Born into a German family in Slavonia, Liebenberg obtained his humanities doctorate at the University of Pest, and in 1798 he entered the service of the Széchényi family: until 1809 he was employed by Ferenc Széchényi as tutor to his youngest son István, and from 1809 as his own secretary. From 1814, he became the overseer of István Széchenyi’s estate in Csokonya, and later the livestock manager of all his estates. He remained a confidant of János Lunkányi, a man of broad education, until his death. In addition to providing the economic and financial backing, he also acted as a moral compass to the frivolous young officer for a long time. With Széchenyi’s help, Lunkányi was granted Hungarian nobility in 1830, at which time he Magyarised (Hungarianised) his German name.
He and Széchenyi corresponded with each other intensively until the end of the latter’s life: he was the recipient of the largest number of surviving letters.
