me and my dad were discussing central european history today and we talk a litle bit about napolenic austria and the habsburgs. he told me that austrian empire lost almost every battle but had a great political mastermind that worked the politics out that austria became the beneficiary in alot of the wars and that he crushed alot of major revolst going around in central europe. does anyone know his name and history? i think he was called metternich
Yes, you are correct in recalling that it was Klemens von Metternich. He was one of the best diplomats in the age and was vital in the creation of the Concert of Europe which created a rather peaceful age for Europe.
While I can't talk much about him, I will say that he was vital to all aspects of Austrian politics during the Napoleonic Era. From being a diplomat during the numerous peace treaties that Austria negotiated to setting up the marriage of Marie Louise to Napoleon, but nothing really came in favor of Austria until the Congress of Vienna since Austria always came short in all of the treaties that Napoleon forced upon them.
Klemens, Prince von Metternich, Austrian foreign minister from 1809 and Chancellor (= prime minister) from 1821 until his downfall in the revolution of 1848. He's credited with keeping Austria from becoming involved on France's side in the disastrous last years of the Napoleonic wars, and joining the British-Prussian-Russian alliance as it was winning. He's remembered above all for his diplomatic efforts to maintain the post-1815 settlement, notably opposing any movement toward Italian unification which would threaten Austria's holdings there. He was a skilled diplomat but was for many the embodiment of reaction.
