Editing Klemens von Metternich (section)

====As a coalition partner====
[[File:Declaration of victory after the Battle of Leipzig, 1813 (by Johann Peter Krafft).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Karl von Schwarzenberg and the three allied monarchs after the [[Battle of Leipzig]], 1813 (''[[The Declaration of Victory After the Battle of Leipzig]]'' by [[Johann Peter Krafft]])]]

Austria's allies saw the declaration as an admission that Austria's diplomatic ambitions had failed, but Metternich viewed it as one move in a much longer campaign.<ref name="palmer103">{{harvnb|Palmer|1972|pp=103–107}}</ref> For the rest of the war he strove to hold the Coalition together and, as such, to curb Russian momentum in Europe. To this end he won an early victory as an Austrian general, the [[Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg|Prince of Schwarzenberg]], was confirmed supreme commander of the Coalition forces rather than [[Tsar Alexander I]]. He also succeeded in getting the three allied monarchs (Alexander, Francis and Prussia's [[Frederick William III]]) to follow him and their armies on campaign. With the [[Treaty of Töplitz]], Metternich allowed Austria to remain uncommitted over the future of France, Italy, and Poland. He was still confined, however, by the British, who were subsidizing Prussia and Russia (in September Metternich requested subsidies for Austria as well).<ref name="palmer103"/> Meanwhile, the Coalition forces took the offensive.<ref name="palmer103"/> On 18 October 1813 Metternich witnessed the successful [[Battle of Leipzig]] and, two days later, he was rewarded for his "wise direction" with the rank of prince ({{langx|de|[[Fürst]]|links=no}}).<ref name="sauvignyxiii"/> Metternich was delighted when Frankfurt was retaken in early November and, in particular, by the deference the Tsar showed Francis at a ceremony organised there by Metternich. Diplomatically, with the war drawing to a close, he remained determined to prevent the creation of a strong, unified German state, even offering Napoleon generous terms in order to retain him as a counterweight. On 2 December 1813 Napoleon agreed to talk, though these talks were delayed by the need for the participation of a more senior British diplomat, ([[Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry|Viscount Castlereagh]]).<ref name="palmer103"/>

Before talks could begin, Coalition armies crossed the [[Rhine]] on 22 December. Metternich retired from Frankfurt to [[Breisgau]] to celebrate Christmas with his wife's family before travelling to the new Coalition headquarters at [[Basel]] in January 1814. Quarrels with Tsar Alexander, particularly over the fate of France<ref group="nb">At this time, the Russians favoured a new monarchy under [[Charles XIV John of Sweden|Jean Bernadotte]], while Austria favoured keeping the Bonaparte-Habsburg dynasty, if not under Napoleon himself {{harv|Palmer|1972|p=112}}.</ref> This rivalry intensified in January, prompting Alexander to storm out. He therefore missed the arrival of Castlereagh in mid-January.<ref name="palmer107">{{harvnb|Palmer|1972|pp=107–117}}</ref> Metternich and Castlereagh formed a good working relationship and then met with Alexander at [[Langres]]. The Tsar remained unaccommodating however, demanding a push into the centre of France; but he was too preoccupied to object to Metternich's other ideas, like a final peace conference in Vienna. Metternich did not attend talks with the French at [[Châtillon, Hauts-de-Seine|Châtillon]], as he wanted to stay with Alexander. The talks stalled, and, after a brief advance, Coalition forces had to retreat after the [[Battle of Montmirail]] and [[Battle of Montereau]]. This relieved Metternich's fears that an overconfident Alexander might act unilaterally.<ref name="palmer107"/>

{{rquote|right|You have no idea what sufferings the people at headquarters impose upon us! I cannot stand it much longer and the Emperor Francis is already ill. [The other leaders] are all mad and belong in the lunatic asylum.|Metternich to Stadion {{harv|Palmer|1972|p=116}}}}

Metternich continued negotiations with the French envoy Caulaincourt through early to mid March 1814, when victory at the [[Battle of Laon]] put the Coalition back on the offensive. By this time Metternich was tiring of trying to hold the Coalition together, and even the British-engineered [[Treaty of Chaumont]] did not help.<ref name="palmer107"/> In the absence of the Prussians and Russians the Coalition agreed to the restoration of the [[Bourbon dynasty]].<ref name="palmer107"/><ref name="ford257"/> Francis rejected a final plea from Napoleon that he would abdicate in favour of his [[Napoleon II|son]] with Marie Louise as regent, and Paris fell on 30 March. Military manoeuvres had forced Metternich westward to [[Dijon]] on 24 March and now, after a deliberate delay, he left for the French capital on 7 April.<ref name="palmer107"/> On 10 April he found a city at peace and, much to his annoyance, largely in the control of Tsar Alexander. The Austrians disliked the terms of the [[Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814)|Treaty of Fontainebleau]] that Russia had imposed on Napoleon in their absence, but Metternich was reluctant to oppose them and on 11 April signed the treaty. Thereafter he focused on safeguarding Austrian interests in the forthcoming peace; asserting Austria's influence in Germany over that of Prussia; and undoing Russian ascendancy. For these reasons he ensured that the Italian provinces of Lombardy and Venetia, [[Peace of Pressburg (1805)|lost to French client states in 1805]], were duly re-annexed as the [[Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia]].<ref name="palmer118">{{harvnb|Palmer|1972|pp=118–123}}</ref>

On the division of formerly French-occupied Poland and Germany, Metternich was more confined by the interests of the Allies. After two failed proposals, advanced by the Prussians, the issue was postponed until after a peace treaty had been signed.<ref name="palmer123"/> Elsewhere, Metternich, like many of his counterparts, was anxious to provide the renewed French monarchy with the resources to maintain control. The generous [[Treaty of Paris (1814)|Treaty of Paris]] was signed on 30 May.<ref name="ford257">{{harvnb|Ford|1971|p=257}}</ref> Now free, Metternich accompanied Tsar Alexander to England; Wilhelmine, who had followed Metternich to Paris, also made the crossing.<ref name="palmer123"/> A triumphant Metternich filled his four weeks with revelry, re-establishing his reputation and that of Austria; he was also awarded an honorary law degree from the [[University of Oxford]]. By contrast and to Metternich's pleasure, Alexander was ill-mannered and often insulting. Despite the opportunities, little diplomacy took place; instead, all that was firmly agreed was that proper discussions would take place at Vienna, with a date tentatively set for 15 August. When the Tsar tried to postpone it to October Metternich agreed but effected conditions that prevented Alexander from exercising any advantage due to his de facto control of Poland. Metternich was eventually reunited with his family in Austria in the middle of July 1814, having stopped for a week in France to soothe fears surrounding Napoleon's wife Marie Louise, now the [[Duchy of Parma and Piacenza|Duchess of Parma]]. His return to Vienna was celebrated by an occasional cantata that included the line "History holds thee up to posterity as a model among great men".<ref name="palmer123">{{harvnb|Palmer|1972|pp=123–129}}</ref>