Bavaria's Council: The 1814 Turning Point

The Council of Vienna was held in 1814-1815 to decide on the future of Europe following the fall of Napoleon's empire. The council was attended by the major European powers of the time, including Austria, Prussia, Russia, and Great Britain.

The Kingdom of Bavaria was one of the German states that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, Bavaria became a federated state of the new empire.

The council's decisions had a significant impact on the Kingdom of Bavaria. Most of the borders of modern Germany's Free State of Bavaria were established after 1814 with the Treaty of Paris, in which the Kingdom of Bavaria ceded Tyrol and Vorarlberg to the Austrian Empire while receiving Aschaffenburg and Würzburg.

In addition, the council's decisions led to the creation of the German Confederation, an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. The Kingdom of Bavaria was a member of this confederation, which was created to replace the former Holy Roman Empire. The German Confederation was formally created by a treaty signed on 15 May 1820.

Bavaria's role in the War of the Sixth Coalition

Bavaria played a crucial role in the War of the Sixth Coalition, which saw a coalition of European powers, including Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, and several German states, defeat the First French Empire and drive Napoleon into exile on the island of Elba.

In the lead-up to the war, Bavaria was a member of the Confederation of the Rhine, a French protectorate established by Napoleon. However, in 1813, Bavaria switched sides, joining the coalition against Napoleon. This defection was a significant blow to Napoleon, as Bavaria was a powerful state with a large army.

The Treaty of Ried, signed on October 8, 1813, formalized Bavaria's alliance with the coalition. In exchange for its support, Bavaria was guaranteed continued sovereignty and independence. Bavarian troops played a crucial role in the coalition's victory at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813, which marked a turning point in the war and ultimately led to Napoleon's defeat and exile.

During the peace negotiations that followed, Bavaria lost some of the territories it had gained during the Napoleonic Wars, including Tyrol and Vorarlberg, which were ceded to the Austrian Empire. However, Bavaria was compensated with new territories, including the Grand Duchy of Würzburg, the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt, and parts of the Grand Duchy of Hesse.

The Treaty of Paris

• Napoleon was exiled to Elba, an island off the coast of Tuscany, Italy.
• France's borders were reduced to their 1792 boundaries, which meant losing territory gained during the Revolutionary Wars.
• France's overseas colonies, including Martinique, Tobago, and Mauritius, were restored to Britain.
• France was to pay an indemnity of 700 million francs to cover the cost of the war.
• France's captured ships and artworks were to be returned to their countries of origin.
• The slave trade was to be abolished.

The Treaty of Ried

Through the Treaty of Ried, Bavaria left the Confederation of the Rhine, which was allied with Napoleon, and agreed to join the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon. In exchange, Bavaria's continued sovereign and independent status was guaranteed. On 14 October, just six days after signing the Treaty of Ried, Bavaria made a formal declaration of war against Napoleonic France.

The enactment of the treaty disrupted Napoleon's supply lines, and two weeks later, he was defeated at the Battle of Leipzig.

The Treaty of Munich

The Treaty of Paris was followed by the Treaty of Vienna, which was signed in 1815. The Treaty of Vienna was signed by the five powers in Vienna, with Count von Rechberg representing Bavaria. The Treaty of Vienna was supposed to resolve the Bavarian border and compensation problem, but it failed to do so. The Treaty of Vienna was followed by the Treaty of Munich, which was signed in 1816. The Treaty of Munich was signed by Count von Rechberg, Prime Minister von Montgelas, and Lieutenant Field Marshal von Wacquant. The Treaty of Munich was a bilateral agreement between Bavaria and Austria, with the other powers only playing a minor role. The treaty was a compromise that allowed Bavaria to retain the northern part of the Duchy of Salzburg and part of the Innviertel. The treaty also included the transfer of several districts on the Main to Bavaria, which consolidated the Aschaffenburg territory. The provisions of the Treaty of Munich have shaped Bavaria's outline on the map to the present day.

The Congress of Vienna

The Congress was a culmination of the six weeks of negotiations between the major post-Napoleonic powers: the Austrian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, the Russian Empire, the United Kingdom, and France. The four victorious powers were represented by their leading statesmen: Metternich for Austria, Karl August von Hardenberg for Prussia, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand for France, and the Earl of Castlereagh and the Duke of Wellington for the UK.

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