Leo von Thun and Hohenstein

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Leopold Graf von Thun und Hohenstein (called Leo von Thun-Hohenstein ; * April 7, 1811 in Tetschen , † December 17, 1888 in Vienna ) was an Austrian politician and author. He was one of the fathers of political Catholicism. His parents were Franz Anton Graf von Thun and Hohenstein (October 3, 1786 - January 18, 1873 in Tetschen) and Theresia Maria von Brühl (November 8, 1784 in Pförten - March 8, 1844 in Prague)

Leo Graf Thun, lithograph by Josef Kriehuber , 1850
Leo Graf Thun-Hohenstein, portrayed by August Eisenmenger (1882)

Life

After studying law at Charles University in Prague , von Thun entered the civil service in 1836 and initially worked at the Prague Criminal Court , and later at various departments of the United Court Chancellery . In 1848 he was appointed Gubernial President of Bohemia and in 1849 he was appointed Austrian Minister for Cultus and Education .

During his tenure, which lasted until 1860, von Thun reformed the Austrian education system. The basis for this was provided by Franz Serafin Exner's suggestions . He introduced university autonomy in Austria and restructured the Vienna Academy of Sciences . His educational policy was characterized by tolerance. Scientists of Protestant or Jewish denominations were given license to teach at universities and well-known foreign scholars were called to the country. The Evangelical Theological Institute was given the status of a faculty, and the Institute for Austrian Historical Research was converted into a modern training center based on the model of the École nationale des chartes .

Thun was one of the fathers of the Concordat of 1855, which gave the Catholic Church extensive powers of the state. In 1857 he became an honorary citizen of Innsbruck . As chairman of the Catholic Conservatives, he worked unsuccessfully from 1860 onwards for the creation of a federal Austrian state with extensive autonomy of the individual states. Between 1865 and 1888 he was responsible for the publication of the magazine Das Vaterland .

From 1861 until his death Leo von Thun-Hohenstein was a hereditary member of the Austrian manor house and was the spokesman for the Catholics. Between 1861 and 1867, 1870 and 1871, and from 1883 to 1888, he was a member of the Bohemian state parliament , where from 1883 he belonged to the Czech autonomous faction.

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personal data
SURNAME Thun and Hohenstein, Leo von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Thun-Hohenstein, Count Leopold von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bohemian-Austrian politician
DATE OF BIRTH April 7, 1811
PLACE OF BIRTH Tetschen
DATE OF DEATH December 17, 1888
Place of death Vienna