The Holy Alliance was a military agreement concluded in 1815 between the great European monarchic powers Austria, Prussia, Great Britain and Russia, after the Congress of Vienna.
Summary
The treaty of the Holy Alliance was signed on September 26, 1815, in Paris.
The proposal for the formation came from the czar of Russia Alexander I. At the heart of the agreement was the maintenance and propagation of the "ideals of justice and the Christian faith".
The religious principles that underpinned the treaty hid the monarchs' intention to maintain absolutism as a state philosophy. Absolutism was the dominant power system in Europe.
Goals
The objectives were also to repress liberal movements that risked European balance, restoration policy and European legitimacy.
The pact was signed by Austria, Prussia, Great Britain and Russia. France adhered to the principles of the military agreement in 1818.
Among the main actions of the Holy Alliance were:
- 1819 – suffocation of the action of rebels who tried to Germany
- 1821 and 1822 – sending troops to Naples and Spain in order to fight the liberals who fought against monarchical absolutism
- Planning military actions to retake the American colonies and restore the old process of colonialism
End of the Holy Alliance
The profits obtained by Great Britain from trade with the Americas was the main obstacle to the Holy Alliance.
Interventionist actions in the Americas would hurt the agreements already signed with England, which withdrew from the alliance.
The strengthening of the United States also discouraged the continuation of military interventionist action in America. In 1823 the Monroe Doctrine was proclaimed, whose motto was "America for Americans".
The core of the doctrine, headed by the United States, was to prevent intervention by European nations in American countries under the condition of military conflict.
The intentions of the Holy Alliance were also stifled within Europe itself, with the replacement of absolutism by parliamentarism in several countries.
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna had as main purpose to restore the Ancien Régime. It also aimed to legitimize old dynasties and restore European balance after the French Revolution.
Want to know more? See:
- Congress of Vienna
- Old Regime
- French Revolution
- Monroe Doctrine
- Battle of Waterloo