![]() ![]() On March 13th, 1815, when the congress learned of Napoleon's return to power, they officially declared him an outlaw and began strategizing collective military action to defeat him. They worked toward restructuring boundaries, restoring peace, and balancing powers in Europe. Held in the Austrian capital from September of 1814 through June of 1815, this conference of leaders from various European states sought to resolve the political problems that the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars had created. This engraving depicts the political negotiations at the Congress of Vienna. Der grosse Wiener Friedens – Congres zur Welderherstellung von Freiheit und Recht in Europa. ![]() Retour de Bonaparte (Bonaparte's Return).These two images represent Napoleon's continued military and political aspirations, as well as the celebratory reception that he was given upon his return from exile. If the viewer held the image to the sunlight or backlit it with a candle, a crowd of adoring soldiers would appear before the emperor. Initially, this scene depicts Napoleon during his exile to Elba, alone and in full uniform, gazing across the vast and empty sea. Transformational or Protean images, which became popular in the early to mid-19th century, are scenes that are altered or transformed when illuminated from behind. Morgan's Improved Protean Scenery, Napoleon at Elba.This time period included the military engagements of the Waterloo Campaign (June 15 – July 8, 1815), a series of battles fought between the French Army of the North and the Anglo-Allied and Prussian armies, which culminated in the decisive Battle of Waterloo and the final demise of Napoleon’s reign. Within five days of Napoleon’s return, the European powers at the Congress of Vienna declared him an outlaw and committed to increasing military troops on the ground in order to end his rule once and for all. The period known as “the hundred days” marked the events that occurred between Napoleon’s return to Paris on March 20, 1815, after his exile on Elba, and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII to the throne of France on July 8, 1815. ![]()
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