Franz Anton von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky

Hochgeboren Franz Anton Graf von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky
1st Minister-President of the Austrian Empire
In office 20 March 1848 – 4 April 1848
Monarch	Ferdinand I
Preceded by	Prince Klemens von Metternich (as State Chancellor)
Succeeded by	Count Karl Ludwig von Ficquelmont
Minister of State of the Austrian Empire for Finance
In office 1827–1848
Monarch	Ferdinand I
Minister of State of the Austrian Empire for the Interior
In office 1826–1848
Monarch	Ferdinand I
Preceded by	Count Károly Zichy
Succeeded by	Baron Franz von Pillersdorf
Personal details
Born	31 January 1778(1778-01-31) Prague, Bohemia
Died	4 April 1861(1861-04-04) (aged 83) Vienna, Austria
Religion	Roman Catholic Church

Count Franz Anton von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky (Czech: František Antonín Kolovrat-Libštejnský) (31 January 1778 – 4 April 1861) was a Bohemian nobleman and an Austrian statesman.

Born in Prague the son of a Bohemian noble family, whose ancestors had already served under Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg, Franz Anton finished his studies in 1799. During the Napoleonic Wars he achieved the office of a stadtholder of Austrian emperor Francis I of Habsburg at Prague and in 1810 became Oberstburggraf of the whole Bohemian kingdom. Contrary to Minister of State Klemens Wenzel von Metternich he encouraged Czech cultural and civic-national movements, exemplified by the founding of the Prague National Museum in 1818.

Kolowrat's rivalry with Metternich intensified when in 1826 the emperor called him to Vienna, where he was elevated to a member of the Austrian State Council responsible for the Interior and Finances; while Metternich favored a strong army, Kolowrat reduced the miitary budget.^[1] After the accession of Francis' incapable son Ferdinand I to the throne in 1836, Kolowrat together with Metternich led the Secret State Conference, the de facto government of the Empire. However the continuous disagreement between the two leaders palsied the Austrian politics and ultimately contributed to the outbreak of the Revolutions of 1848. When Metternich had to resign, Kolowrat assumed the newly created office of an Austrian Minister-President, which he nevertheless laid down after only one month between 3-5 April, officially for health reasons.

Kolowrat died in Vienna.

Decoration

• Order of the Golden Fleece
• Order of Leopold
• Order of St. Andrew
• Order of St. Anna
• Order of St. Vladimir
• Order of the White Eagle
• Order of Alexander Nevsky
• Venerable Order of Saint John

References

1. ^ Rothenburg, G. The Army of Francis Joseph. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press, 1976. p 10.

Preceded by none	Minister-President of the Austrian Empire 1848	Succeeded by Karl Ludwig von Ficquelmont
Preceded by	Minister of State of the Austrian Empire for Finance 1827 – 1848	Succeeded by
Preceded by Count Károly Zichy	Minister of State of the Austrian Empire for the Interior 1826 – 1848	Succeeded by Baron Franz von Pillersdorf

Persondata
Name	Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky, Franz Anton
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	31 January 1778
Place of birth	Prague, Bohemia
Date of death	4 April 1861
Place of death	Vienna, Austria