Richard, Count Belcredi

Richard, Count Belcredi (born February 12, 1823, Ingrowitz, near Svitavy [Zwittau], Moravia—died December 2, 1902, Gmunden, Austria) was a statesman of the Austrian Empire who worked for a federal constitution under the Habsburg monarchy, taking the Swiss constitution as his model. His “Ministry of Counts” (July 27, 1865–Feb. 3, 1867) advocated conservative federalism under which the Slavs’ historic rights would be recognized instead of subsumed by those of the Germans and Magyars. Born into a...