Early life Born in
Vienna on 18 April 1863 as the son of Count Sigismund Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz, Frättling und Püllütz (1834–1900) and his wife, Countess Josephine von
Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg (1835–1894). He belonged to a wealthy
Austrian noble family that owned lands in
Moravia and
Hungary. He was reputed to be one of
Austria-Hungary's richest men. His paternal grandparents were Count Siegmund Andreas Corsinus Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz and Countess Ludmilla Maria Theresia Wratislavová z Mitrowicz. His maternal grandparents were Franz Joseph Ferdinand von Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg (grandson of Prince
Ferdinand von Trauttmansdorff) and Countess Josephine
Károlyi de Nagykárolyi. Tutored at home, he later studied law and joined the
Austro-Hungarian foreign service in 1893.
Career After his 1893 marriage, he 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
Alois 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 Aehrenthal and the Russian Foreign Minister
Alexander Izvolsky at his estate at
Buchlau 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 Aehrenthal in February 1912, Count Berchtold was appointed as his successor and thus became, at the age of 49, the youngest foreign minister in Europe. His appointment reportedly came against his own will and despite lack of experience in domestic affairs, as well as in military matters.
Balkan Wars , 1906 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. It meant diplomatic defeat for Austria-Hungary and also a reputation of being weak and indecisive for Count Berchtold.
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. The Serbian government 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, which would have been a severe violation of Serbian sovereignty and the country's constitution. As the acceptance of all 10 demands listed in the ultimatum was required, the Austro-Hungarian government made a decision to enter a state of war with Serbia on 28 July, for which Berchtold is described as being largely to blame.
World War I Once war had started, Count Berchtold focused his efforts on the question of
Italy's participation, the outcome of which would lead to his downfall. The main problem was Italy's demands for territorial compensation in exchange for remaining within 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. 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 Tisza and Conrad 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. 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. and bestowed with the
Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen in 1914. After his resignation as foreign minister in 1917, he served as Grand Chamberlain (Oberstkammerer) of Emperor Charles I. Thus he was responsible for inspecting the ancestral tree and other documents submitted from those nobles who wished to be considered for the honorary post of
chamberlain. These would be laid before the emperor for approval or rejection, or whether an exception would be made. After the war, he retired as a grand seigneur on his estate at
Peresznye near
Csepreg in Hungary.
Personal life On 25 January 1893 in
Budapest, he married Countess Ferdinanda
Károlyi de Nagykároly (1868–1955), the daughter of Countess Franciska "Fanni"
Erdödy and Count
Alajos Károlyi, one of the richest aristocrats in Hungary who served as the
Austrian ambassador to the German Empire, as well as to the
United Kingdom. Her maternal aunt, Countess Hanna Erdödy, was the wife of Count
Béla Széchenyi von Sárvár-Felsövidék, a "personal friend" of King
Edward VII. Together, they were the parents of two sons: • Count Aloys "Louis" Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz (1894–1977), who never married. • Count Adalbert "Bela" Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz (1895–1906), who died young. • Count Sigismund "Sziga" Berchtold von und zu Ungarschitz (1900–1979), who married Countess
Maria Anna "Etti" Esterházy ( von
Wurmbrand-Stuppach), the former wife of
Clendenin J. Ryan, Count
Paul Pálffy ab Erdöd, and Count Tamás
Esterházy, in 1944. They divorced in 1949 and she married
William Deering Davis and then
Árpád Plesch. Sziga then married Emilia de Gosztonyi (former wife of Michael Bankier and Robin Alexander Lyle) in 1953. After their divorce in 1956, she married
Prince Vsevolod Ivanovich of Russia. Sziga then married Eva Machan, the former wife of Count Leopold zu Hardegg auf Glatz und im Machlande, in 1967. Once, in
Karlsbad, he was asked what nationality he identified as, German, Hungarian, or Czech. Berchtold replied he was Viennese. He was pressed to answer and asked what side he would take in the event of conflict between the nationalities. Berchtold confidently replied, “the side of the emperor.” Berchtold died at
Peresznye on 21 November 1942 and was buried in the family tomb at
Buchlau. == Legacy ==