Prince Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Von Metternich

Does everyone let the world affect their beliefs and values? Do rulers of our world base their laws and rules on these? When a ruler actually rules a land, does this leader actually rule or does society actually rule? A man of whom resents revolutions, liberalism and even nationalism will take this challenge against society and on May 15, 1773 in Koblenz, Germany a Prince by the name of Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar von Metternich was born. This prince would be a man who would become one of the "finest Ambassadors", but to others he wasn't such a great Prince; just one that wanted to stop the progress, to the countries of Saxony (1801), Prussia (1803), and to the Napoleonic France (1806) (Joseph H. Held) and later a quite fine Minister of Foreign affairs to the Hapsburg state. He would also become one of the most dominant figures in European politics between 1814 and 1848.

As Metternich proceeded to grow older, he attended Strasbourg University and Mainz University. After graduating from these Universities, little did Metternich know that when he and his family were fleeing to Vienna that his life would change and his life course had taken a sudden turn. After moving to the town of Vienna, in 1794 to escape the attacks from the revolutionary French armies, he met and later married his wife Countess Eleanor Kaunitz. (Joseph H. Held) Kaunitz's family was a quite prominent family during this time at the Austrian court.

During the years of 1801 and 1808, Metternich served as Ambassadors to the counties of Saxony, Prussia, and the Napoleonic France (at different times). In the year 1808, Metternich wrote several times about how there should be certain censorships that the press should have to follow, before printing out certain things that would appear in newspapers. Metternich argued that two certain newspapers (The Frankfurt and The Augsburg) should be the ones that are mostly censored because of their spreading lies, about ruling members and certain Ambassadors. Metternich believes that the mistake had been made several times before and that almost all governments had gone through the same things with reporters. "They (referring to the French) have the game to themselves; they have only occupied an empty place by seizing the desks of the journalists, and no one can reproach them with silence; they have taken up the weapon we have disdained to make use of, and they are now employing it against ourselves." (Gerard W. Smith)

In the year 1809, would be the next big year for Prince Metternich, it would be the year that he would be appointed to become the minister of foreign affairs to the Hapsburg State. He would do several great things while being minister of foreign affairs such as: Arranging the marriage of Napoleon to the Austrian archduchess Marie Louise, he also planned to restart war with France.

After the campaign of Napoleon, which took place in 1812 and turned out to be quite disastrous Metternich played a vital role in forming the European coalition. The European coalition, which he helped construct, would defeat the French emperor two years later. At the Congress of Vienna during the years of 1814 and 1815, where the map of Europe was redrawn due to Napoleon's downfall, Metternich had planned to block the Russian plan to take over Poland, and also to stop Prussia from overpowering Saxony. Although he did succeed, in sorts, in creating a Confederation of Germany, although under Austrian leadership, he failed to create the same for Italy. Also, at the meeting of the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), Metternich was involved in the discussion of making peace. At this meeting, Prince Metternich agreed to a declaration, although he knew it would be quite an inconvenience, he would have "four or five private conferences with the Emperor; he found his so obstinate that nothing could move him; his exasperation and violence ever increased from one interview to another; and at last the interview of October 24 was so stormy, that the Prince declared to his friends that after the scene which had just taken place he neither would nor could see the Emperor again in private. He has kept his word; with the exception of one explanation, which the honour of the Prince rendered inevitable, he has never again set foot inside the Emperor's door." (Alexander Napier).

Another place that they would have to be seen together would be in the courts, and when there were large assemblies (which also must have been given by third parties for them to attend). Another thing was, "the Emperor will not go to any ball, to any fete at Prince Metternich's house; the remonstrances of his sisters, of the Archduke Palatine, his brother-in-law, of several of his friends, of all the women whose acquaintance he cultivates at Vienna-nothing can conquer this repugnance; and whilst affecting to treat Madame and Mademoiselle Metternich with marked consideration, he always maintains that the Prince has offended him too mortally for them ever again to have any personal communication. I have no need to add that the accusation was absolutely false; that the Emperor, carried away by his passion, was alone to blame in these interviews, and that M. de Metternich has conducted himself up to the present moment with all the wisdom and politeness which are characteristic of him, and with all the propriety inherent to his person and manners." (Alexander Napier) After these arguments, and the meeting at the Congress of Vienna, Prince Metternich would become one of the most dominant political persons of this time.

Prince Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar von Metternich also tried to create a Postwar Alliance which would have included the counties of: Great Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria. This Postwar Alliance would have been created into one of the most creative instruments to prevent the revolution that could occur in Europe. The outcome of Metternich's attempt at making this Postwar Alliance failed.
Metternich confesses his political faith in the year 1820. He believes although sometimes the origins of governments are sometimes unclear, all pass through years and period of developments, just like humans as they grow. Although, imperfect during the beginning, would all strive to that grand goal of perfection. "The causes of the deplorable intensity with which this evil weighs on society appear to us to be of two kinds....we will place among the first the feebleness and the inertia of Governments. It is sufficient to cast a glance on the course which the Governments followed during the eighteenth century, to be convinced that not one among them was ignorant of the evil or of the crisis towards which the social body was tending.... " as said by Metternich during his confession of his political faith.

However, even though he did fail at creating the powerful Postwar Alliance between the counties of Great Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria; he was however, able to maintain the status quo in Italy and also in the country of Germany.
In 1824, he renewed the Carlsbad Decrees. These Decrees led to the confirmed conviction that the strength and value of the Government measures depended far more on the correctness of their choice than on their number. (Alexander Napier) Prince Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar von Metternich wrote several papers and asked Emperor Francis to examine these papers. He replied "I send back the papers enclosed, and you can now despatch the sketch of the Presidential proposition. Your exertions to maintain peace and order in the world have not been in vain. May God crown them with success!" He allowed the orders to be printed in the "Observer" as soon as possible.

In the year 1825, Metternich became actively involved against the Pressburg Diet. He wrote letters to the President of the lower house, and in his letters he included quite different things. He said, "My mind endeavours always to grasp the essential substance of things, to get at the root of the evil; symptoms are only useful in my eyes so far as they are instructive, and I allow them to pass quickly before me, merely following their traces, because, if quietly shielded, they may guide us to fundamental truths. Seldom in my public life have I come upon these latter so quickly as with respect to the concerns of the present Diet: for this reason, that in Hungary I encounter all those things on which during my whole public life, especially during the last ten years, I have made war." (Alexander Napier)

Also in his letters he addressed how he was against absolutism, the opinion of government, and the ignorance that the court had shown with respect toward Hungarian affairs. Prince Metternich said that he could and he would prove this through a friend and the President of the lower house responded by saying, "Then you must be a traitor either to me or to your friends--that is to say, a traitor to yourself: that which never has prospered, never will prosper, and you will pass through the same dismal experience as all who have taken the same line have gone through before you -- you will sink into the mire; or if you turn round you will be branded by the very party that led you astray." (Alexander Napier)

Prince Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar von Metternich was able to remain one of Europe's leading Statesmen until he was driven from his power by the Revolution of 1848. Metternich died on June 11, 1859 in Vienna. He resented liberalism, nationalism, and all revolutions on an equal level. His perfect ideas included have a monarchy that was shared with traditional privileged classes of society. He was a man of order; yet, conceited and indolent by nature. Many historians give Metternich a bad name by saying he was only trying to stop Progress, especially since he took credit for many policies he hadn't thought of himself. So as Prince Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar von Metternich would have said "When Paris sneezes, Europe catches cold."