Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz
Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz (1711-1794) was a prominent Austrian statesman and diplomat, known for his influential role during the reign of Empress Maria Theresa. Born into a politically active family in Moravia, Kaunitz was educated under strict Protestant ideals that emphasized discipline and emotional restraint. He began his career in the ecclesiastical office but eventually shifted to secular diplomacy, quickly gaining recognition for his skills in international relations. Kaunitz served as Austria's minister to Sardinia and later became a chief diplomat at key events such as the Aachen Peace Congress and the Treaty of Versailles.
He was instrumental in forming alliances that sought to counter Prussia's rising power and played a critical role in the first partition of Poland. Despite his successes, Kaunitz faced challenges, particularly during the turbulent times of the Seven Years' War and the French Revolution, which ultimately undermined his diplomatic achievements. As an "enlightened absolutist," he was both well-educated and resolute, yet his rigid approach sometimes hampered his effectiveness in a changing political landscape. His career concluded with his resignation in 1792, and he passed away less than two years later, leaving behind a complex legacy as a key figure in 18th-century European diplomacy.
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Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz
Austrian state chancellor (1753-1792)
- Born: February 2, 1711
- Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
- Died: June 27, 1794
- Place of death: Vienna, Austria
Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz served Austrian empress Maria Theresa in various diplomatic and governmental posts from 1740 until 1780, when she was succeeded by her son, Joseph II, with whom Kaunitz often had strained relations. He continued to serve the government under Emperor Leopold II and Emperor Francis II before retiring in 1792.
Early Life
Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz (VEHNT-suhl AHN-tohn fawn KOW-nihts) was the son of a family that for generations had held political posts in Moravia. His father, Maximilian Ulrich von Kaunitz (1679-1746), carried out several diplomatic missions for the government and, from 1720 until the year of his death, served as governor of Moravia. He was an authoritarian leader who saw to it that Moravia functioned as an orderly police state.
Wenzel was Maximilian’s sixth child and second son, born into a family that produced a total of sixteen children, eleven of whom survived infancy. Wenzel, however, was the only son to live a normal life span. Maximilian appreciated Wenzel’s intelligence and admired the self-discipline that made him a fine student. The boy was educated according to Protestant pedagogical theories that emphasized hard work directed at well-defined goals and suppression of one’s emotions.
Because the Kaunitz family was hard pressed financially, young Wenzel learned frugality. Maximilian discouraged maternal—indeed, any female—influences in the raising of his sons. In order to alleviate the family’s economic woes, Maximilian directed his sons toward ecclesiastical careers, in which their sinecures, called prebends, would assure their futures.
Before Wenzel turned fourteen, the age recognized by the church as the age of consent, he was granted a prebend in the cathedral chapter of Münster. Although the boy showed little inclination toward religion, the prebend, once granted, became the property of one’s family, so Wenzel, if he wished, could pass it on to one of his brothers. Thus, he felt that he could not refuse the prebend so long as his brothers lacked financial security. When all of his brothers died before reaching maturity, however, this consideration disappeared, and Wenzel renounced the position of canon.
For the next decade, Wenzel pursued a secular vocation. In 1731 and 1732, he attended the University of Leipzig, accompanied by his erstwhile tutor, Johann Friedrich Schwanau, who directed his curriculum in German grammar, German history, rhetoric, Latin, music, classics, and, most important, public and private law. Kaunitz subsequently traveled extensively in Europe then returned to Vienna, where he was presented at court. On April 22, 1736, he married Maria Ernestine Starhemburg, who produced seven children. After holding minor posts in local government, in 1740, at age twenty-nine, Kaunitz joined the Austrian foreign service. In 1742, he became Austria’s minister to Sardinia.
Life’s Work
Through his association with Sardinia’s king, Charles Emmanuel III, Kaunitz quickly learned about diplomacy and about corruption in both Sardinia and Turin. His talents had already come to the attention of Empress Maria Theresa in 1740, when she had sent him to Turin and Rome as a special envoy. It was his great success as special envoy that led the empress to appoint him as minister to Sardinia in 1742. Unable to finance a move to Sardinia, Kaunitz initially declined the appointment, but Maria Theresa finally made it possible for him to accept it by granting him a generous loan. This marked the beginning of an illustrious career for Kaunitz in the service of the Habsburgs.
Kaunitz was sent to the Netherlands as chief minister to Charles of Lorraine and Maria Anne, the empress’s sister. His next diplomatic foray was as a representative of Austria at the Aachen Peace Congress of 1748. At this meeting, because of his dislike of Prussia, he implemented plans to negate Europe’s established system of alliances. He sought to nullify Austria’s alliances with England and the United Provinces because they favored Prussia. He wished to ally the Habsburg Dynasty with France and Russia instead.
Maria Theresa sent Kaunitz to France as the Austrian ambassador, but he failed to bring about the kind of alliance most desirable for Austria. Nevertheless, he returned to Vienna and, in 1753, was appointed head of the Austrian State Chancery. In this position, he tried to implement the kind of alliance he had proposed earlier. In 1756, Austria and France signed a treaty at Versailles, which the Russians entered into in 1757. This marked Kaunitz’s greatest diplomatic victory. The treaty succeeded in cutting Prussia off from the rest of Europe and in enhancing Austria’s position in European politics. It was not enough, however, to forestall the Seven Years’ War waged by Prussia’s King Frederick the Great.
Kaunitz began to involve himself in domestic affairs, while maintaining his foreign affairs portfolio as well. In 1760, he reorganized and consolidated the activities of many Habsburg governmental agencies. In 1763, he entered into the Treaty of Paris, thereby ending the Seven Years’ War in a way that best saved face for Austria and its allies. The following year, partly in recognition of his contributions to Austrian security, Maria Theresa named him Fürst (prince) von Kaunitz-Rietberg, the highest honor the Habsburgs could bestow.
With the death of Maria Theresa’s husband, Francis I, in 1765, Kaunitz became increasingly important to the empress, who sought his guidance in reaching important political decisions. In 1772, he helped to bring about the first partition of Poland. Facing the harsh reality of Prussia’s strength, he tried to overcome his earlier reservations and worked toward achieving diplomatic solutions to Austria’s problems with Prussia.
Maria Theresa’s son, Joseph II, served with her as coregent until 1780, when Joseph II was crowned emperor. The son was much more an aggressive activist than his mother. The two often disagreed, and Kaunitz frequently served as mediator between them. His relationship with Joseph was difficult, and Joseph severely curtailed Kaunitz’s ministerial powers. The aging minister, feeling humiliated and unappreciated, continued nevertheless to serve.
The French Revolution destroyed the system of alliances for which Kaunitz was largely responsible. Emperor Leopold II, whom Kaunitz also served, responded by moving toward closer ties with Prussia, much to Kaunitz’s distress. Finally, while serving under Emperor Francis II, a disenchanted Kaunitz resigned from public office on August 9, 1792. He died less than two years afterward.
Significance
Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz was an accomplished statesman. Even when his diplomatic missions failed, he refocused on the tasks ahead and worked productively toward achieving them. Kaunitz was never a “team player.” He was a hard-working eccentric who set goals and worked tirelessly to achieve them. He was vain, although when he had the full support of Maria Theresa, his vanity presented no problems for him.
After her husband’s death, when Maria Theresa most needed a confidante with whom she could openly discuss delicate matters of state, she turned to Kaunitz, realizing that confidences she shared with him would remain confidential. As a major representative of the Habsburgs, Kauntiz was able to form alliances that strengthened Europe, although not all of them survived the turbulent years of the Seven Years’ War and the French Revolution.
The term “enlightened absolutist” has been applied quite aptly to Kaunitz. He was certainly an enlightened, well-educated man, schooled at the University of Leipzig, which was probably the best university for legal studies in Germany. He was intelligent and assiduous in his work and study habits. On the other hand, Kaunitz was raised in an absolutist atmosphere by a father who encouraged him to quash his emotions and proceed diligently on an undeviating course. Kaunitz’s absolutism sometimes worked to his advantage and was considered resoluteness, but in his diplomatic ventures, he could be perceived as unbending and difficult to deal with.
When Maria Theresa’s reign ended, her successors found Kaunitz’s absolutism untenable and simply pushed this once-venerated diplomat into the background. Kaunitz, following a productive life, died a broken man.
Bibliography
Beales, Derek. Joseph II: In the Shadow of Maria Theresa, 1741-1780. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987. Beales presents a wealth of material about Joseph’s relationship with Kaunitz, demonstrating how the seeds of dissension between the two were sown early.
Blanning, T. C. W. Joseph II. New York: Longman, 1994. This slim volume delves into the Joseph-Kaunitz relationship in the years after Joseph became emperor in 1780. Shows how Joseph’s attempts at censorship often ran counter to Kaunitz’s beliefs.
Kann, Robert A. A History of the Hapsburg Empire, 1526-1918. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1992. Kann offers insights into how Joseph II disliked the Jesuits and used Kaunitz to work behind the scenes against them.
Roider, Karl A., ed. Maria Theresa. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1973. Chapter 3 on foreign affairs provides interesting insights into the empress’s relationship with Kaunitz and into his role in the partition of Poland. Other information about Kaunitz pervades the book.
Szabo, Franz A. J. Kaunitz and Enlightened Absolutism, 1753-1780. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994. This well-researched book is the most important resource in print on the life and political activities of this influential Austrian. The material is well presented and insightful.