In the eighteenth century, it became the norm for the

Archduke of Austria This is a list of people who have ruled either the Margraviate of Austria, the Duchy of Austria or the Archduchy of Austria. From 976 until 1246, the margraviate and its successor, the duchy, was ruled by the House of Babenberg. At that time, t ...

, who was lord of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

by inheritance, to appoint a diplomat with the rank of

minister plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under th ...

to represent his interests at the court of the

governor-general of the Netherlands The governor ( nl, landvoogd) or governor-general () of the Habsburg Netherlands was a representative appointed by the Holy Roman emperor (1504-1556), the king of Spain (1556-1598, 1621-1706), and the archduke of Austria (1716-1794), to administer ...

in Brussels. The minister plenipotentiary served as an intermediary between the courts of Vienna and Brussels and as a check on the development of any independent policy in the latter. The post of governor was gradually reduced to a primarily ceremonial function—especially during the tenure of the first Cobenzl—and the minister plenipotentiary became the ''de facto'' supreme authority in the Netherlands. *1716 L. C. von Königsegg *1716–1724 Hercule-Louis Turinetti *1725

Wirich Philipp von Daun Count Wirich Philipp von Daun (19 October 1669 – 30 July 1741) was an Austrian Field Marshal of the Imperial Army in the War of Spanish Succession, and father of the better known Leopold Josef Graf Daun. In 1710 he was created Prince of Teano. B ...

(''ad interim'') *1726–1732 Giulio Visconti Borromeo Arese *1732–1741

Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau Count Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau, (Vienna, 8 June 1696 – Vienna, 4 June 1749), was plenipotentiary minister of the Austrian Netherlands (1732–1741) and became Governor-General ''ad interim'' in 1741–1744. He was also High Chan ...

*1743–1744

Karl Ferdinand von Königsegg-Erps Count Karl Ferdinand von Königsegg-Erps (November 1, 1696 - Vienna, December 20, 1759) was an administrator and diplomat in Habsburg service. Biography He was the firstborn son of Imperial Chamberlain Count Albert zu Königsegg-Rothenfels and Co ...

*1744–1746 Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz-Rietberg *1748–1749

Károly Batthyány Károly is a very common Hungarian male given name. It is also sometimes found as a Hungarian surname. The origin of this name is the Turkic Karul, which means hawk. Nowadays Károly is considered the equivalent of English Karl or Charles (because ...

*1749–1753

Antoniotto Botta Adorno Antoniotto Botta Adorno. Antoniotto Botta Adorno, also Anton Otto Marchese Botta d'Adorno (Castelletto di Branduzzo, 1688 - Torre d'Isola, 29 December 1774) was a high officer of the Habsburg monarchy and a plenipotentiary of the Austrian Netherla ...

*1753–1770

Johann Karl Philipp von Cobenzl Johann Karl Philipp, Graf von Cobenzl (21 July 1712 in Laibach (now Ljubljana) – 27 January 1770 in Brussels) was an 18th-century politician in the Habsburg monarchy. He was minister plenipotentiary of the Austrian Netherlands in Brussels u ...

*1770–1783

Georg Adam von Starhemberg Johann Georg Adam Graf von Starhemberg, since 1765 Fürst von Starhemberg (''prince of Starhemberg'') (10 August 1724 in London – 19 April 1807 in Vienna) was an Austrian diplomat, minister, chief chamberlain and close confidant of Empress ...

*1783–1787 Ludovico di Belgiojoso *1787 Joseph Jacob Murray (''ad interim'') *1787–1789

Ferdinand von Trauttmansdorff Prince Ferdinand von Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg (1749–1827) was an Austrian diplomat and statesman. From 1787 to 1789 he was Minister plenipotentiary of the Austrian Netherlands, ruling on behalf of Emperor Joseph II. By birth he was a member of ...

*1789–1790

Philipp von Cobenzl Johann Philipp, Graf von Cobenzl (28 May 1741 – 30 August 1810) was a statesman of the Habsburg monarchy and the Austrian Empire. Life Cobenzl was born in Ljubljana, Carniola, the son of treasurer Count Guidobald von Cobenzl (1716–1797) and h ...

*1790–1791 Florimond de Mercy-Argenteau *1791–1794

Franz Georg Karl von Metternich Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see Fran ...

Notes

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Plenipotentiaries 18th century in the Habsburg Monarchy Politicians of the Austrian Netherlands