The Austrian Empire was the first State (apart from the three Great Powers) that recognized the Greek independence following its recognition by the Ottoman Empire in April 1830.
[15]27 April 1831. Letter from Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Austrian Empire Klemens von Metternich to Governor of Greece Ioannis Kapodistrias. Metternich informs Kapodistrias that, following the recognition of the independence of Greece by the Sublime Porte, the Emperor of Austria is ready to appoint Consuls in the most important cities of the country (Nafplio, Patras and Syros), leaving the appointment of a diplomatic representative for later. This is essentially a letter of recognition of Greece from Austria and the initiation of consular relations.
2/14 July 1831. In his reply to Chancellor von Metternich, Governor Kapodistrias expresses the hope that an Austrian diplomatic representative will be also appointed to Greece soon.
25 March / 6 April 1833. Nomination of the first Consul of Greece in Vienna, Baron von Sina (Georgios Sinas). Original in German and Greek translation.
[12]24 May 1833. First and last page of the document by which Johann David Schnell-Griot, Consul of Bavaria in Trieste, accepts his nomination as Consul of Greece as well.
26 October / 7 November 1833. King Othon notifies the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of his intention to accredit a diplomatic representative in Vienna and asks it to take appropriate action.
26 October / 7 November 1833. Nomination of August von Henigkstein, officer of the Regency’s Translation Office, as Consul of Greece in Trieste, in replacement of the Bavarian Johann David Schnell-Griot, thus abolishing the Greek-Bavarian Consulate that operated there since May 1833.
[25 August] 6 September 1834. Austrian Consul in Athens Georg Christian Gropius announces to Minister of Foreign Affairs Iakovos Rizos-Neroulos that the Emperor of Austria has appointed Count Anton Prokesch von Osten as the first Ambassador of the country to Greece, thereby establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.
[2]14 October 1834. Letter from Austrian Chancellor Klemens von Metternich to Minister of Foreign Affairs Iakovos Rizos-Neroulos regarding the appointment of Count Anton Prokesch von Osten as the first Ambassador of the Austrian Empire to Greece.
20 Σεπτεμβρίου / 2 Οκτωβρίου 1834. Approval of the appointment of Count Anton Prokesch von Osten as the first Ambassador of Austria (with the rank of Minister Plenipotentiary) to Athens. The Regency expresses satisfaction for the commencement of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Original in German and French translation.
Anton Prokesch von Osten (1795-1876)
The first Ambassador of the Austrian Empire in Athens, Count Anton Prokesch von Osten (1795-1876), was an ardent philhellene who first had gone to Greece in 1824, during the Struggle for Independence, in order to be close to the Revolution.
His love for Greece was profound: in 1833, while on a diplomatic mission in Alexandria (Egypt) and before his appointment as Ambassador to the Greek Government, in a letter to Greek Foreign Minister Spyridon Trikoupis, a former acquaintance from the period of the Greek Revolution, he noted:
I like to consider Greece’s interests as always being part of my own interests
Count Anton Prokesch von Osten
He remained in Athens as Ambassador from 1834 to 1849. The neoclassical residence he built and lived in during his stay in Athens is still preserved at 3 Feidiou Street, having hosted from 1919 to 1971 the Greek Conservatory founded by Manolis Kalomiris. In 1867-1868 Prokesch von Osten published a six-volume history of the Greek Revolution.
The foreword of the Greek edition (1868) of Prokesch Von Osten’s book “History of the Revolution of Greeks Against the Ottoman State in the Year 1821”.
7]19 October 1834. The credentials of the first Austrian Ambassador to Greece Count Anton Prokesch von Osten, signed by Emperor Franz.
5/17 October 1834. The Regency of Greece declares its intention to accredit in Austria Alexandros Mavrokordatos in Austria, already appointed as Ambassador to Bavaria and Prussia, and ask him to have Vienna as his main residence.
The Prokesch von Osten residence (built in 1836) at 3 Feidiou Street in Athens in the 1970s.
Source: Ministry of Culture, Directorate of Protection and Restoration of Modern and Contemporary Monuments