.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. A World Restored: Metternich, Castlereagh, and the Problems of Peace, 1815-1822. Reprint. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1973. First published in 1957, Kissinger’s work summarizes diplomatic maneuvering between Napoleon’s final defeat until the Congress of Vienna.
Nicolson, Sir Harold. The Congress of Vienna: A Study in Allied Unity, 1812-1822. New York: Viking Press, 1961. Emphasizes policy and continuity from the Frankfort Proposals through the First and Second Peaces of Paris to the Congress of Vienna.
Sauvigny, Guillaume de Bertier de. Metternich and His Times. London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1962. Provides background on Metternich and briefly covers his part in the Second Peace of Paris.
Sweet, Paul R. Friedrich von Gentz, Defender of the Old Order. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1941. Reprint. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1970. Illuminates Gentz’s role in the Second Peace of Paris and at the Congress of Vienna.
Tapie, Victor-L. The Rise and Fall of the Habsburg Monarchy. Translated by Stephen Hardman. New York: Praeger, 1971. Tapie chronicles Austrian political and social life leading up to the Second Treaty of Paris and after.
Webster, Sir Charles. The Foreign Policy of Castlereagh, 1812-1815. 2 vols. London: G. Bell, 1925-1931. Webster’s work includes a general account of the Second Peace of Paris centered on Castlereagh’s objectives.