State Chancellor Wenzel Anton Prince Kaunitz-Rietberg, Painting by an unknown artist
Prince Kaunitz, Chancellor of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Empress Maria Theresa, encouraged her to appoint a personal enemy of his to the post of Minister of War. The Empress was surprised at the suggestion, so he explained: “He is indeed my personal enemy, but he is a friend of the State.”
Fernando Palazzi, Enciclopedia degli aneddoti (Milan: Ceschina, 1946), 3 vols., Col. 7667. (Nobility.org translation.)
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 52
