Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg | |
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State Chancellor of the Habsburg monarchy | |
In office 13 May 1753 – 19 August 1792 | |
Monarchs | Maria Theresa (1753–1780) Joseph II (1780–1790) Leopold II (1790–1792) Francis II (1792) |
Preceded by | Count Anton Corfiz Ulfeldt |
Succeeded by | Philipp von Cobenzl |
Personal details | |
Born | Vienna, Austria, Holy Roman Empire | 2 February 1711
Died | 27 June 1794 Vienna, Austria, Holy Roman Empire | (aged 83)
Parents |
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Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (German: Wenzel Anton Reichsfürst von Kaunitz-Rietberg, Czech: Václav Antonín z Kounic a Rietbergu; 2 February 1711 – 27 June 1794) was an Austrian and Czech diplomat and statesman in the Habsburg monarchy. A proponent of enlightened absolutism, he held the office of State Chancellor for about four decades and was responsible for the foreign policies during the reigns of Maria Theresa, Joseph II, and Leopold II. In 1764, he was elevated to the noble rank of a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (Reichfürst).