Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This sequel to Zamoyski's fine Moscow 1812 (2004) shifts from military to diplomatic affairs surrounding the defeat of Napoleonic France and the disposal of its empire. Zamoyski narrates their course from 1813, when Russia's Alexander I decided to continue the war rather than settle with Napoleon, to 1815 and the latter's final Waterloo. The enigmatic personality of Alexander, a mystic, a self-regarding liberal, and a maladroit negotiator, joins Zamoyski's well-drawn portraits of the czar's chief interlocutors: Austria's Metternich, Prussia's Hardenberg, and Britain's Castlereagh. The intimacy of this cavalcade, which followed the allied armies into France, adjourned to London for a fête, and got down to brass tacks in the landmark Congress of Vienna, cues Zamoyski for the atmospheric details of travel, fashion, dances, and assignations. Zamoyski more centrally attends to the great power fundamentals of redrawing Europe's map as they played out in têtes-à-têtes among the principals and with France's crafty cynic Talleyrand. Underscoring the influence of personality on history, Zamoyski's fast-moving chronicle will enthrall the diplomacy audience. Taylor, Gilbert --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

Following Napoleon's defeat and exile in 1814, the future of the European continent hung in the balance. Eager to negotiate a lasting, workable peace, representatives of Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia—along with a host of lesser nations—gathered in Vienna for an eight-month-long political carnival, combining negotiations with balls, tournaments, picnics, artistic performances, and other sundry forms of entertainment for the thousands of assembled aristocrats. While the Congress of Vienna resulted in an unprecedented level of European stability, the price of peace would be shockingly high, with many crucial questions ultimately decided on the battlefield or in squalid roadside cottages amid the vagaries of war.

Internationally bestselling author Adam Zamoyski's Rites of Peace is a meticulously researched, masterfully told account of these extraordinary events and their profound historical consequences, featuring a cast of some of the most influential and powerful figures in history.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (June 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006077519X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060775193
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #449,601 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dividing The Loot, July 22, 2007

By	Kevin F. Kiley - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna (Hardcover)

This is a difficult book to review. On the one hand, the author explains clearly and astutely the machinations of the representatives of the Great Powers in what later became known as the Congress of Vienna. What can be confusing is made very clear. On the other hand, there are myriad errors when the author turns to military matters in the campaigns of 1813, 1814, and 1815, which are integral to understanding the period and the different war aims of the belligerents.

There is too much fluff in the book. The intricate sub-plot of who was doing what to whom, where, and how many times regarding the relationships between the main characters in the drama and their search for female companionship clouds the real issue in this volume and detracts from it. Leaving that nonsense out would have streamlined to book and made it easier to read and much more interesting. However, this is a minor flaw and is evident as a sub-plot and not the main thrust of the book.

There are a few areas of caution that readers should look out for. Unfortunately, the terms 'ogre' and 'megalomaniac' are resurrected once again to describe Napoleon, which is the result of allied propaganda during the period and especially in 1813-1815 (there was also a charge that Napoleon was guilty of 'arbitrary brutality' which had apparently shocked Alexander, who had been at least implicated in his own father's murder and who later had honored the murderers). While there is a concerted effort to understand the personalities on the allied political side of the picture, there is apparently not done for Napoleon, who was the main actor in the drama, even when he was in exile. The old pejorative stand-bys used to describe him detract from the overall value of the book.

Further, the author is too kind to both Talleyrand and Alexander. While that approach can be forgiven somewhat in Alexander's case (though he was a particide and a coward), it really cannot be in Talleyrand's case. There is too much information readily available for Talleyrand, and his treachery towards his own country and countrymen, his blatant betrayal of Napoleon and France, as well as his self-seeking that has been interpreted once again as being for his country is an inaccurate portrayal of the creature that was Talleyrand. For example, only a few lines are given to Marmont's betrayal of Napoleon in 1814, which was engineered by the slippery former French minister, and it was this betrayal that lost the chance of a regency being established for Napoleon's son, which was one of the key points the mutinous French marshals desired in Napoleon's abdication. Marmont and Talleyrand, Marmont being a mere pawn of the former bishop, ensured this would not happen and that the Bourbons would be brought back, which was Talleyrand's aim in the first place.

Conversely, the author is expert in describing the war aims and conduct of the allies in 1813-1814. Seldom has this been brought out so clearly and with the research to back it up. The poor treatment of the King of Saxony by the allies; the shocking way in which most of the states of the Confederation of the Rhine were treated by the allies; the greed of Prussia, whose vaunted 'War of Liberation' meant how much territory they 'liberated' to be gobbled up by themselves, is all brought out clearly and succinctly. This has been generally overlooked in previous works on this period and it is about time that it was brought out.

Factual errors are painfully evident. There was no last stand of the French Imerial Guard at Waterloo as the author states. Further, he states that 'Prussia...had fought alongside the French more often than against them,' a statement that cannot be historically supported. The author understates the strength of Vandamme's corps at Kulm in 1813 by at least a factor of three and maintains that Vandamme's command was destroyed at Kulm when it hadn't been the same thing happened in the author's previous volume on the Russian campaign when he pronounced the Russian artillery to be the best in Europe in 1812-that wasn't the case by a long shot). The most telling error, one which has been repeated by more than one author, is that Napoleon was unbending to allied peace overtures in 1813-1814 and that Metternich, was playing the role of mediator in 1813 as an honest broker. This is far from correct. The allies wanted Napoleon gone and this is clearly stated in Metternich's memoirs. The allies intentionally established the price of peace so high that they knew Napoleon would not accept them, and Metternich had no intention of doing anything in 1813 except aligning Austria with the allies.

These errors, however, are not fatal to the overall impact of the book. The author brings order out of chaos with his description of the machinations of the European powers when they divided the loot after the Napoleon's defeat and he pulls no punches. While the author is overly kind to Alexander, Metternich, and Talleyrand, and much too hard on Napoleon, he deftly paints a very correct picture of Prussia's designs on Germany and what the point of the Congress was. Further, he courageously points out that the Congress of Vienna probably caused more problems than it solved. While there were no general European Wars for another hundred years, there were rebellions and wars in Europe following Napoleon's downfall because the peace was not brokered fairly, but for the benefit of the great powers only.

This book is highly recommended, even though care has to be taken in places. The author's sorting out of the basket of snakes that was European power politics in 1815 is a definite accomplishment and anything by this author on the period should be taken up and read. This is a gallant, though flawed, attempt at a very difficult period and the author is to be congratulated on his effort and the product of it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The End of the Napoleonic Era, November 16, 2007

By	P.K. Ryan "The Ryan Identity" (Albany, NY USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna (Hardcover)

Adam Zamoyski's `Rites of Peace' is a thorough examination of the fall of Napoleon's empire and the subsequent reconstruction of Europe by the victorious allied powers of Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia. The Congress of Vienna, as this delegation was dubbed, was a watershed moment in European history, says Zamoyski, and one that has been largely neglected by historians ever since. Replete with extravagant soirées, hunting trips, duels, and scandalous sexual liaisons, this eight-month long negotiation served as a meeting ground for a virtual who's who of European nobility. Most prominent and influential were Talleyrand, Metternich, Tsar Alexander, Frederick William III, Castlereagh, Wellington, Humboldt, and an array of monarchs, princes, and aristocrats that are too numerous to name. Ostensibly, the goal was to bring stability and justice to the entire continent, and to a certain degree this was successful. But inevitably, all parties had their own agenda and thus Zamoyski's story is one full of intrigue and political maneuvering. The results were mixed, but the effects of the Congress of Vienna would impact the whole of Europe for some time to come.

First, I have to give credit where credit is due. Zamoyski's bibliography is huge and he clearly has done a massive amount of research for this book. This is definitely one of the most thorough and detailed histories that I have read. The negative side of this is that it is a bit too detailed, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading about all the debauchery and scandalous escapades, but Zamoyski tends to wander off into inane details that only serve to temporarily bore the reader. With that said, Zamoyski nicely utilizes many original sources, such as personal letters from Metternich to his many lovers, which successfully convey how the principal actors viewed their mission, as well as their fellow delegates. I definitely finished the book with a good feeling for the personalities and intentions of all those involved. Overall, except for a bit too much fluff, I would say this is definitely a groundbreaking and worthwhile read that shouldn't be missed. Four stars.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an exciting well researched history, August 20, 2007

By	James V. Maclean "macmel" (Lansing, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna (Hardcover)

One of the most neglected and least understood periods of the early 19th Century was the peace settlement that ending the Napoleonic wars, the Congress of Vienna. Over the years there have been few books in English on the Congress of Vienna; the most notable was The Congress of Vienna a Study in Allied Unity 1812-1822, by Harold Nicolson, a solid but rather dry work on the subject. Rites of Peace by Adam Zamoyski, is a fast pace, well written book on this fascinating topic.
So much of what we thought we knew about the congress seems to be incorrect, Alexander l takes on the same characteristic of megalomania that Napoleon suffered from between 1811-1814. Metternich, is portrayed as being far more interested in his love life then fate of Europe and so forth. A great book on a difficult and confusing topic.