Theodor von Strattman

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Theodor Heinrich von Strattmann (1637–25 October 1693) was an Austrian statesman from a distinguished family. He began his career serving the Elector of Brandenburg and then worked at the Palatinate court in Düsseldorf as vice chancellor, where he helped resolve disputes between Brandenburg and the Palatinate. Seeking greater scope, he joined the Imperial Court and attracted the attention of Emperor Leopold I. He was sent as a representative to the Nijmegen peace talks in 1676 and helped secure Leopold’s third marriage to Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg, gaining the Empress’s favor.

From 1680 to 1683 he served as Austrian ambassador at Regensburg, and on 1 March 1683 he became Hofkanzler (Court Chancellor), a position he held until his death in 1693. In that role he arranged the marriage of Leopold’s daughter Maria Antonia to Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, in 1685, and helped settle the Lorraine–Hungary dispute. On 30 September 1685 he was raised to the nobility as a Count. He played an important part in the Habsburg succession, contributing to the events leading to the 1690 coronation of Joseph I as King of the Romans.

Strattmann was married twice, first to Marie Mechtilde Freiin von Mollard and then to Eleonore Therese, Countess Schellard. With his first wife he had five sons and three daughters. His daughter Eleonore Batthyány-Strattmann (1677–1741) became famous for her liaison with Prince Eugene of Savoy.