Ferdinand Bonaventura, Count of Harrach and Rohrau (German: ''Ferdinand Bonaventura Graf von Harrach zu Rohrau''; 14 July 1637 – 15 June 1706) was an Austrian statesman, diplomat and courtier from the noble family of

Harrach The House of Harrach is the name of an old and influential German nobility, Austro-German noble family, which was also part of the Bohemian nobility. The ''Grafen'' (Counts) of Harrach were among the most prominent families in the Habsburg Empire ...

, Knight of the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

and owner of estates in Austria and Bohemia. To distinguish him from his grandson of the same name, he is referred to in contemporary sources as Ferdinand Bonaventura I.

Biography

He was the only son of Imperial Colonel Otto Friedrich Harrach (1610–1639) and his wife Lavinia Gonzaga-Novellara (1610–1639). His grandfather was Karl von Harrach (1570–1628). On his father's side he was the nephew of

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...

, and on his mother's side he was related to the family of the ruling Dukes of Mantua. At the time of the death of both parents he was a minor, the guardian became his uncle, Cardinal

Ernst Adalbert von Harrach Count Ernst Adalbert of Harrach (; ; 4 November 1598 – 25 October 1667) was an Austrians, Austrian Catholic Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal who was appointed Archbishop of Prague and Prince-Bishopric of Trent, Prince-Bishop of Trento. Life Ear ...

. From 1655 to 1657 he undertook a cavalier tour through France, Flanders and Germany. In 1658 he participated as Imperial Chamberlain in the coronation of Leopold I as Holy Roman Emperor in Frankfurt, then continued his travels in Italy. After returning to Vienna, he took a prominent position at Court as a member of the Imperial Court Council (1663), and in 1661 he was awarded the

. As a diplomat, he represented the Emperor in Paris at the baptism of

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

's second son Philippe Charles (1668-1671). He was Supreme Marshal of the Imperial Court from 1671 to 1674, and ambassador to Madrid from 1673 to 1677. After his return, he became Oberstallmeister (1677–1699) and was one of the most influential personalities of the Habsburg monarchy. From 1677 he was also a member of the Privy Council. In 1697-1698 he led another diplomatic mission to Spain, where his task was to defend the interests of the Austrian Habsburgs against the expected extinction of the Spanish line. He wasn't successful in securing the Spanish succession for the Austrian line, which would eventually result in the

Spanish War of Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish ...

(1700-1714).
After his return, he finished his career as the Obersthofmeister (1699–1705), in this position he also took over the chairmanship of the Privy Council and at the end of the reign of Leopold I determined the direction of foreign policy. He lost his position after the accession of

Joseph I Joseph I or Josef I may refer to: *Joseph I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch in 1266–1275 and 1282–1283 *Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (1678–1711) * Joseph I (Chaldean Patriarch) (reigned 1681–1696) *Joseph I of Portugal (1750–1777) ...

, who replaced most high state offices by confidants.
Harrach died during a medical stay in

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá (river), Teplá ri ...

at the age of 69, and is buried in the Church of St. Augustine in Vienna.

Marriage and Children

His prominent position at Court also resulted from his marriage to Countess Johanna Theresia von Lamberg (1639–1716), member of an influential House of Lamberg, daughter of statesman

Johann Maximilian von Lamberg Johann Maximilian von Lamberg (, Brno, 23 November 1608 – Vienna, 12 December 1682) was an Austrian nobleman, diplomat and courtier. In the service of the Habsburgs, he excelled in the peace negotiations at the end of the Thirty Years' War, resu ...

(1608–1682) and his wife, Countess Judith Rebecca Eleonore von Würben und Freudenthal (1612-1690). They married in Madrid, where Johanna Theresa served as

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

to the

Queen of Spain The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

.
The marriage produced nine children: *Karl Graf von Harrach (1662-1686), killed during the

Siege of Buda (1686) The siege of Buda (1686) () was a military engagement during the Great Turkish War, in which forces of the Holy League, led by the Habsburg Monarchy, recaptured the fortified city of Buda (now part of modern-day Budapest) from the Ottoman Empir ...

, no issue. *Maria Josepha von Harrach (1663-1741), married Count Johann Joseph von Küenburg (1652-1726) * Franz Anton von Harrach (1665–1727),

Archbishop of Salzburg The Archdiocese of Salzburg (; ) is a Latin Church, Latin rite archdiocese of the Catholic Church centered in Salzburg, Austria. It is also the principal diocese of the ecclesiastical province of Salzburg. The archdiocese is one of two Austrian ...

*Maximilian von Harrach (1666-1668), died in infancy *

Aloys Thomas Raimund, Count Harrach Aloys Thomas Raimund, Count von Harrach zu Rohrau (7 March 1669, Vienna – 7 November, 1742, Vienna) was an Austrians, Austrian politician and diplomat. Early life and ancestry Born into one of the most prestigious Austrian nobility, Austrian ...

(1669–1742),

Viceroy of Naples This is a list of viceroys of the Kingdom of Naples. Following the conquest of Naples by Louis XII of France in 1501, Naples was subject to the rule of the foreign rulers, first for a short time by the King of France and later by Spain and the Hab ...

, had issue *Johann Camillo von Harrach (1671-1671), died as a baby *Franz von Harrach (1672-1672), died a day after his birth *Rosa Angela von Harrach (1674-1742), married Count Philipp Karl Emanuel von Buquoy (1690-1703) * Johann Philipp von Harrach (1678–1764),

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

and President of the Court War Council, no issuehttp://w.genealogy.euweb.cz/bohemia/harrach2.html#EQ

Sources

BLKÖ:Harrach, Ferdinand Bonaventura (I.)

* ttps://www.deutsche-biographie.de/gnd116484225.html#adbcontent ADB:Harrach, Ferdinand Bonaventura Graf von {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrach, Ferdinand Bonaventura I 1637 births 1706 deaths 17th-century politicians from the Holy Roman Empire 17th-century diplomats from the Holy Roman Empire 17th-century Austrian people 18th-century Austrian nobility Diplomats from Vienna Counts of Austria Nobility from Vienna