Ludovico Luigi Carlo Maria di Barbiano di Belgiojoso or Ludwig Karl Maria von Barbiano Graf von Belgiojoso[1] (2 January 1728 – 15 May 1801, Milan) was an Austrian diplomat and Lieutenant Field Marshal who served the Habsburg monarchy in the second half of the 18th century.

[4] The medieval castle of Belgioioso, a town located just south of Milan, had been the seat of the Belgiojoso family for centuries.

Empress Maria Theresia was satisfied with his performance to such an extent that in 1769 she gave him the important position of the Emperor's special envoy and plenipotentiary at the Court of St James's in London.

In this period emperor Joseph II tried to introduce a number of reforms, especially in the field of education, which caused a lot of resistance.

With order from 24 June 1787 Count Belgiojoso, his authorised minister in the Austrian Netherlands, and the Duke of Teschen, his governor-general, were both recalled to Vienna.

Although Joseph felt a bit satisfied by this gesture, the disputed issues remained unsolved and both sides left frustrated.