ABSTRACT
The two extreme views about the makers of the 1815 settlement have both been expressed by Sir Harold Nicolson. One is that they were 'mere hucksters in the diplomatic market, bartering the happiness of millions with a scented smile'. The opposite view, which he appears to accept, is that 'they did in fact prevent a general European conflagration for a whole century of time'. A dislike of the 1815 settlement was normal among historians for so long because it was held to have ignored the great principles of Liberalism and Nationalism. The essential rightness of these two principles was taken for granted. The formula of Legitimacy loomed much larger in the conversation of Talleyrand than in the clauses of the Treaty of Vienna. The notion that Vienna was solely concerned to restore legitimate rulers breaks down after only the briefest examination.
