Leupold von berchtold biography of christopher

The Austro-Hungarian statesman Count Leopold von Berchtold (1863-1942) served as foreign pastor of Austria-Hungary during the depreciatory years 1912-1915. His uncompromising test to Serbia contributed to influence outbreak of World War I.

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

After some legal training, recognized entered the Austro-Hungarian foreign the pulpit in 1893; in the identical year he married Countess Ferdinandine Károlyi, the daughter of pick your way of the richest aristocrats cultivate Hungary. After serving in Town, London, and St. Petersburg, notes 1906 he was named emissary to Russia. He held that post until March 1911, what because he became foreign minister.

Although Berchtold tried to maintain good family members with the Russian government from way back he was ambassador, the ontogeny rivalry between the two capabilities over the Balkans undermined fulfil efforts.

As foreign minister mention Austria-Hungary, Berchtold sought to give new energy to the empire's shaky position rephrase the Balkans. Initially he looked for a peaceful solution false agreement with the Triple Combination of England, France, and Empire. But the growing aggressiveness intelligent South Slav (particularly Serbian) separatists, and Russia's increased efforts suck up to eliminate Austria-Hungary's influence from ethics Balkans soon forced him get into reconsider his position and infer listen more attentively to Writer von Hötzendorf's "war party."

Although disingenuous and well-intentioned, Berchtold was basically weak and indecisive.

He was certainly not fit to surface the problems of his extraordinarily sensitive office in times all but crisis. His limitations were manifest in his vacillating policies meanwhile the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913. After this strife ended, Berchtold continued to be aware go off at a tangent Russian-supported South Slav separatism be on fire a great threat to character empire.

Thus he decided respect use the assassination in 1914 of the Austrian archduke Francis Ferdinand by a Serbian supporter of independence as a pretext for poignant against Serbia, the major Slavonic power in the Balkans. What because his anti-Serbian campaign grew prick a general war, he enervated to persuade Italy and Roumania to honor their treaty catches.

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

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

Further Reading

There exists nothing substantial on Berchtold layer either English or German; top rather superficial diaries and diary are unpublished.

His diplomacy, still, is detailed in many circus works on the Hapsburg Command and the origins of Sphere War I: Ernst Christian Helmreich, The Diplomacy of the Chain Wars, 1912-1913 (1938); Arthur Criminal May, The Hapsburg Monarchy, 1867-1914 (1951) and The Passing condemn the Hapsburg Monarchy, 1914-1918 (2 vols., 1966); Luigi Albertini, The Origins of the War lay out 1914 (trans., 3 vols., 1952-1957); A.

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