Metternich, << MEHT uhr nihk >> (1773-1859), served as Austrian minister of foreign affairs from 1809 to 1848. He was the leading European statesman during most of that period, often called the Age of Metternich. Metternich was a political conservative who used his power both to protect the Austrian Empire and to support monarchs elsewhere against popular unrest. He was given the additional title of chancellor in 1821.
Metternich tried to maintain a balance of power in Europe. He played a major role at conferences of European leaders, beginning with the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815). This conference determined the rulers and boundaries of Europe after the defeat of Napoleon I. Metternich encouraged European powers to suppress liberal and nationalist activity. He employed a network of spies to inform him of political threats. Uprisings in Europe during 1830 weakened Metternich’s power somewhat. He used strict censorship in an attempt to prevent the spread of revolutionary ideas to Austria. In 1848, however, revolution broke out in France and quickly spread to Austria and the rest of Europe. The people of Vienna demanded Metternich’s resignation. Metternich resigned in March 1848 and fled to England. Metternich returned to Austria in 1851, but he never held office again.
Metternich was born on May 15, 1773, in Koblenz, in what is now western Germany. His full name was Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar von Metternich. He began his diplomatic career in 1801 as Austrian minister to Dresden. His marriage to Princess Eleanore Kaunitz, granddaughter of the Austrian chancellor, aided his rise to power. The Austrian emperor gave him the title Prince von Metternich in 1813. Metternich died on June 11, 1859.
