He was born as the only son of Count Franz Josef von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky (1747-1825) and his wife, Countess Maria Katharina von
Kolowrat-Krakowsky (1748-1812). Raised in the Bohemian capital
Prague, he was a scion of the Liebsteinsky branch of the
House of Kolowrat, an ancient
Bohemian family of high nobility, whose ancestors had already served under the
Luxembourg emperor
Charles IV. Having finished his studies at
Charles University, Franz Anton entered the Austrian civil service at the
Beroun district administration in January 1799. During the
Napoleonic Wars he achieved the office of a
stadtholder of the
Habsburg emperor
Francis I of Austria at Prague and in 1810 became
Oberstburggraf of the Bohemian kingdom. Contrary to Chancellor Metternich, he encouraged Czech cultural and civic-national movements, exemplified by the founding of the
Prague National Museum in 1818. Kolowrat's rivalry with Metternich intensified when in 1826 the emperor called him to
Vienna, where he was elevated to lead the Austrian State Council responsible for the Interior and Finances. The tensions between him and the chancellor continued: while Metternich favored a strong army, Kolowrat reduced the military budget. After the accession of Francis' incapable son
Ferdinand I to the throne in 1835, Kolowrat together with Metternich led the
Secret State Conference, the
de facto government of the Empire from 1836 to 1848. However, the continuous disagreement between the two leaders palsied the Austrian politics and ultimately contributed to collapse of the "Metternich system". Upon the outbreak of the
Revolutions of 1848, Metternich had to resign. A ministers' conference was established and Kolowrat assumed the newly created office of an Austrian
minister-president, which he nevertheless laid down after only one month between 3–5 April, officially for health reasons. On 8 June 1801 Franz Anton married Countess Maria Rosa Johanna
Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (1780-1842), second eldest daughter of Prince Joseph Ernst Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (1751-1798) and his wife, Countess Maria Rosa von
Harrach (1758-1814). The marriage remained childless. After her death, Kolowrat retired to private life; he died in Vienna aged 83, outliving both his wife and sisters. With his death, the Liebsteinsky branch of the Kolowrat dynasty became extinct. He was buried in the Holy Trinity Church at his ancestral castle in
Rychnov nad Kněžnou. ==Decorations==