Enter Kaunitz

This chapter introduces Wenzel Kaunitz-Rietberg, a once-obscure Moravian count whose marriage into the Starhemberg family elevated him into the Hochadel and enabled his rise in the Austrian court. It follows Kaunitz's ascent despite lacking the traditional advantages of vast land, Catholic orthodoxy, or dynastic power, showing how nepotism and a strong education under a Jesuit-trained tutor shaped his early brilliance in law, rhetoric, and music. Kaunitz's diplomatic experiences in Holland, England, and especially Turin taught him the harsh realities of statecraft. The chapter underscores Kaunitz's later reforms as he worked to modernize Lombardy, including his appointment of Count Beltrame Cristiani and the completion of the Catasto Teresiano. It also discusses Kaunitz's increasing clashes with the Vatican over monastic celibacy, contemplative orders, and feast days that revealed a bold Enlightenment approach.