In the past, the Counts Goëss always held important political offices due to their close ties to the imperial house. One example of this is Johann Count Goëss, who as a close advisor to Emperor Leopold I (1658-1705) negotiated the peace treaty around Constantinople. Later, the emperor sent his confidant, who by now held the cardinalate, to the Vatican to exercise the emperor’s right of veto in papal elections. Subsequently, three more Counts Goëss became governors of Carinthia.
The Counts of Enzenberg were among the most influential count families of their time in Inner Austria. One example of this is Franz Count Enzenberg, godson and confidant of Empress Maria-Theresa, who, as a result of clever negotiations with Napoleon Bonaparte, prevented the destruction and plundering of Carinthia in 1797.