Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz
Count, later Prince Kaunitz; Austrian State Chancellor
"The art of politics is to make the inevitable appear to be a deliberate choice."
Biography
Kaunitz served as Austrian plenipotentiary at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748 — a humiliating assignment given that Austria lost Silesia and gained little. He drew the correct lesson: Austria could never recover Silesia without breaking the old anti-French alliance system and engineering a new one with France against Prussia. Over the next eight years he patiently built relationships in Paris, eventually producing the Diplomatic Revolution of 1756 that aligned France and Austria against Prussia — an alliance system that had seemed unthinkable a decade earlier. He served as State Chancellor under Maria Theresa and Joseph II for nearly 40 years.
Did you know?
Kaunitz was a notorious hypochondriac who refused to open windows for fear of drafts, avoided sunlight, and employed elaborate rituals around his health — yet outlived almost everyone around him, dying at 83
Key Battles
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
October 18, 1748 · 0 total casualties
Aix-la-Chapelle settled nothing fundamental. France gained no territory despite its battlefield triumphs, enraging Louis XV's court. Austria retained most of its empire but burned with desire to reclaim Silesia. The peace was widely understood as a truce. War resumed — the Seven Years' War — less than eight years later.
Life Journey
Timeline
February 2, 1711
🌅 Birth
Born in Vienna into an old Moravian noble family
1743–1744
📍 Posting
Austrian minister in the Netherlands; studies French diplomatic network
1748
📍 Posting
Represents Austria at Aix-la-Chapelle — observes the peace's fundamental instability
1750–1753
📍 Posting
Austrian Ambassador to France; patiently works toward Franco-Austrian rapprochement
June 27, 1794
✝️ Death
Dies in Vienna aged 83, having served as State Chancellor for nearly 40 years