Verdrag van Teplitz, ter ere van Alexander I, tsaar van Rusland, Frans I, keizer van Oostenrijk en Frederik Willem III, koning van Pruisen 1813

This commemorative medal was created by Karl Lesser, likely around 1813, to mark the Treaty of Teplitz. This was a pivotal moment in European history; the leaders of Russia, Austria, and Prussia united to oppose Napoleon. The medal not only celebrates the alliance, but also signals a return to traditional hierarchies of power. On one side we see idealized portraits of the three monarchs, and on the other is an allegorical figure of European security who leans on a shield. Lesser’s medal reflects the politics of imagery at the time. The alliance was presented as a divinely ordained return to order after the chaos of the French Revolution. The medal invokes classical imagery to legitimize the power of the allied nations and to solidify the cultural narrative of the time. The historian might look at diplomatic papers, newspaper reports, and popular songs to explore the hopes and fears of Europeans as they emerged from the shadow of Napoleon. We can read an object like this as more than a simple celebration. It also encapsulates the anxieties and ambitions of a continent in transition.