Austrian court official.

Appointed to the royal commission on education and censorship (1771). Toured German universities on behalf of the Austrian government. Promoted educational reform, particularly the inclusion of physical education in the secondary curriculum. Also served as a political censor and press secretary. Friend of Beethoven.

Son of Johann Konrad and Maria Ursula (Güntzer) von Birckenstock. Educated at Erfurt and Göttingen. Married Karoline von Hay (1778); two children.