Invented Polish ancestry

Heinrich von Brühl was raised to the rank of count by Emperor Charles VI in 1737. In 1734, for tactical reasons, he married Countess Maria Anna Kolowrat-Krakowska, a lady-in-waiting to the Queen. The fact that she was a Catholic and the children were brought up Catholic opened doors for him in Poland - although Count Brühl himself never converted to Catholicism. Referring to alleged Brühl ancestors in Poland, he was admitted to the Polish nobility and the Jastrzębiec family of arms in 1750 under the name "Oscieszino". The marriage was happy and characterised by mutual respect. Only five of at least ten children reached adulthood.