This is a list of foreign ministers () of the Habsburg monarchy, of the Austrian Empire, and of Austria-Hungary from 1720 to 1918.
Ministers of foreign affairs Habsburg monarchy (1720–1805) From 1664/69 the Privy Conference (Geheime Konferenz), a committee of the Imperial Privy Council (Geheimer Rat), provided advice to Emperor Leopold I whereby the Austrian Court Chancellor, responsible for the Habsburg 'Hereditary Lands', served as rapporteur and thereby gained increasing influence. The Habsburg diplomatic service was re-organised, when Emperor Charles VI by resolution of 1720 declared Court Chancellor Philipp Ludwig Wenzel von Sinzendorf responsible for foreign policy issues. Upon Sinzendorf's death in February 1742, Archduchess Maria Theresa finally separated the central Habsburg State Chancellery responsible of Foreign Affairs from the domestic Austrian Court Chancellery.
Portrait Name Took office Left office Duration Philipp Ludwig von Sinzendorf 26 March 1720 8 February 1742 † Anton Corfiz Ulfeldt 14 February 1742 13 May 1753 Wenzel Kaunitz 13 May 1753 19 August 1792 Philipp von Cobenzl 19 August 1792 27 March 1793 Johann Amadeus von Thugut 27 March 1793 28 September 1800 Ferdinand von Trauttmansdorff 28 September 1800 18 September 1801 Ludwig von Cobenzl 18 September 1801 25 December 1805
Austrian Empire (1805–1867) Portrait Name Took office Left office Duration Philipp Stadion 25 December 1805 4 October 1809 Klemens von Metternich 8 October 1809 13 March 1848 Karl Ficquelmont 18 March 1848 4 May 1848 Johann Wessenberg 8 May 1848 21 November 1848 Felix Schwarzenberg 21 November 1848 5 April 1852 † Karl Buol 11 April 1852 17 May 1859 Bernhard Rechberg 17 May 1859 27 October 1864 Alexander Mensdorff 27 October 1864 30 October 1866 Ferdinand Beust 30 October 1866 30 December 1867
Imperial and Royal House of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918) Portrait Name Took office Left office Duration Ferdinand Beust 30 December 1867 8 November 1871 Gyula Andrássy the Elder 14 November 1871 8 October 1879 Heinrich Haymerle 8 October 1879 10 October 1881 † Gustav Kálnoky 20 November 1881 2 May 1895 Agenor Gołuchowski 16 May 1895 24 October 1906 Alois Aehrenthal 24 October 1906 17 February 1912 † Leopold Berchtold 17 February 1912 13 January 1915 Stephan Burián 13 January 1915 22 December 1916 Ottokar Czernin 22 December 1916 16 April 1918 Stephan Burián 16 April 1918 24 October 1918 Gyula Andrássy the Younger 24 October 1918 2 November 1918
Timeline
See also Foreign Ministry of Austria-Hungary Austro-Hungarian Foreign Service List of diplomatic missions of Austria-Hungary
Bibliography Erwin Matsch, Der Auswärtige Dienst von Österreich-Ungarn 1720-1920, Vienna, Böhlau, 1986. —, Geschichte des Auswärtigen Dienstes von Österreich-Ungarn 1720-1920, Vienna, Böhlau, 1980.