Count Frigyes Szapáry de Szapár, Muraszombat et Széchy-Sziget (15 November 1869 – 18 March 1935), 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 of Hungarian origin serving as ambassador at
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
at the outbreak of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and who played a key role during the
July Crisis
The July Crisis was a series of interrelated diplomatic and military escalations among the major powers of Europe in the summer of 1914, Causes of World War I, which led to the outbreak of World War I (1914–1918). The crisis began on 28 June 1 ...
of 1914.
Life
Born in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
on 15 November 1869 into a prominent Hungarian
House of Szapáry, as the second son of
Count László Szapáry (1831–1883), an Austro-Hungarian general who had played a leading role in the
occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878, and his wife, Countess Marianne von
Grünne (1835-1906), great-granddaughter of
Prince Ferdinand von Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg. He was also a cousin of
Count Gyula Szapáry
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
, Prime Minister of Hungary from 1890 to 1892.
On 27 April 1908, he married Princess Hedwig von
Windisch-Graetz
The House of Windisch-Graetz, also spelled Windisch-Grätz, is an Austrian-Slovenian aristocratic family, descending from Windischgraz in Lower Styria (present-day Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia). The noble dynasty serving the House of Habsburg achieve ...
(1878–1918), daughter of
Alfred Fürst zu Windisch-Grätz and Princess Marie Gabrielle Eleonore von
Auersperg (1855–1933). Her father had been Minister President of Austria from 1893 to 1895 and served as President of the Upper Chamber. The couple had four children of which the daughter Marianne (1911–1988) was the mother of
Princess Michael of Kent
Princess Michael of Kent (born Baroness Marie-Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz, 15 January 1945) is a member of the British royal family of German, Austrian, Czech and Hungarian descent. She is married to Prince Michael of Kent, ...
.
Following studies in law, Count Szapáry joined the
Austro-Hungarian foreign service The Austro-Hungarian Foreign Service (german: k. u. k. Auswärtige Dienst) was the diplomatic service carrying out the foreign policy of the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from the formation of the Dual Monarchy in 1867 until it was dissol ...
and began his diplomatic career in 1895 as an attaché in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, followed by postings in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
in 1899 and
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
in 1903. In 1907, he returned to Vienna to serve in the Foreign Ministry at the
Ballhausplatz
Ballhausplatz is a square in central Vienna containing the building (with the address Ballhausplatz 2) that for over two hundred years has been the official residence of the most senior Austrian Cabinet Minister, the State Chancellor, today the C ...
and made a rapid career. Considered a rising star he was appointed as
chef de cabinet
In several French-speaking countries and international organisations, a (French; literally 'head of office') is a senior civil servant or official who acts as an aide or private secretary to a high-ranking government figure, typically a minist ...
to Foreign Minister
Count Lexa von Aehrenthal in December 1909, a post that allowed him to exercise considerable influence over policy-making. Considered a protégé of Aehrenthal, he belonged to a group of younger diplomats (together with
Count von Hoyos and
Count von Forgách) who believed that the Dual Monarchy could only be saved from disintegration by a more aggressive and dynamic foreign policy. During the
Balkan crisis, he had favoured armed intervention against Serbia. In April 1912, he was appointed to Second Section Chief, which was equivalent to head of the Political Section, in a period of international turmoil. Described as "gifted, quick, hard-working, and a bit mysterious", Aehrenthal's successor
Count Berchtold lauded him as for "his outstanding skill in handling political issues and his judgment which far exceeded the norm".
![Austrian Embassy Sergievskaya 1914 5a Facade](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Austrian_Embassy_Sergievskaya_1914_5a_Facade.jpg)
On 1 October 1913, Count Szapáry was appointed as ambassador at
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
which was significant in the sense that he was considered a
Russophobe
Anti-Russian sentiment, commonly referred to as Russophobia, is dislike or fear of Russia, the Russians, Russian culture. or Russian policy. The Collins English Dictionary defines it as intense and often irrational hatred of Russia. It is the ...
and was far less willing to accommodate the Russians than his predecessor had been. However, he did not arrive until early the following year and he presented his credentials to the
Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...
first on 14 February 1914. Due to pressing family matters, he had to leave within two weeks and returned to St. Petersburg in mid-April, staying until late May. He returned only in mid-July which meant that the Dual Monarchy lacked its chief diplomat in the Russian capital during the Sarajevo crisis, daily business being conducted by
Count Czernin as chargé d'affaires.
Once back to St. Petersburg on 17 July, Count Szapáry came to play a significant role. At a diplomatic reception on 21 July, he had a sharp exchange with the visiting French President
Poincaré and he held several meetings with Russian Foreign Minister
Sazonov over the following days.
[For an account of the meetings, see for example Clive Ponting, ''Thirteen days: diplomacy and disaster'', London, Pimlico, 2002.] However, as war proved inevitable it eventually fell upon him to deliver the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war against Russia on 6 August, whereupon he left St. Petersburg.
In 1915, he became a member of the Upper House (''Herrenhaus''), but played no further major role during the war. He was the maternal grandfather of
Princess Michael of Kent
Princess Michael of Kent (born Baroness Marie-Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz, 15 January 1945) is a member of the British royal family of German, Austrian, Czech and Hungarian descent. She is married to Prince Michael of Kent, ...
.
Count Szapáry died in Vienna on 18 March 1935.
Notes
Works
* 'Das Verhältnis österreich-Ungarns zu Russland' in Eduard Ritter von Steinitz (ed.), ''Rings um Sasonow'', Berlin, Verlag für Kulturpolitik, 1928.
* 'Aus den Krisenjahren 1908 bis 1913', in Eduard Ritter von Steinitz (ed.), ''Erinnerungen an Franz Joseph I'', Berlin, Verlag für Kulturpolitik, 1931.
References
External links
*
ww.oocities.org/veldes1/szecsen.html 'Friedrich Graf Szápáry von Muraszombat, Szechysziget, und Szápár', Solving Problems Through Forcebr>
'Szapáry Frigyes, gróf', Magyar Életrajzi Lexikon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szapary, Friedrich Von
1869 births
1935 deaths
Austro-Hungarian diplomats of World War I
Austro-Hungarian diplomats
Austrian diplomats
Hungarian diplomats
Hungarian nobility
Frigyes
Knights of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
Ambassadors of Austria-Hungary to Russia