Furst von Wenzel Anton Kaunitz

Wenzel Anton Kaunitz, Fürst von , 1711-94, Austrian statesman. He distinguished himself as a negotiator of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) and was (1750-53) ambassador to Paris. From 1753 until his retirement in 1792 he served the Hapsburg rulers, Maria Theresa, Joseph II, and Leopold II, as chancellor and foreign minister. Reversing 300 years of Hapsburg diplomacy, Kaunitz recognized Prussia rather than France as the chief enemy of Austria and was responsible for the coalition that led to the Seven Years War . Through Kaunitz, Austria shared in the first partition of Poland (1772). Kaunitz did not agree with all of the reforms of Joseph II, but he helped Joseph centralize the administration. Kaunitz is regarded as one of the most astute statesmen of the 18th cent.

Kaunitz, Wenzel Anton, Count von (1711–94) Austrian diplomat and statesman. As Chancellor (1753–92) he controlled foreign policy under Empress MARIA THERESA and Emperor Joseph II. He was convinced that Prussia was Austria's most dangerous enemy and his main diplomatic feat was to reverse (1756–57) long-standing European alliances, but Britain remained opposed to France and Austria stayed allied to Russia. However, when Britain formed an alliance with its former enemy, Prussia, in order to protect Hanover, Kaunitz negotiated an alliance with France, thus isolating Prussia on the Continent. Although the ambitions of FREDERICK II (the Great) were not fully checked, Kaunitz was a leading negotiator of the Treaty of Paris (1763).