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Europe in 1815 after the Congress of Vienna
A map illustrating the dynamic borders in Europe following the Congress of Vienna (held between September 1814 and June 1815) aiming to balance power between the nations victorious over Napoleon: Russia, Great Britain, France, Austria, and Prussia. Royals and diplomats from over 200 states, provinces, and cities gathered in the Austrian capital to restore the territorial order of pre-Napoleonic Europe (a new configuration of German states, the reorganization of Central Europe, the borders of Central Italy, and territorial transfers in Scandinavia) but also to defuse and resolve existing and potential new conflicts between the powers through diplomacy. Amid all the negotiations, Napoleon escaped from exile, re-occupied the throne of France, and started the adventure known as the Hundred Days ending with his decisive defeat at Waterloo just nine days after the Final Act of the Congress of Vienna was signed.