 In addition, the Count Palatine showed Leopold I a portrait of his daughter, made especially for this purpose.The marriage negotiations began in April 1676.To this end, an emissary send by the Count Palatine arrived to Vienna managed to win the support of Empress Dowager Eleonora Gonzaga (Leopold I's stepmother) and a number of notable courtiers, including Chancellor Johann Paul Freiherr von Hocher.