The chapter traces change of international order from the Peace of Westphalia to the Congress of Vienna. International order shifted from a hierarchical order upheld by courtly ceremonial and diplomatic precedence to an order based on a territorial balance of power. A quest for status from Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia animated the change. These actors were unable to enhance their standing with diplomatic precedence, and consequently they outright mocked it. Simultaneously, unrestricted by the requirements of ceremonial, they dramatically rationalized the military. While for the ancien régime powers, the Holy Roman Emperor, the French king, and the Spanish king, court culture impregnated the military, the challengers had the military infiltrate court life. The aesthetic dimensions of military innovations played as much of a role in these dynamics as the military’s functional dimensions. Britain, Prussia, and Russia became the masters of new, rationalized forms of warfare, that brought the ancien régime powers to their knees. The resulting glory for the challengers led to reforms and/or revolution in the ancien régime powers. Courtly ceremonial and diplomatic precedence lost their meaning. The Congress of Vienna bestowed it onto five great powers (defined by their military potential) to manage the balance of power.