Leupold von berchtold biography pictures

Early life Born in Vienna on 18 April as the son of Count Sigismund Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz, Frättling und Püllütz (–) and his wife, Countess Josephine von Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg (–).

Graf Leopold Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz was born into a distinguished, extremely wealthy German-Moravian family with extensive land holdings in Bohemia, Hungary, and Lower Austria. His father, Sigmund Graf Berchtold served in the Moravian Landtag and the Austrian Reichsrat ; his maternal grandfather had been Habsburg ambassador to Prussia.

Tutored at home, a customary practice for aristocratic children, he also completed a law degree. Fluent in Czech, Slovak, English, French and Italian, his competency in Magyar allowed him to address Hungarian politicians in their milieu. In , he began an administrative career in Moravia. Later, in , Berchtold transferred to the Habsburg foreign ministry , initially working on Vatican and Albanian issues.

In , after passing an entry examination, he went to Paris as legation secretary.

English: Leopold Anton Johann Sigismund Josef Korsinus Ferdinand Graf Berchtold (in English: Count Leopold Anthony John Sigismund Joseph Corsinus Ferdinand von Berchtold, in .

Petersburg, but he declined. Instead, he went to London as first secretary in the embassy. But Aehrenthal continued to press Berchtold to come to Russia ; he did so in March and succeeded Aehrenthal as ambassador in when Aehrenthal became Habsburg foreign minister. Berchtold remained in St. Petersburg, the second most important embassy, until he retired in mid to return to Austria-Hungary.

Francis Joseph I, Emperor of Austria appointed a reluctant Berchtold foreign minister on 17 February , following the death of Aehrenthal. At forty-nine, he was the youngest foreign minister in Europe. The Thronfolger Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria-Este played no part in his appointment, though they were well acquainted and their wives were childhood friends.

In the first two years and , Berchtold faced a series of interlocking issues that brought the monarchy to the edge of war with Serbia twice, Montenegro once, and Russia once. Russia kept thousands of extra troops on duty after their enlistments ended; Vienna responded with gradual troop increases along the Russian border and in Bosnia-Herzegovina to protect the Habsburg position.