Klemens von Metternich

Also known as Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, Clement, Prince von Metternich, Clemens von Metternich

Austrian diplomat, foreign minister and Chancellor (1773–1859)

AI overview

Klemens von Metternich was an Austrian diplomat and chancellor who shaped European politics for nearly half a century during the Napoleonic Wars and their aftermath. His diplomatic strategies and influence on European affairs during this pivotal historical period make him an important figure for understanding how the modern European state system developed.

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Quotes

“Italy is only a geographical expression.”
“But what did he mean by that?”
“There is a wide sweep about my mind. I am always above and beyond the preoccupation of most public men; I cover a ground much vaster than they can see. I cannot keep myself from saying about twenty times a day: 'How right I am, and how wrong they are.'”

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Wikidata facts

Image: Klemens von Metternich by Lawrence.jpg

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P12749: Narva
P8168: Battle of Bapaume

Article

Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich (/ˈmɛtərnɪx/ MET-ər-nikh, German: [ˈkleːmɛns fɔn ˈmɛtɐnɪç]) or Prince Metternich, was a German statesman and diplomat in the service of the Austrian Empire. A conservative, Metternich was at the center of the European balance of power known as the Concert of Europe for three decades as Austrian foreign minister from 1809 and chancellor from 1821 until the liberal Revolutions of 1848 forced his resignation.

Born into the House of Metternich in 1773 as the son of a diplomat, Metternich received a good education at the universities of Strasbourg and Mainz. Metternich rose through key diplomatic posts, including ambassadorial roles in the Kingdom of Saxony, the Kingdom of Prussia, and especially Napoleonic France. One of his first assignments as Foreign Minister was to engineer a détente with France that included the marriage of Napoleon to the Austrian archduchess Marie Louise. Soon after, he engineered Austria's entry into the War of the Sixth Coalition on the Allied side, signed the Treaty of Fontainebleau that sent Napoleon into exile and led the Austrian delegation at the Congress of Vienna that divided post-Napoleonic Europe amongst the major powers. For his service to the Austrian Empire, he was given the title of Prince in October 1813.