Franz Xaver Wolfgang von Orsini-Rosenberg

Franz Xaver Wolfgang von Rosenberg, Fürst von Orsini-Rosenberg (6 April 1723 – 14 November 1796), was an Austrian nobleman, diplomat and politician. He initially worked in several countries as a diplomat for the Archduchy of Austria, subsequently as an advisor and Chief Steward at the Court of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and later in the same capacity at the Imperial Court in Vienna. In 1790, he was elevated to the rank of Imperial Prince by Emperor Leopold II.

Early life Orsini-Rosenberg was born in Vienna on 6 April 1723. He was the eldest son of Count Wolfgang Sigismund von Orsini-Rosenberg (1682–1739) and Countess Maria Anna Margareta Eleonora von Hohenfeld (b. 1693).

His paternal grandparents were Count Joseph Paris von Orsini-Rosenberg and Countess Maria Isabella Cäcilia von Lamberg. His maternal grandparents were Count Otto Heinrich von Hohenfeld and Countess Maria Katharina von Starhemberg.

Career

After studying law in Vienna, he initially worked as an Austrian diplomat in London, then in Milan from 1748 to 1750, Copenhagen from 1750 to 1757, and in Madrid from 1757 to 1765. There, at the Spanish court, he led the negotiations for the marriage of the Austrian Archduke Leopold to the Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain. Orsini-Rosenberg accompanied the bride to the wedding on 5 August 1765 in Innsbruck. On 18 August, Emperor Francis I, Leopold's father, died. Since the latter had nominally held the position of Grand Duke of Tuscany since 1761, he took over the government of the Grand Duchy.

Personal life Prince Orsini-Rosenberg, who never married, died in Vienna in 1796 and was buried in Rosegg.