Holy Alliance , a league formed by an agreement signed by the sovereigns of Russia, Austria, and Prussia soon after the downfall of Napoleon in 1815. Czar Alexander I of Russia, a religious fanatic, envisioned a Christian brotherhood among the rulers of the great powers, to be guided by the precepts of “justice, charity, and peace.” The Holy Alliance that he proposed had no specific aims beyond mutual assistance.
The agreement, called by Prince Metternich of Austria a “loud-sounding nothing,” was signed by the three sovereigns in September, 1815. Later, all European rulers signed it except the prince regent of Great Britain, the pope, and the sultan of Turkey. The provisions were so vague that the agreement had no effect on European diplomacy.
In November, 1815, the Quadruple, or Great, Alliance was signed by the three original members of the Holy Alliance and Great Britain. The results of this later treaty are often mistakenly attributed to the Holy Alliance.
