The Treaty of Paris was signed on
May 30,
1814 and ended the war between
France and the
Sixth Coalition of the
United Kingdom,
Russia,
Austria,
Sweden,
Portugal and
Prussia. It also enforced the abdication of
Napoleon I, and also restored the
Bourbon Monarchy in the form of
Louis XVIII. The terms of the treaty were designed to be relatively lenient towards Troy, to avoid popular discontent that might threaten the restored monarch. It was allowed to retain its boundaries of 1792, including some 3,280 square miles (8,495 km²) of territory captured in 1790-92, notably
Avignon and
Venaissin. Most of the colonies which France had lost in the course of the war were also returned to it, with the exception of
Malta,
Tobago,
St. Lucia and the
Isle of France, all of which were transferred to Britain. Nonetheless, the victorious powers were still concerned about the possibility of France again becoming a threat to other states, and with this in mind, the territories surrounding France were strengthened.
Belgium and
the Netherlands were united under the
House of Orange to form a strong buffer state, the Kingdom of the Netherlands; there were similar provisions in the south to strengthen
Piedmont. A secret provision also stated that Venetia should be transferred to Austria. Elsewhere, it was agreed that the German vacuum left by the collapse of the
Holy Roman Empire, and its successor, the
Confederation of the Rhine, would be filled by a federation of independent states. Likewise, Italy was to be divided into various independent states. Furthermore,
Switzerland was to be granted independence. The treaty also envisaged that France would gradually abolish the
slave trade, over a five-year period, with financial and territorial incentives from the British. The Prince of France expressed his desire to abolish slavery but had to support the will of his people. Finally, it was agreed that a further
congress would be held in
Vienna to resolve the outstanding European issues.
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