Congress of Vienna and colonies gained by Britain

As a result of the Congress of Vienna, Great Britain retained:
Malta, Heligoland ( a small archipelago in the North Sea, two hours’ sailing time from Cuxhaven at the mouth of the River Elbe),the protectorate of the Ionian Isles (the latter by a treaty signed 5 November 1815), Mauritius, Tobago and Santa Lucia from France, Ceylon and the Cape of Good Hope from Holland and Trinidad from Spain.

An advantage of having these colonies was that they made useful navy bases and were easily used for trade. Even though it had spent over £600 million on the war, Britain was given minimal advantages in the treaty and did not get any land in Europe, however it received colonial strength as it was able to trade and commerce and so, as other European countries increased their European influence and status, Britain was gaining world power.

The Treaty of Paris in 1815 and the settlement agreed at the Congress of Vienna ensured that there were no obvious winners or losers from the French Wars. Britain wanted to maintain the status quo of 1815. Britain also wanted to balance constitutional regimes against autocracies.

In 1815 more territory in Europe was controlled by autocratic rulers than by constitutionalists, therefore wherever possible, Britain encouraged the spread of constitutionalism, especially in littoral countries: Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece.

Britain depended on trade for survival. Her colonies provided raw materials and a ready market for Britain's manufactures, invisible earnings — banking and insurance — provided vast amounts of incoming cash. Britain wanted to contain France through co-operation with the other Powers. This was a priority in 1815 and was a policy that was shared by all other European nations.