he did not sign away any of his sovereign rights to Prussia. The outcome of this was that the duke refused the terms offered by King William and Bismarck. On 22 August there was a meeting of the emperor Franz Joseph and King William at Schönbrunn, both Rechberg and Bismarck being present. Rechberg himself was in favor of allowing Prussia to annex the duchies, on condition that Prussia should guarantee Austria's possession of Venice and the Adriatic coast. On the first point no agreement was reached; but the principles of an Austro-Prussian alliance in the event of a French invasion of Italy were agreed upon. This latter proposal was, however, received with violent opposition in the ministry, where Rechberg's influence had long been overshadowed by that of Schmerling; public opinion, utterly distrustful of Prussian promises, was also greatly excited; and on 27 October Rechberg handed in his resignation, receiving at the same time the Order of the Golden Fleece from the emperor as a sign of special favor. He had been made an hereditary member of the Upper House of the Reichsrat in 1861, and as late as 1879 continued occasionally to take part in debates. He died at his chateau (Schloss Altkettenhof) of Kettenhof (today: Schwechat) near Vienna on 26 February 1899. Personal life He had married, in 1834, Hon. Barbara Jones, eldest daughter of the Thomas Jones, 6th Viscount Ranelagh (1763–1820), by whom he had one son: Count Louis von Rechberg und Rothenlöwen zu Hohenrechberg (b. 1835 - d. 1877); married Landgravine Aloysia Luise Marie zu Fürstenberg-Weitra (1840 - 1925) and had issue. Honours He received the following orders and decorations: References 1806 births 1899 deaths 19th-century Ministers-President of Austria People from Regensburg Austrian Empire politicians Foreign ministers of Austria Counts of Austria Austrian diplomats Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Members of the House of Lords (Austria)