Prince Klemens von Metternich (1773-1859), Austrian politician and diplomat, suppressed nationalistic and democratic trends in Central Europe but was also the architect of a diplomatic system which kept Europe at peace for a century.

Contributed by Niles Holt, Professor of History, Illinois State University, Normal-Bloomington, Illinois

Pronunciation: MET-er-nik. Born in Koblenz, Germany, on May 15, 1773; died in 1859; son of a count of the Holy Roman Empire and an Austrian countess; married: Eleonore von Kaunitz, 1795 (died 1825); married: Antoinette von Leykam, 1826 (died 1829); married: Melanie Zichy-Ferraris, 1831 (died 1854); children: (first marriage) three sons and four daughters; (second marriage) one son; (third marriage) three sons and one daughter.

Today, more than 100 years after his death, Prince Klemens von Metternich remains a controversial figure. Many late 19th-century Europeans detested him as a foe of freedom and an obstructionist who tried to prevent the unification of the powerful nations of Germany and Italy. Yet Europeans in...