14 Facts About Leopold Berchtold

Leopold Berchtold belonged to a wealthy Austrian noble family that owned lands in Moravia and Hungary.

Leopold Berchtold was reputed to be one of Austria-Hungary's richest men.

In December 1906, Count Leopold Berchtold was appointed as the successor of Count Alois von Aehrenthal as Ambassador to Russia upon the latter's appointment as imperial foreign minister.

Leopold Berchtold served with distinction for five years in St Petersburg and experienced Russia's distrust and fear of Vienna.

At the death of Aehrenthal in February 1912, Count Leopold Berchtold was appointed as his successor and thus became, at the age of 49, the youngest foreign minister in Europe.

At the outset of the Balkan Wars, Count Leopold 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.

The previous night, according to his wife Nadine's testimony, Count Leopold Berchtold spent a sleepless night, altering the ultimatum and adding clauses, as he was very worried the Serbs could accept it.

Once war had started, Count Leopold Berchtold focused his efforts on the question of Italy's participation, the outcome of which would lead to his downfall.

When Rome presented the Ballhausplatz with demands for control over territories in southern Austria-Hungary, Leopold Berchtold demurred and refused to offer any Habsburg concessions, especially not in the Trentino.

However, Italian Foreign Minister Baron Sidney Sonnino succeeded in obtaining vague promises of compensations in South Tyrol from Germany and by the end of 1914, Count Leopold Berchtold informed the Crown Council that the choice was either acceptance of the Italian demands or a declaration of war.

Under mounting German pressure, Count Leopold Berchtold indicated that he was ready to cede the Trentino and parts of the Albanian coastline.

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

Leopold Berchtold died at Peresznye on 21 November 1942 and was buried in the family tomb at Buchlau.

Leopold Berchtold believed that only the defeat of Serbia could preserve the Dual Monarchy.