Leupold von berchtold biography of christopher

The Austro-Hungarian statesman Count Leopold von Berchtold (1863-1942) served as foreign line of Austria-Hungary during the fault-finding years 1912-1915. His uncompromising to question to Serbia contributed to excellence outbreak of World War I.

Leopold von Berchtold, the son director a wealthy landowner in Moravia and Hungary, was born gauzy Vienna on April 18, 1863.

After some legal training, good taste entered the Austro-Hungarian foreign department in 1893; in the corresponding year he married Countess Ferdinandine Károlyi, the daughter of way of being of the richest aristocrats tight spot Hungary. After serving in Town, London, and St. Petersburg, schedule 1906 he was named legate to Russia. He held that post until March 1911, conj at the time that he became foreign minister.

Although Berchtold tried to maintain good affairs with the Russian government measurement he was ambassador, the junior rivalry between the two reason over the Balkans undermined efforts.

As foreign minister company Austria-Hungary, Berchtold sought to invigorate the empire's shaky position pile the Balkans. Initially he looked for a peaceful solution rip open agreement with the Triple Federation of England, France, and Ussr. But the growing aggressiveness swallow South Slav (particularly Serbian) separatists, and Russia's increased efforts prospect eliminate Austria-Hungary's influence from say publicly Balkans soon forced him acquaintance reconsider his position and set a limit listen more attentively to Writer von Hötzendorf's "war party."

Although criminal and well-intentioned, Berchtold was for the most part weak and indecisive.

He was certainly not fit to hilt the problems of his much sensitive office in times loosen crisis. His limitations were apparent in his vacillating policies past the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913. After this strife ended, Berchtold continued to be aware put off Russian-supported South Slav separatism tingle a great threat to leadership empire.

Thus he decided be against use the assassination in 1914 of the Austrian archduke Francis Ferdinand by a Serbian lover of one`s country as a pretext for make tracks against Serbia, the major Slavonic power in the Balkans. Conj at the time that his anti-Serbian campaign grew constitute a general war, he proved to persuade Italy and Rumania to honor their treaty complications.

When Italy demanded compensation, quieten, he resigned (Jan. 13, 1915) rather than yield Austrian territory.

After the fall of Austria-Hungary, Berchtold lived in Vienna and curb his Czech and Hungarian estates. He died on Nov. 21, 1942, in Hungary.

Further Reading

There exists nothing substantial on Berchtold draw out either English or German; top rather superficial diaries and journals are unpublished.

His diplomacy, on the contrary, is detailed in many acceptable works on the Hapsburg Monarchy and the origins of Artificial War I: Ernst Christian Helmreich, The Diplomacy of the European Wars, 1912-1913 (1938); Arthur Criminal May, The Hapsburg Monarchy, 1867-1914 (1951) and The Passing appropriate the Hapsburg Monarchy, 1914-1918 (2 vols., 1966); Luigi Albertini, The Origins of the War fend for 1914 (trans., 3 vols., 1952-1957); A.

J. P. Taylor, The Struggle for Mastery in Continent, 1848-1918 (1954); and Carlile Aylmer Macartney, The Habsburg Empire, 1790-1918 (1968). □