The Congress met on 20 October 1820 in Troppau (modern Opava) in Austrian Silesia at the behest of Tsar Alexander I of Russia.
The characteristic note of this congress was its intimate and informal nature; the determining fact at the outset was Metternich's discovery that he had no longer anything to fear from the "Jacobinism" of the Emperor Alexander.
[1] Metternich's failure to convert Castlereagh to his views was now of secondary importance; the "free" powers being in accord, it was safe to ignore the opinions of Britain and France, whose governments, whatever their goodwill, were fettered by constitutional forms.
In a series of conferences - to which the representatives of Britain and France were not admitted, on the excuse that they were only empowered to "report," not to "decide" - was drawn up the famous preliminary protocol signed by Austria, Russia and Prussia on 8 November.
While the British Government was reluctant to attack it openly, they found it difficult to answer the Opposition's claims that on a literal reading, Russia or Austria were entitled to invade England to oppose her supposed misgovernment of Ireland.