Albert Viktor Julius Joseph Michael Graf von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein (5 September 1861 – 15 June 1945) was an
Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
diplomat who served as Ambassador to London at the outbreak of
World War I.
Life and career
Born in Lemberg (now
Lviv) on 5 September 1861 as the second son of
, a former Austro-Hungarian politician, and his wife Alexandrine (''née'' Countess von
Dietrichstein-Proskau und Leslie), heiress of the Princes of
Dietrichstein. The
Mensdorff-Pouilly family originated from
Lorraine in France and had fled the
French revolution in 1790.
Count von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein entered the
Austro-Hungarian foreign service in 1884 and was assigned as an attaché to the embassy in
Paris and transferred to
London in 1889. His family connections with the British court, derived through the marriage of his grandfather Count
Emmanuel von Mensdorff-Pouilly with
Queen Victoria's aunt,
Princess Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and his father had been a godson and friend of Queen Victoria's husband, the
Prince Consort. On 6 May 1904, he presented his credentials as Ambassador of the Dual Monarchy at the
Court of St. James's
The Court of St James's is the royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. All ambassadors to the United Kingdom are formally received by the court. All ambassadors from the United Kingdom are formally accredited from the court – &n ...
, a promotion over the heads of many of his seniors that had come at the request of his second cousin King
Edward VII.
Considered both an effective and popular diplomat in London's aristocratic circles, his friendship with King Edward VII and his successor
George V gave him an entrée to the British court unrivalled by any other diplomat. This contributed to the secure and friendly diplomatic relations between Austria-Hungary and Great Britain before the war. However, his alleged
Anglophilia also brought him a certain mistrust in some circles in Vienna, including
Archduke Franz Ferdinand. In the critical negotiations during the
July Crisis of 1914, he supported the attempts to avert the danger and correspondence has shown that he was not kept fully informed of his capital's intentions. War against Austria-Hungary was declared by the United Kingdom on 12 August, whereafter Count von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein left London.
During
World War I, Mensdorff-Pouilly was entrusted with several diplomatic missions directed towards the restoration of peace. The most famous one was the meeting with General
Jan Smuts in
Geneva in December 1917. However, these negotiations proved as fruitless as those which he conducted with the representatives of the
Triple Entente in the last days of the
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
.
In 1917, Mensdorff-Pouilly was appointed to the Upper House (''Herrenhaus'') and in the following year he was a favourite of the court to replace
Count Ottokar Czernin
Ottokar Theobald Otto Maria ''Graf'' Czernin von und zu Chudenitz ( cs, Otakar Theobald Otto Maria hrabě Černín z Chudenic; 26 September 1872 – 4 April 1932) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian diplomat and politician during the time of ...
as
foreign minister
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
, but he was judged too Anglophile by Berlin.
Although the count retired from active service in 1919, he was appointed the first chief delegate of the Republic of Austria to the
League of Nations in 1920. In this capacity, he negotiated the Geneva Protocols in 1922 on a loan for the economic and financial reconstruction of Austria.
Count von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein died in Vienna on 15 June 1945.
Honours
He received the following orders and decorations:
* :
** Grand Cross of the
Imperial Order of Leopold, ''1908''
** Commander of the
Teutonic Order
* : Grand Cross of the
Order of Saint Alexander
*
Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the
Saxe-Ernestine House Order
* : Grand Cross of the
Order of Saint Olav, ''26 February 1917''
* :
Order of Osmanieh, 1st Class
*
Parmese Ducal Family: Senator Grand Cross of the
Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
* : Knight of the
Order of Saint Anna, 2nd Class
* :
Honorary Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, ''30 June 1897''; Grand Cross, ''11 October 1901''
Ancestry
References
External links
*
'Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein Albert Graf', Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815-1950
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein, Albert von
1861 births
1945 deaths
Austro-Hungarian diplomats of World War I
Austro-Hungarian diplomats
Austrian diplomats
Counts of Austria
Diplomats from Lviv
Austrian people of French descent
Ambassadors of Austria-Hungary to the United Kingdom
Albert
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class
Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order