Count Leopold Berchtold

Leopold (Anton Johann Sigismund Josef Korsinus Ferdinand) Graf Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz, Frättling und Püllütz (Gróf Berchtold Lipót, Leopold hrabě Berchtold z Uherčic) (18 April 1863 – 21 November 1942), was an Austro-Hungarian politician, diplomat and statesman who served as Imperial Foreign Minister at the outbreak of World War I.

Career
Born in Vienna on 18 April 1863 into a wealthy noble family that owned lands in Moravia and Hungary, he was reputed to be one of Austria-Hungary's richest men. Tutored at home, he later studied law and joined the Austro-Hungarian foreign service in 1893. In the same year, he married Ferdinandine (Nandine) Gräfin Károlyi von Nagykároly (1868–1955), the daughter of one of the richest aristocrats in Hungary, in Budapest. He subsequently served at the embassies in Paris (1894), London (1899) and St. Petersburg (1903).

In December 1906, Count Berchtold was appointed as the successor of Count Lexa von Aehrenthal as Ambassador to Russia upon the latter's appointment as Imperial Foreign Minister. He served with distinction for five years in St. Petersburg and experienced Russia's distrust and fear of Vienna. In September 1908, he hosted a secret meeting between Count Lexa von Aehrenthal and the Russian Foreign Minister Izvolsky at his estate at Buchlovice in Moravia. This meeting produced the so-called Buchlau bargain and led to the Austro-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At the death of Count Lexa von Aehrenthal in February 1912, Count Berchtold was appointed as his successor and thus became at the age of forty-nine the youngest foreign minister in Europe. His appointment came against his own will and despite lack of experience in domestic affairs as well as in military matters.

Balkan Wars
As Imperial Foreign Minister, Count Berchtold focused almost exclusively on the Balkans where his foreign policy aims were to maintain peace, stick to the principle of non-intervention and preserve the territorial status quo. The Balkan Wars in 1912/1913, however, quickly made such a policy illusory.

At the outset of the Balkan Wars, Count Berchtold pursued a hard-line policy and flirted with the idea of war against Serbia, but vacillated and pulled back from intervention at the last moment. Although he managed to prevent Serbia from securing an outlet to the Adriatic Sea with the creation of Albania, the Balkan Wars resulted in a failure to contain the rising Russian influence in the Balkans and thwart Serbian ambitions for a South Slav state. It meant diplomatic defeat for Austria-Hungary and also a reputation of being weak and indecisive for Count Berchtold.

Count Berchtold's focus on Serbia was grown out of a fear of Serbian territorial expansion in the Balkans and also a complication of matters within the multinational Dual Monarchy and eventually result in the dissolution of the empire itself.

July Crisis
Following the Balkan Wars, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 was therefore a culmination of the heightened tension between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. If Count Berchtold had been accused of indecisiveness and diffidence during the Balkan Wars, he gave proof of more resolve during the July Crisis. Pushed by the so-called Young Rebels at the Ballhausplatz led by Count Hoyos, his chef de cabinet, Count Berchtold seized the opportunity to launch punitive action against Serbia and deal the country a mortal blow.

After having dispatched Count Hoyos on a mission to Berlin on 5 July to secure German support for Austria-Hungary's future actions, which resulted in the famous ' blank cheque ', he became the leading spokesman, together with the Chief of the General Staff General Conrad von Hötzendorf, for war against Serbia during the meeting of the imperial Crown Council on 7 July. Through the moderating influence of the Hungarian Minister-President Count Tisza, who had reservations on the use of force against Serbia, it was decided to present Serbia with an ultimatum. The ten-point ultimatum was presented to Emperor Franz Joseph on 21 July and transmitted to Belgrade on 23 July. Serbia (conditionally) accepted all points of the ultimatum but the one that permitted Austro-Hungarian authorities to participate in the investigation of the assassination on Serbian territory. As the ultimatum required acceptance of all ten demands, Serbia's refusal forced the Austro-Hungarian government to declare war on Serbia on 28 July.

World War I
Once the war had started, Count Berchtold focused his efforts on the question of Italy’s participation in the war that would lead to his downfall. The main problem was Italy’s demands for territorial compensation from Austria-Hungary in return for remaining in the Triple Alliance. When Rome presented the Ballhausplatz with demands for control over territories in southern Austria-Hungary, Berchtold demurred and refused to offer any Habsburg concessions, especially not in the Trentino.

However, Italian Foreign Minister Baron Sonnino succeeded in obtaining vague promises of compensations in South Tyrol from Germany and by the end of 1914, Count Berchtold informed the Crown Council that the choice was either acceptance of the Italian demands or a declaration of war. Both Count Tisza and General Conrad von Hötzendorf expressed a preference for the latter. Under mounting German pressure, Count Berchtold, however, indicated that he was ready to cede the Trentino and parts of the Albanian coastline. When he informed Count Tisza and General Conrad von Hötzendorf of the concessions he was ready to give, they forced him to resign on 13 January 1915. At Count Tisza’s insistence he was replaced by the more pugnacious Count Burián.

Count Berchtold played no further public role during the war although he was appointed Lord High Steward to Archduke Karl, the heir apparent, in March 1916 and became Lord Chamberlain following the latter's accession to the throne in November.

Count Berchtold had been invested as a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1912 and bestowed with the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen in 1914.

After the war, he retired as a grand seigneur on his estate at Peresznye near Csepreg in Hungary, where he died on 21 November 1942. He was buried in the family tomb at Buchlau.

Assessment
Count Berchtold was described at the time as "intelligent and hard-working" and possessive of a "great personal charm" that made him well-liked at court. Indeed, he possessed all the social graces required at the Hofburg and impressed with his aristocratic background which helps explaining his rapid promotion. However, for the post of Imperial Foreign Minister he lacked both strength of character and broad experience. This contributed to quick reversals of policy which resulted in a foreign policy that was often perceived as inconsistent and vacillating.

Many historians have regarded him as indecisive and diffident. However, during the July Crisis this appears not to have been the case as he "commanded and managed the process" on this occasion. His responsibility for the outbreak of the First World War has been much debated by historians. Without a doubt, he played a leading role in the intransigent formulation in the ultimatum of 23 July, the declaration of war on 28 July and the rebuttal of Grey's mediation proposal on 29 July. Although he believed that only the defeat of Serbia could preserve the Dual Monarchy, he was, however, not personally a warmonger, as can be said of General Conrad von Hötzendorf. At the same time, his lack of self-confidence at the helm of Austro-Hungarian diplomacy made him susceptible for persuasion by his pro-war personal staff at the Ballhausplatz on whose advice and opinions he was heavily dependent.

Although Count Berchtold may have pushed for war, the main question though is whether he understood that a war against Serbia carried the risk of a major European war. It seems, for example, that a Russian intervention was not taken into much consideration by the Austro-Hungarian leaders during the decision-making process. If he did not apprehend the consequences of his policies sufficiently, he was, however, not alone; as a matter of fact there were few diplomats at the time who actually did.

In television
Count Berchtold was portrayed by actor John Gielgud in the 1969 film Oh! What A Lovely War.