How did the Congress of Vienna treat France after Napoleon's first defeat?

Following Napoleon’s first abdication in 1814, the victorious Allies treated France with notable leniency, aiming to stabilize the restored Bourbon monarchy rather than punish the nation. Under the first Treaty of Paris, France was permitted to retain its borders as they existed on January 1, 1792, allowing it to keep several enclaves annexed during the early French Revolution.1

France was also restored the majority of its foreign colonies, though it ceded specific territories—including Tobago, Saint Lucia, and the Île-de-France—to Great Britain.1

As the Congress of Vienna progressed, France’s representative, Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, successfully navigated the negotiations to ensure France was admitted to the committee of major powers. While the Congress eventually sought to contain potential future French aggression by strengthening neighboring states—such as the creation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and expanding Prussian territory along the Rhine—the initial settlement remained largely generous compared to the harsher terms imposed after Napoleon's return during the Hundred Days.231