Background
Friedrich Wilhelm Graf von Haugwitz was born in 1700 in Germany. He was the son of a general in the Saxon army, whose estates were, however, situated in Silesia, then Austrian.
Friedrich Wilhelm Graf von Haugwitz was born in 1700 in Germany. He was the son of a general in the Saxon army, whose estates were, however, situated in Silesia, then Austrian.
In 1725 Haugwitz entered the provincial government of Silesia, where his talents and industry soon attracted attention. He had been engaged in drafting for Charles VI (Holy Roman Emperor, 1711-1740) a plan for fiscal reform in Silesia when this was interrupted by the death of Charles and the seizure of most of Silesia by Frederick of Prussia. Although his estates were situated in what now became Prussian Silesia, Haugwitz moved to Vienna, where he lived in difficult circumstances until Maria Theresa, who had succeeded Charles VI as ruler of Austria and Hungary, made him president of the fragment of Silesia left to her (1742) and privy councilor (1743). His strong representations, that unless Austria put its house in order, Bohemia would suffer the fate of Silesia, caused Maria Theresa to entrust him with the task of working out the plans for a general reorganization of her Austro-Bohemian lands. In the following years Haugwitz, with great diligence and competence in the face of strong opposition, brought about immense changes.
Maria Theresa was deeply grateful and attached to him, and loaded him with honors, including the presidency and the supreme chancellorship of the Directorium, created by him in 1749 for the administration of political and financial affairs.
He also served as one of the key advisors in instituting Maria Theresa's reforms. Haugwitz attempted to bring both centralization and economic reform to the Habsburg lands.
