The Second Treaty of Paris formally ended the Napoleonic Wars, imposing reparations and territorial reductions on France after Napoleon's final defeat.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 20 November 1815
- Indemnity imposed on France
- 700 million francs francs
- Total financial burden
- ~1.7 billion francs including interest francs
- Occupation force size
- Up to 150,000 soldiers soldiers
- Occupation duration (planned)
- 5 years (reduced to 3) years
- French borders reduced to
- Those existing on 1 January 1790
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Napoleon Bonaparte escaped exile on Elba in February 1815, returned to Paris on 20 March, and resumed power during the Hundred Days. The Seventh Coalition mobilized against him, defeating France at the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon abdicated a second time on 22 June 1815, and Louis XVIII reclaimed the throne on 8 July.
On 20 November 1815, France signed the Second Treaty of Paris with Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia. The treaty imposed 700 million francs in indemnities, reduced French borders to their 1790 extent, and mandated a Coalition occupation of up to 150,000 troops for five years at France's expense. Four additional conventions and an act confirming Swiss neutrality were signed the same day.
France bore a total financial burden approaching 1.7 billion francs, among the largest war reparations of the 19th century. The Coalition occupation, commanded by the Duke of Wellington, was deemed sufficient after three years, and foreign troops withdrew in 1818 following the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle, marking France's gradual reintegration into the European order.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
King Louis XVIII.
Side B
1 belligerent
Duke of Wellington.