LAIBACH, CONGRESS OR CONFERENCE OF. Before the break-up of the conference at Troppau (q.v.), which had been summoned to take counsel on the situation created by the military revolution in Naples, the Powers had decided to adjourn the meeting until the following January, and to invite the king of Naples to attend, Laibach being chosen as the place of assembly. Here the adjourned conference opened on Jan. 26, 1821, the emperors of Austria and Russia being present in person, together with Ferdinand of Naples and the duke of Modena. Al most the first act of Ferdinand on his arrival was to repudiate his oath to the constitution ; Naples thereupon declared war and was presently occupied by Austrian troops, who also invaded Pied mont and suppressed the military revolt which had broken out on March I o. This was approved by the conference ; but a serious difference arose between Great Britain and the autocratic Powers as to the principle justifying these interventions, the former hold ing that it was solely the affair of Austria (justified in the case of Naples by the terms of the treaty of 1813 with King Ferdinand, and in that of Piedmont by the right of vicinage), while Russia, Austria and Prussia issued a declaration which in effect repeated the claim (formulated in the Troppau Protocol) of the European Alliance to intervene anywhere in order to suppress revolution.
The consequent protest of Lord Stewart, on behalf of Great Britain, marked the first beginnings of the cleavage between the autocratic Powers and France and England.
It was at Laibach that, on March 19, the Emperor Alexander received the news of Ypsilanti's invasion of the Danubian prin cipalities, which heralded the outbreak of the War of the Greek Independence and from Laibach Capo d'Istria addressed to the Greek leader the tsar's repudiation of his action. The conference closed on May 12.
See W. Alison Phillips, The Confederation of Europe (2nd ed., 1919).