vienna, congress of

A conference of European nations held in 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte. It redrew the boundaries of Europe and sought to lay the groundwork for peace. Under the conservative influence of Prince Metternich of Austria, many European territories were given to the kings and princes who had held them before the French Revolution. Although movements toward democracy in Europe were set back by these events, no major fighting occurred in Europe until the Crimean War nearly forty years later.