The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Troppau, Congress of
(trôp´ou) (KEY) , 1820, international conference convened at the behest of Czar Alexander I of Russia under the provisions of the Quadruple Alliance. The congress, which met at Troppau in Austrian Silesia, was attended by representatives of Russia, Austria, Prussia, Great Britain, and France. Its purpose was to consider the means of suppressing the liberal uprisings against Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Ferdinand VII of Spain. No decisions were taken on the problems under consideration, which were referred to later meetings (see Laibach, Congress of, and Verona, Congress of). However, Austria, Russia, and Prussia signed a protocol (proposed by Alexander I) that threatened armed action against any revolutionary attempts to disturb the status quo. Britain and France refused to adhere to the protocol, marking the first serious weakening of the congress system.
