What role did Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz play in Maria Theresa’s foreign policy?

Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz served as the principal adviser on foreign affairs to Empress Maria Theresa and was responsible for the foreign policy of the Habsburg monarchy.1

His most significant diplomatic achievement was the reversal of alliances, a strategy aimed at isolating Prussia. By negotiating the 1756 defensive treaty of Versailles, he successfully brought France into the Habsburg orbit, a move that fundamentally shifted Europe's traditional alliance system.1

Throughout his tenure, Kaunitz acted as a key strategist, though his relationship with the empress involved complex dynamics:

• Strategic Counsel: He advocated for pragmatic, sometimes cynical, territorial expansion to maintain the monarchy's power, such as his role in the first partition of Poland in 1772, which Maria Theresa accepted reluctantly.12
• Mediation: He often served as a mediator between Maria Theresa and her son, Joseph II, whose more aggressive foreign policy initiatives sometimes clashed with the empress’s views.12
• Policy Oversight: While he initiated major moves like the proposed trade of the Austrian Netherlands for Bavaria, Maria Theresa occasionally intervened directly in his plans, notably during the War of the Bavarian Succession to secure peace.2