Ernst Christoph von Kaunitz-Rietberg

Ernst Christoph Graf von Kaunitz-Rietberg (since 1794 prince) (born June 6, 1737 in Vienna , † May 19, 1797 ibid) was governor of Moravia , imperial court official and diplomat.

Life

He came from the Moravian noble family Kaunitz and was the first son of Wenzel Anton Kaunitz and Maria Ernestine (née von Starhemberg ). Kaunitz married Maria Leopoldine Elisabeth Princess of Oettingen-Spielberg in 1761 , a daughter of Prince Johann Aloys I of Oettingen-Spielberg . The daughter Eleonore (also called Maria Eleonore) emerged from the marriage and later married Klemens Wenzel Lothar von Metternich .

Kaunitz entered the imperial service and in 1762 became Reichshofrat . In 1763 and 1770 he was ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples . Before that he was the imperial ambassador in 1769 on the occasion of the election of Pope Clement XIV in Rome . Between 1770 and 1772 he was governor of Moravia . Afterwards he was General Court Building Director and Obersthofmarschall. He was one of Joseph II's closest personal confidants and kept him company almost every day. The emperor accepted him into the order of the Golden Fleece . After his father's death in 1794, he inherited his princely title and also became Count von Rietberg . He only held this position for a few years before his own death. His brother Dominik Andreas von Kaunitz-Rietberg became heir . Kaunitz was a great supporter and promoter of the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart .

literature

• Constantin von Wurzbach : Kaunitz-Rietberg, Ernst Christoph Graf . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 11th part. Imperial and Royal Court and State Printing Office, Vienna 1864, p. 64 ( digitized version ).

predecessor	Office	successor
Wenceslaus Anton	Count of Rietberg 1794–1797	Dominik Andreas