Klemens von Metternich
Klemens Metternich was born into the House of Metternich on 15 May 1773 to Franz George Karl Count Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein, a diplomat who had passed from the service of the Archbishopric of Trier to that of the Imperial court, and his wife Countess Maria Beatrice Aloisia von Kageneck. He was named in honour of Prince Clemens Wenceslaus of Saxony, the archbishop-elector of Trier and the past employer of his father. He was the eldest son and had one older sister. At the time of his birth the family possessed a ruined keep at Beilstein, a castle at Winneberg, an estate west of Koblenz, and another in Königswart, Bohemia, won during the 17th century. At this time Metternich's father, described as "a boring babbler and chronic liar" by a contemporary, was the Austrian ambassador to the courts of the three Rhenish electors (Trier, Cologne and Mainz). Metternich's education was handled by his mother, heavily influenced by their proximity to France; Metternich spoke French better than German. As a child he went on official visits with his father and, under the direction of Protestant tutor John Frederick Simon, was tutored in academic subjects, swimming, and horsemanship.
Johann Nepomuk von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim
Johann Nepomuk von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim was born on 15 April 1777 in Bolzano as the fifth of seven males to Joseph Joachim von Tschiderer zu Gleifheim and Caterina de Giovanelli. His parents emigrated from the Grisons close to the Italian border in 1529; the Emperor Ferdinand III had given the Tschiderer house a patent making them nobles in 1620. He suffered from slight stuttering problems during his life. He was baptized moments after his birth at the Assumption church. On his maternal side he was related to Joseph von Giovanelli zu Gerstburg und Hörtenberg (12 September 1784 - 14 September 1845) and to Ignaz von Giovanelli zu Gerstburg und Hörtenberg (5 April 1815 - 16 August 1889).