The Allied sovereigns' visit to England occurred in June 1814 to celebrate the peace following the defeat of France and abdication of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

in April 1814. The sovereigns and generals of the Coalition Allies – comprising

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

, and a number of German States – took part in a state visit and various peace celebrations in London before progressing to the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...

later that year.

Official dignitaries

A number of nobles, sovereigns and dignitaries attended the celebrations. These included Tsar Alexander of Russia (who stayed with his sister, the Grand Duchess of Oldenburg at the Pulteney Hotel in Piccadilly); King

Frederick William III Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...

of Prussia; Prince Metternich, Chancellor of the Austrian Empire; Field Marshal Blücher, Prince Hardenberg, the Chancellor of Prussia; General Yorck; General Bülow; Count Barclay de Tolly.

Events

Boarding the Duke of Clarence's flagship the ''Impregnable'' in Boulogne on 6 June 1814, they crossed to Dover, where they were officially welcomed, with a guard of honour provided by the soldiers of the famous

Light Division The Light Division was a light infantry division of the British Army. Its origins lay in "Light Companies" formed during the late 18th century, to move at speed over inhospitable terrain and protect a main force with skirmishing tactics. Thes ...

- the 43rd, 52nd and 95th Regiments.Bryant, p. 101 They arrived in London on the afternoon of 7 June. Various entertainments, parades and ceremonies were undertaken, including Tsar Alexander's

levee A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually earthen and that often runs parallel to the course of a river in its floodplain or along low-lying coastli ...

on 8 June, at the house of the

Duke of Cumberland Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British Royal Family, named after the historic county of Cumberland. History The Earldom of Cumberland, created in 1525, became extinct in 1643. The dukedom ...

, followed by the Queen's court at the palace in the evening. On 9 June, court was held at

Carlton House Carlton House was a mansion in Westminster, best known as the town residence of King George IV. It faced the south side of Pall Mall, and its gardens abutted St James's Park in the St James's district of London. The location of the house, no ...

, followed by a ceremony where the Emperor of Russia, the

Earl of Liverpool Earl of Liverpool is a title that has been created twice in British history. The first time was in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1796 for Charles Jenkinson, 1st Baron Hawkesbury, a favourite of King George III (see Jenkinson baronets for ...

, and

Viscount Castlereagh A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judici ...

were admitted as Knights of the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the Georg ...

. The 10 June saw the monarchs attend the races at Ascot. Over the course of the next few days, they visited Oxford – where Tsar Alexander, King Frederick William and Marshal Blucher received honorary degreesAlison p. 244 – Woolwich Royal Arsenal, and a City of London banquet at the Guildhall on 18 June. One event alone cost £25,000.Londonderry, p. 331 On 22 June they attended a naval review at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...

with the Prince Regent before embarking for the Continent.

Notes

References

* Alison, Sir Archibald; (1860) ''History of Europe from the commencement of the French Revolution to the restoration of the Bourbons in 1815'', London: W Blackwood, availabl
online
* Bryant, Arthur; (1950) ''The Age of Elegance: 1812-1822'', London: Collins * Londonderry, Marquis of; (1830) ''Narrative of the war in Germany and France, in 1813 and 1814'', London: H. Coburn and R. Bentley, availabl
online
*Alexander Rich, Gisela Gledhill, and Dr. Jerzy Kierkuć-Bieliński; (2014) ''Peace Breaks Out! London and Paris in the Summer of 1814'', London: Sir John Soane's Museum, i
print
{Dead link, date=October 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Napoleonic Wars Regency London Diplomatic visits by heads of state Diplomatic visits to the United Kingdom Events in London 1814 in international relations 1814 in the United Kingdom Portsmouth History of Dover, Kent Military history of Dover, Kent Government of the Russian Empire 1814 in Prussia Austrian Empire 1814 in the Austrian Empire 1814 in the Russian Empire 1814 in Sweden 1814 in Germany 1814 in England Royal visits June 1814 events

Official dignitaries

Events

See also

Notes

References