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Vienna, 1814: How the Conquerors of Napoleon Made Love, War, and Peace at the Congress of Vienna |  | Author: David King
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
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Seller: bookoutpost
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 347153
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 448
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.1 x 1
ISBN: 0307337170
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN: 9780307337177
ASIN: 0307337170
Publication Date: March 24, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Also Available In:
| • | Audio CD - Vienna 1814: How the Conquerors of Napoleon Made Love, War, and Peace at the Congress of Vienna | | • | Audible Audio Edition - Vienna 1814: How the Conquerors of Napoleon Made Love, War, and Peace | | • | MP3 CD - Vienna 1814: How the Conquerors of Napoleon Made Love, War, and Peace at the Congress of Vienna | | • | Hardcover - Vienna 1814: How the Conquerors of Napoleon Made Love, War, and Peace at the Congress of Vienna | | • | Preloaded Digital Audio Player - Vienna 1814: How the Conquerors of Napoleon Made Love, War, and Peace at the Congress of Vienna: Library Edition | | • | Kindle Edition - Vienna 1814: How the Conquerors of Napoleon Made Love, War, and Peace at the Congress of Vienna | | • | Audio CD - Vienna 1814: How the Conquerors of Napoleon Made Love, War, and Peace at the Congress of Vienna |
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Product Description
“Reads like a novel. A fast-paced page-turner, it has everything: sex, wit, humor, and adventures. But it is an impressively researched and important story.”
—David Fromkin, author of Europe’s Last Summer
Vienna, 1814 is an evocative and brilliantly researched account of the most audacious and extravagant peace conference in modern European history. With the feared Napoleon Bonaparte presumably defeated and exiled to the small island of Elba, heads of some 216 states gathered in Vienna to begin piecing together the ruins of his toppled empire. Major questions loomed: What would be done with France? How were the newly liberated territories to be divided? What type of restitution would be offered to families of the deceased? But this unprecedented gathering of kings, dignitaries, and diplomatic leaders unfurled a seemingly endless stream of personal vendettas, long-simmering feuds, and romantic entanglements that threatened to undermine the crucial work at hand, even as their hard-fought policy decisions shaped the destiny of Europe and led to the longest sustained peace the continent would ever see.
Beyond the diplomatic wrangling, however, the Congress of Vienna served as a backdrop for the most spectacular Vanity Fair of its time. Highlighted by such celebrated figures as the elegant but incredibly vain Prince Metternich of Austria, the unflappable and devious Prince Talleyrand of France, and the volatile Tsar Alexander of Russia, as well as appearances by Ludwig van Beethoven and Emilia Bigottini, the sheer star power of the Vienna congress outshone nearly everything else in the public eye.
An early incarnation of the cult of celebrity, the congress devolved into a series of debauched parties that continually delayed the progress of peace, until word arrived that Napoleon had escaped, abruptly halting the revelry and shrouding the continent in panic once again.
Vienna, 1814 beautifully illuminates the intricate social and political intrigue of this history-defining congress–a glorified party that seemingly valued frivolity over substance but nonetheless managed to drastically reconfigure Europe’s balance of power and usher in the modern age.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
 How Europe developed a "spirit of cooperation" that remains unsurpassed May 8, 2010
Indian Prairie Public Library (Darien, IL)
After defeating Napoleon in 1814, the European powers convened in Vienna to determine the fate of Europe. The Congress of Vienna turned into the party of the century; royalty and diplomats traveled to represent their countries, but courtesans, tradesmen and others flocked to Vienna to get a piece of the pie.
Instead of being an open meeting of dignitaries, the Congress became a cesspool of backstabbing, underhanded dealings, and romantic liaisons. After six months of squabbling (accomplishing little), Europe had a bigger problem: Napoleon escaped Elba.
Read about how this seemingly unproductive conference led to the Battle of Waterloo, and how that led to a "spirit of cooperation" that remains unsurpassed.
 Vienna, 1914 October 6, 2009
Edward P. Young, Jr. (SAn Fernando Valley, CA)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I found it had too much detail the was necessary for the story. The characters are fascinating. There is current interest in the topic.
Audio version OK, if you don't mind butchery of French & German May 21, 2009
PianoGuyFromSC (Columbia, SC USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
David King's book on the Vienna Congress is decent enough, bouncing back and forth between the many personalities directly and indirectly involved in this great event.
However, I would warn you off the Audio book if you've ever studied German or French. It's obvious that the narrator has never mastered anything but his own language, and has no clue how to pronounce foreign words and names. His butchery of French is enough to make Napoleon spin in his ornate tomb. There's a cringe on every page. I was flabbergasted to read another review that talks about his "mastery of French and German," a comment obviously written by someone who knows neither language.
The dancing Congress October 14, 2008
Frank J. Konopka (Shamokin, PA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
The Congress of Vienna, which met to parcel up the European territories scrambled by Napoleon's conquests, didn't appear to do an awful lot of work, according to this well-written book. It wasn't called "The Dancing Congress" for nothing, because it appears that every night there was some type of festivity. Considering all of the frivolity involved, it's amazing that any real work was done, and yet the Europe that the Congress established resisted a universal war for almost the next 100 years. That in itself is a remarkable achievement! The book has a breezy style and is easy to digest. My one quibble, and the reason this review has only four stars, is the lack of maps that might have given a better perspective on why there were so many problems with national boundaries. Other than that, the book was a very informative read, and I enjoyed it very much.
Nothing Changes Yet Everything is Completely Different October 8, 2008
Colin J. Edwards (Naples, Florida, USA)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Vienna 1814
by David King
A Review by Colin J. Edwards
Published by Harmony Books $27.50 2008 434 pps.
"The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consist in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different." Aldous Huxley
Do not be confused by this book about the Congress of Vienna in 1814. It reads like a novel, but it is serious history as the almost 90 pages of "Notes & Sources" can testify. The style is easy: perhaps a little simplistic in places, but none-the-less an excellent read.
If your politics lean ever so slightly to the left, David King's book will drive you to distraction. It describes in detail how the privileged few, carved up Europe after Napoleon's abdication. It demonstrates the blatant greed and narcissism of Kings, Emperors and their Ministers.
We learn about the rich man's wars, but not too much about the poor man's fight. King takes us deeply into the chess game that was European politics, and we can see the mind-set that set Europe ablaze in 1914.
Well-behaved women rarely make history. Vienna 1814 confirms that in spades. I never cease to be amazed by man's inability to keep his level of concentration above his navel for more that limited periods. The future of Europe was never allowed to interfere with the latest sexual conquest. A 100 years later, nothing had changed. During cabinet meetings discussing the war in France, H.H.Asquith (Prime Minister), wrote love letters to Venitia Stanley. They were not very effective. She got engaged to one of his staff - but omitted to mention it.
There were however two notable exceptions to this broad condemnation of the `Powers that be'; and they were both English. The first was Robert Stewart - Lord Castlereagh, foreign secretary under Lord Liverpool, and the Duke of Wellington. Castlereagh did his best to get some sense out of the Congress, and was fired for his trouble. The Iron Duke took over and was fortunate that Napoleon skipped Elba and he was able to charge off to Waterloo and win the ultimate battle.
The frightening thing about this book is that nothing has changed. The Congress of Vienna was dominated by an aggressive Russia hell-bent on expansion. Replace Tsar Alexander with Mr Putin, and it is apparent that we have not progressed very far in the last 194 years. Rich man's war, poor man's fight - `twas ever thus.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
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