Metternich cover art

Metternich

Strategist and Visionary

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Metternich

By: Wolfram Siemann, Daniel Steuer - translator
Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
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About this listen

Metternich has a reputation as the epitome of reactionary conservatism. Historians treat him as the archenemy of progress, a ruthless aristocrat who used his power as the dominant European statesman of the first half of the nineteenth century to stifle liberalism, suppress national independence, and oppose the dreams of social change that inspired the revolutionaries of 1848. Wolfram Siemann paints a fundamentally new image of the man who shaped Europe for over four decades. He reveals Metternich as more modern and his career much more forward-looking than we have ever recognized.

Clemens von Metternich emerged from the horrors of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, Siemann shows, committed above all to the preservation of peace. That often required him, as the Austrian Empire's foreign minister and chancellor, to back authority. He was, as Henry Kissinger has observed, the father of realpolitik. But short of compromising on his overarching goal Metternich aimed to accommodate liberalism and nationalism as much as possible. Siemann draws on previously unexamined archives to bring this multilayered and dazzling man to life.

©2019 the President and Fellows of Harvard College (P)2022 Tantor Europe Historical Politicians Politics & Activism Politics & Government World Colonial Period Military Hungary

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All stars
Most relevant  
The history of Europe has, for me, just “been there”. This book has expanded my understanding of what came before and how todays future is and will continue to be influenced by it.

Enlightening

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Mastery if both genre and content, this book guides you through one of the most facinating periods of history. Offering analysis, revelation and context, in a well written way

This is the golden standard of biographical writing

A masterpiece

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Well read by the narrator of a fascinating man in a fascinating epoch. Good pronunciation of various names and places

Great listen

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This is something of a reappraisal of Metternich, who does not come across as the arch-reactionary that we may be familiar with, but rather someone looking for stability in turbulent times. It’s certainly an informative listen for those interested in the period.

In Defence of Metternich

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If you are looking for a light humorous read, this may not be the book for you. If however you want to a fresh history of the early 19th century via the life of C.W. Metternich then this is the book. It is a long read, but you will find yourself making time for it. I must salute the narrator, he had some serious linguistic hurdles to overcome.

The author has thankfully used his access to the private papers to not only give us Metternich's story but fresh insight via his conversations with Napoleon, Castlereagh etc. His "infamous" private llife also gets a mention, between his wives and mistresses. A welcome approach is that these women are seen through the roll they played, essentially as intellects he could discuss matters with and also people who acted as diplomatic, as we might call, back-channels.

His relationship with his daughter, his reliance on her inputs and opinions and the impact of her death are nicely explored.

The author assumes the reader has an understanding of European history and in order to make the book readable does not dwell in areas where he has nothing new to add.

The author uses the book to refocus our general view of Metternich, overcoming what were essentially biases and lack of access to the key documents.

Personal Detail

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in the first pages, the author claims that they do not view Metternich as a hero. It is a good thing that they state this so clearly, as the rest of book would lead you to believe that the author has a shrine to the Prince in their bedroom.

A Hagiography of Metternich

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