George IV (1762–1830) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1820 to his death. The eldest son of George III, he alienated his subjects with his prodigious spending and contemptuous treatment of his wife Queen Caroline, whom he refused to admit to his coronation. DS, signed “George R,” one page both sides, 8 x 12.5, December 31, 1820. George signs a warrant accepting the King of Bavaria’s agreement to the 1815 Treaty of Vienna, which redrew the map of Europe after the Napoleonic Wars. Signed at the top of the page in black ink, “George R.,” and countersigned by Robert Stewart, the Viscount Castlereagh who represented Britain at the Congress of Vienna where the treaty terms were decided. Attached to the document is a manuscript copy of the original agreement between the kings of Britain and Bavaria. The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states, and held in Vienna from November, 1814 to June, 1815. Its objective was to redraw the continent's political map and settle the many other issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. The immediate background was France's defeat and surrender in May, 1814, which brought an end to twenty-five years of almost continuous war. The negotiations continued despite a final outburst of fighting triggered by ex-Emperor Napoleon's dramatic return from exile and resumption of power in France during the Hundred Days in March-July, 1815. The Congress's "Final Act" was signed nine days before his final defeat at Waterloo on June 18, 1815. In fine condition, with expected folds. A well-preserved and historically significant document. RRAuction COA.
