Richard von Metternich

Richard von Metternich

Prince Richard Klemens von Metternich (German: Richard Klemens, Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg) (7 January 1829 – 1 March 1895), usually called Richard (von) Metternich, was an Austrian diplomat, the son of the illustrious diplomat Prince Klemens von Metternich.

Biography

Richard Metternich was born in Vienna on 7 January 1829, the son of famous diplomat Prince Klemens von Metternich and his second wife Baroness Antoinette Leykam.

In 1855, Richard Metternich followed his father into diplomacy, joining the Austrian Empire's Embassy to the Second French Empire in Paris as a Legationssekretär (essentially a junior diplomat on a probation period). The next year, he was named Austria's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Saxony and took up his post in Dresden.

Also in 1856, he married his half-niece Pauline von Metternich,^[1] who was the daughter of Count Moritz Sándor and Richard Metternich's half sister Princess Leontine von Metternich (she was the daughter of Klemens Wenzel, Prince von Metternich and his first wife, Countess Eleonore von Kaunitz). His wife was thereafter commonly known as Princess Pauline von Metternich.

In 1861, Emperor Franz Joseph I issued his February Patent and the follow-up October Diploma, thus creating the new Austrian Reichsrat. Richard Metternich became an hereditary member of the Herrenhaus, the upper house of the new Reichsrat.

From 1859 to 1870, Richard Metternich served as Ambassador of the Austrian Empire (after 1867, of Austria–Hungary) to the court of Napoleon III of France. During this period, his wife, Princess Pauline von Metternich, played a prominent role in Parisian society. Metternich attempted to convince France to intervene on behalf of Austria during the Austro-Prussian War, but 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. He died on 1 March 1895.

Issue

Richard and Pauline von Metternich had three children:

• Princess Sophie von Metternich (1857-1941)
• Pascalina, Countess Antoinette von Metternich-Sandor Winneburg (1862-1890)
• Klementina, Countess Marie von Metternich-Sandor Winneburg († 1870)

Since his marriage produced three daughters, after his death, the title of Fürst passed to his half-brother, Paul von Metternich.

References

This page is based on this page on German Wikipedia.

• R. Lorenz: Metternich-Winneburg Richard Klemens Fürst. In: Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Band 6, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien 1975, ISBN 3-7001-0128-7, S. 250.
• Thomas Nipperdey: Deutsche Geschichte 1800–1866. Bürgerwelt und starker Staat. München, 1998 ISBN 3-406-44038-X.
• Thomas Nipperdey: Deutsche Geschichte 1866–1918. Machtstaat vor der Demokratie. C. H. Beck, München 1992, ISBN 3-406-34801-7.
• Hans-Ulrich Wehler: Deutsche Gesellschaftsgeschichte. Bd. 2: Von der Reformära bis zur industriellen und politischen Deutschen Doppelrevolution 1815–1845/49. C. H. Beck, München, 1989, ISBN 3-406-32262-X.