Beust

Beust, Frederick Ferdinand, Count von, was born at Dresden in 1809, and entering the diplomatic service of the kingdom of Saxony, visited several foreign courts. In 1849 he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs as a decided Conservative, opposed to the revolutionary spirit then at work on the Continent. In 1853 he became Prime Minister, and somewhat relaxed his repressive policy. He stood forward as the champion of the smaller states, and morally supported Schleswig-Holstein against the encroachments of the Bund. After the war of 1866, seeing that Saxony was paralysed, he transferred his services to Austria, receiving the foreign portfolio. He now revealed himself as a strong Liberal, and being made Chancellor of the Empire, introduced many great reforms, conciliating Hungary, curbing the Ultramontanes, and putting the army on a sound footing. His sympathies were with France in the war of 1870, but he preserved strict neutrality, and on the proclamation of the North German empire held aloof from any alliance. From 1871 to 1878 he was ambassador in London. His influence waned in later years, and he died in retirement in 1886.