Re: Act of Settlement and restoration of "Papist" government in 1815

On Aug 31, 4:06 am, Dom <DR...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

If the "Protestants" and the "Orthodox" were (and apparently continue
to be) so concerned about "Papists," how come Castlereagh, and
especially Czar Alexander I, imposed the restoration, against the will
of the people, of "Papist" government at the Congress of Vienna in
1815?

The problem with the question is that the basic premise is false. The
situation in 1815 was not the same as in 1700.

Up to 1700 the popes were the undoubted enemy of England. Papists had
attempted to murder both Elizabeth I and James I, and William of
Orange had been assassinated on the direct orders of the pope. The
openly Catholic king James II had been deposed after imprisoning seven
Anglican bishops.

The French Revolution had changed everything. Millions had died,
victims of Libertie, Fraternitie, et Egalitie. Pope VI was deposed and
died a prisoner of the French.

For Britain, France was now the enemy, not the pope. All the laws
oppressing Catholics were repealed, by successive Acts of Parliament:
Papists Act 1778, Roman Catholic Relief Act 1791, Catholic Relief Act
1829, Irish Church Disestablishment Act 1869, Ecclesiastical Titles
Act 1871, and various others.

The success of the Congress of Vienna was that it brought comparative
peace to Europe for a century. The tragedy for Europe was that the
victors in 1918 were unable to find an equally successful settlement.

.