Editing Concert of Europe (section)

=== The Holy Alliance within the Concert===
[[File:Declaration of victory after the Battle of Leipzig, 1813 (by Johann Peter Krafft).jpg|thumb|''[[The Declaration of Victory After the Battle of Leipzig]]'' by [[Johann Peter Krafft]], 1839. [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I]] of Russia, [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis I]] of Austria and [[Frederick William III of Prussia|Frederick III]] of Prussia after the [[Battle of Leipzig]], 1813]]
The [[Kingdom of Prussia]], and the [[Austrian Empire|Austrian]] and [[Russian Empire]]s, formed the [[Holy Alliance]] on 26 September 1815, with the express intent of preserving Christian social values and traditional monarchism.<ref>{{Cite CE1913|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07398a.htm |title=Spahn, M. (1910). Holy Alliance |access-date=2011-05-21}}</ref> Only three notable princes did not sign: [[Pope Pius VII]] (it was not Catholic enough), Sultan [[Mahmud II|Mahmud II of the Ottoman Empire]] (too Christian), and the [[George IV of the United Kingdom|British Prince Regent]] because his government was a constitutional monarchy with a more liberal political philosophy and did not wish to pledge itself to the policing of continental Europe.<!--[acc to d.thompson]-->

Britain did ratify the [[Quadruple Alliance (1815)|Quadruple Alliance]], signed on 20 November 1815, the same day as the [[Treaty of Paris (1815)|Second Treaty of Paris]] was signed, which later became the [[Quintuple Alliance]] when France joined in 1818 with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chapman |first=Tim |year=2006 |title=The Congress of Vienna 1814–1815 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1134680504 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Wn0G5na-1j0C&pg=PA60 60] }}</ref><ref name=":02">{{cite web|url=https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/perspectives/PE200/PE226/RAND_PE226.pdf|title=The Concert of Europe and Great-Power Governance Today|last=Lascurettes|first=Kyle|date=2017|website=RAND Corporation|access-date=October 17, 2019}}</ref>

There has been much debate between historians as to which treaty was more influential in the development of international relations in Europe in the two decades following the end of the Napoleonic Wars. In the opinion of historian Tim Chapman, the differences are somewhat academic as the powers were not bound by the terms of the treaties and many of them intentionally broke the terms if it suited them.{{sfn|Chapman|2006|p=60}}
[[File:Johann Peter Krafft - Der Einzug von Kaiser Franz I. in Wien nach dem Pariser Frieden am 16. Juni 1814 - 6247 - Österreichische Galerie Belvedere.jpg|thumb|''[[The Entry of Emperor Francis I into Vienna After the Peace of Paris]]'' by [[Johann Peter Krafft]].]]
The Holy Alliance was an informal alliance led by Russia, Austria, and Prussia which aimed to reduce the influence of secularism and liberalism in Europe. The brainchild of Tsar Alexander I, it gained at least nominal support from many states, partly because most European monarchs did not wish to offend the Tsar by refusing to sign it, and as it bound monarchs personally rather than their governments, it was sufficiently vague to be functionally ignored once signed. In the opinion of Lord Castlereagh, the British foreign secretary at the time of its inception, the Holy Alliance was "a piece of sublime mysticism and nonsense".{{sfn|Chapman|2006|p=60}} Nevertheless, its influence was more long lasting than its contemporary critics expected and was revived in the 1820s as a tool of repression when Britain and France refused to embroil themselves in certain continental matters.{{sfn|Chapman|2006|p=61}}

The Quadruple Alliance, by contrast, was a standard treaty, and the great powers did not invite any minor allies to sign it. The primary objective was to bind the signatories to support the terms of the Second Treaty of Paris for 20 years. It included a provision for the High Contracting Parties to "renew their meeting at fixed periods...for the purpose of consulting on their common interests" which were the "prosperity of the Nations, and the maintenance of peace in Europe".{{sfn|Chapman|2006|p=62}} However, the wording [[s:Quadruple Alliance#ART.VI|Article VI]] of the treaty did not specify what these "fixed periods" were to be and there were no provisions in the treaty for a permanent commission to arrange and organise the conferences. This meant that instead of meeting at "fixed periods" the meetings were arranged on an ad hoc basis, to address specific threats or disputes.{{sfn|Chapman|2006|pp=61–62}}