Richard Klemens Josef Lothar Hermann, 2nd Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: ''Richard Klemens, Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein''; 7 January 1829 – 1 March 1895), usually known as Richard von Metternich, was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

and the eldest surviving son of the diplomat Klemens, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein.

Early life

Richard Metternich was born into the

House of Metternich The House of Metternich is an old German noble family originating in the Rhineland. The most prominent member was Prince Klemens von Metternich, who was the dominant figure at the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815). As a former reigning house ( me ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

on 7 January 1829. He was the eldest surviving son of

Klemens von Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ; german: Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich or Prince Metternic ...

and his second wife, Baroness Maria Antonia von Leykam (1806–1829). His father, who was previously married to Countess Eleonore von Kaunitz, had served as

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

and

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

. His paternal grandparents were Franz George Karl Count Metternich- Winneburg zu Beilstein, a diplomat who served the

Archbishopric of Trier The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' (IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.diplomacy Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

, joining the

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

to the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire (; officially the French Empire, ), was the 18-year Empire, Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the French Second Republic, Second and the French Third Republic ...

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as a ''Legationssekretär'' (essentially a junior diplomat on a probation period). The next year, he was named Austria's

Envoy Extraordinary and 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 the ...

to the

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony (german: Königreich Sachsen), lasting from 1806 to 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. The kingdom was formed from the Electorate of Saxon ...

and took up his post in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

. In 1861,

Emperor Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

issued his

February Patent The February Patent was a constitution of the Austrian Empire promulgated in the form of letters patent on 26 February 1861. Background In the Austrian Empire, the early 1860s were a period of significant constitutional reforms. The revolutions ...

and the follow-up

October Diploma The October Diploma was a constitution of the Austrian Empire adopted by Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, Franz Joseph on 20 October 1860. The Diploma was written by the Minister of Interior, Agenor Gołuchowski (senior), Agenor Gołucho ...

, thus creating the new Austrian Reichsrat. Metternich became an hereditary member of the Herrenhaus, the upper house of the new Reichsrat. From 1859 to 1870, Metternich served as

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

of the Austrian Empire (after 1867, of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

) to the

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

Napoleon III of France Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

. During this period, his wife played a prominent role in Parisian society. Metternich attempted to convince France to intervene on behalf of Austria during the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), (; "German war of brothers") and by a variety of other names, was fought in 186 ...

, but he was unsuccessful in this attempt. In 1857, while serving at the Imperial court, Metternich received the highest mark in the celebrated dictée de Mérimée. In retirement, he edited and arranged for the publication of his father's

memoirs A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

Personal life

In 1856, he was married to his

half-niece In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of the subject's sibling or sibling-in-law. The converse relationship, the relationship from the niece or nephew's perspective, is that of an ...

, Pauline Sándor de Szlavnicza. She was the daughter of his half-sister, Princess Leontine von Metternich (from his father's first wife) and Count Moritz Sándor de Szlavnicza. His wife was thereafter commonly known as Princess Pauline von Metternich. Together, Richard and Pauline had three children: * Princess Sophie von Metternich-Winneburg (1857–1941), married on 24 April 1878 Albrecht Fst zu Oettingen-Oettingen und Oettingen-Spielberg (d. 1916). Her grandson, Franz Albrecht, Duke of Ratibor u. Corvey (1920–2009), was adopted in 1926/7 by her sister, Klementina, and took the additional surname "Metternich-Sándor" * Princess Antoinette Pascalina von Metternich-Sándor Winneburg (1862–1890) * Princess Klementina Marie von Metternich-Sándor Winneburg (1870–1963) He died on 1 March 1895. Since his marriage produced three daughters, after his death, the princely title of

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German word for a ruler and is also a princely title. ' were, since the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ruled over states of ...

passed to his half-brother, Paul von Metternich.Thomas Nipperdey: Deutsche Geschichte 1800–1866. Bürgerwelt und starker Staat. München, 1998 .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Metternich, Richard Von 1829 births 1895 deaths Politicians from Vienna Austrian princes Austrian diplomats House of Metternich Ambassadors of Austria to France Ambassadors of Austria-Hungary to France Members of the House of Lords (Austria) Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary