Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book shows how in the early 1800s the principle of freedom of navigation of international rivers emerged as a moral appeal and an international legal practice under French hegemony. It explains that before and during the Congress of Vienna in 1815 the Great Powers emphasised the significance of freely navigable rivers for European prosperity and lasting peace. The book focuses on the initial phase of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine in Mainz. It also shows that after the rules and regulations for the Rhine regime had been established, the Commission was confronted with the problem that keeping the river safe for navigation required a continuous flow of reliable, standardised, and up-to-date information on the geophysical character and the navigable conditions of the Rhine.