BERCHTOLD VON UND ZU UNGARSCHITZ, LEOPOLD, COUNT (1863— ), Austro-Hungarian statesman, was born April 18 1863, and entered the Austro-Hungarian For eign Office 1893. In 1903 he went as councillor of legation to St. Petersburg (now Leningrad) and in Dec. 1906 was appointed ambassador there. With the Russian court and the aristocratic society of St. Petersburg he maintained the best relations, but failed entirely in his efforts to accommodate the obviously in creasing differences between Russian and Austro-Hungarian policy. He took a leading part in the negotiations preceding the crisis caused by the annexation of Bosnia-Hercegovina, which aimed at securing common action of the two Powers in the Balkan question. It was at his château of Buchlov, in Moravia, that the fateful conference took place between Izvolski and Aehrenthal (Sept. 15 1908). In March 191I Count Berchtold was recalled from Russia, and on Feb. 17 1912, he was, against his own will, appointed Aehrenthal's successor as foreign minister in the Austro-Hungarian Government.
His efforts were directed toward securing the position of Austria-Hungary in the Balkan peninsula. At this time he con sidered possible a peaceful solution of the Balkan question by agreement with Russia and the Western Powers. But the obvious efforts of Russian statesmen to weaken the influence of Austria Hungary in the Balkans, the aggressive activities of the Serbs and the ambiguous behaviour of Bulgaria forced him to change his attitude, especially as he failed to receive from the Western Powers the support which he had sought.
During the three Balkan wars, Oct. 1912 to Aug. 1913, Berch told's attitude was characterized by weakness and indecision. He repeatedly took steps toward active intervention, but drew back when the Entente Powers used threats, and the other members of the Triple Alliance intervened with counsels of moderation in Vienna. His efforts at the close of the third Balkan War to secure a revision of the Treaty of Bucharest (Aug. 10 1913), which was unfavourable to Bulgaria, were as unsuccessful as his attempt to secure an accommodation between Bulgaria and her rivals by way of direct negotiation. The prestige of Austria Hungary in the Balkans noticeably declined. Serbia's endeavours to extend her power to the Adriatic and to win recruits for the ideal of Great Serbia among the kindred Slav races of Austria Hungary became more and more evident. For these reasons, at the conferences at the Ballplatz which followed the murder of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the throne, on June 28, 1914, Berchtold maintained the view that a definitive settle ment with Serbia was essential, even at the risk of war with Russia and France.
After the outbreak of the World War he directed his efforts to inducing Italy and Rumania to carry out their obligations and to securing new allies for the Central Powers. These efforts were, for the most part, unsuccessful. Turkey alone joined the Central Powers. Rumania and Italy declared their neutrality; even Bulgaria dragged out the negotiations, though Berchtold offered great concessions in return for her active intervention on the side of Austria-Hungary and Germany. Italy's demands for compensation were acknowledged in principle by Berchtold, under pressure from Germany, but he embarked on the negoti ations with hesitation, and to the day of his resignation (Jan. 13 1915) he refused to listen to any proposal for the cession of Austrian territory. In March 1916 Berchtold was appointed Obersthofmeister (lord high steward) to the heir to the throne, Charles Francis Joseph, whom he subsequently served as Oberst kammerer (lord high chamberlain). After the fall of the dynasty he took no further part in politics.