Alexander Hoyos
Encyclopedia
Alexander (Georg) Graf von Hoyos, Freiherr zu Stichsenstein (13 May 1876 – 20 October 1937), was an Austro-Hungarian
diplomat who played a major role during the July Crisis while serving as chef de cabinet
of the Foreign Minister at the outbreak of the World War I
in 1914. He was the grandson of Robert Whitehead
, the inventor of the torpedo
.
, Croatia) on 13 May 1876 into the House of Hoyos
, a noble family that hailed originally from Spain, but which had immigrated to Austria around 1525. Over the centuries, the family had become part of the Hungarian magnates.
His parents were Georg, Count Hoyos (1842–1904) and Alice Whitehead, who was the daughter of Robert Whitehead
, the British engineer and inventor of the torpedo
. They had married in 1869, and Georg had been in charge of the Whitehead shipyard in Fiume at the time. One of his sisters, Marguerite (1871–1945), was married to Herbert von Bismarck
, the oldest son of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck
.
On 24 April 1913, he married Edmée de Loys-Chandieu (1892–1945) in Paris, the daughter of Henri, Marquis de Loys-Chandieu, and the couple had four children. His daughter Melanie, Countess Hoyos married a member of the Bismarck family. His descendants include Stephanie zu Guttenberg
.
in 1900. Then followed postings as attaché in Paris
, Belgrade
and Berlin
and from 1905 as counsellor first at the legation in Stuttgart
, then at the embassy in London
.
During the Bosnian crisis
in 1908, he was sent on a mission to Berlin to lobby German support for the annexation and became an ardent supporter of Count Lexa von Aehrenthal's more activist foreign policy.
In April 1912, he was appointed to serve as chef de cabinet
to the Imperial Foreign Minister Count von Berchtold, a post that had gained considerably in significance under his predecessor Count Szapáry. Count von Hoyos quickly became an influential adviser to Berchtold and became the leader of a group of younger diplomats at the Ballhausplatz
, referred to as the 'Young Rebels', who favoured a more aggressive foreign policy, as the only recipe to stop the decline of the Dual Monarchy and avoid its disintegration. This policy line would prove fatal during the summer of 1914.
following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
in Sarajevo
on 28 June 1914. Together with Count von Forgách
, who served as Second Section Chief and was another prominent member of the Young Rebels, he quickly became one of the most vocal pro-war diplomats during the ensuing July Crisis.
Count von Hoyos quickly advocated a firm, tough and confrontational approach towards Serbia. During the ensuing days a general consensus of war with Serbia was achieved in Vienna. Before the assassination, a memorandum calling for a more aggressive foreign policy in the Balkans had been prepared in the Ballhausplatz. This one was now revised under Count von Hoyos' guidance to counselling a military solution. In addition, a letter from Emperor Franz Joseph I to the Kaiser in the same spirit was drafted.
In order to ascertain the position of its ally Germany, Count von Berchtold decided on 4 July to send his chef de cabinet to Berlin to bypass the Ambassador at Berlin Count von Szögyény-Marich, whom he considered "too aged and unimaginative for such an important task". The following day, Count von Hoyos arrived to Berlin with the memorandum and the Emperor's letter to secure German support. While Count von Szögyény-Marich met the Kaiser for lunch at Potsdam, Count von Hoyos met the Under Secretary of State Zimmermann
(as Secretary of State von Jagow
had just married and was away on his honeymoon). In the evening, Count von Szögyény-Marich cabled about the Kaiser's pledge of "full German backing". Count von Hoyos had received a similar message from Zimmermann during his meeting. The following day the two diplomats met with Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg
and Zimmermann where the Kaiser's commitments were confirmed. Austria-Hungary had thus received the famous "blank check" for dealing with Serbia. Upon his return to Vienna on 7 July, Count von Hoyos reported back and acted as secretary during the meeting of the Common Ministerial Council the same day as well as on 19 July, when agreement was found on the last details about the note to Serbia.
While it is beyond doubt that Count von Hoyos and others in the Austro-Hungarian leadership not only foresaw but wanted war during the July Crisis, it has, however, been much debated amongst historians as to whether they fully understood the scale of such a war. Some have argued that they considered a Russian intervention as unlikely and that the intention was a limited war, while others have pointed to numerous remarks made during the course of July that undertaking action against Serbia would lead to a European war. However, what is clear is that a Russian intervention was not taken into much consideration. One can, for example, find little if any records of the issue being discussed in the minutes that Count von Hoyos wrote from the two meetings of the Common Ministerial Council in July.
).
After the fall of the Habsburg empire, he retired from public service and died in Schwertberg
on 20 October 1937.
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
diplomat who played a major role during the July Crisis while serving as chef de cabinet
Chef de Cabinet
Chef de Cabinet is the head of an office in the United Nations Secretariat, appointed by the Secretary-General, or in the European Commission, appointed by an individual European Commissioner for his personal cabinet. The position's rank and responsibilities are equivalent to a chief of staff....
of the Foreign Minister at the outbreak of the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1914. He was the grandson of Robert Whitehead
Robert Whitehead
Robert Whitehead was an English engineer. He developed the first effective self-propelled naval torpedo. His company, located in the Austrian naval centre in Fiume, was the world leader in torpedo development and production up to the First World War.- Early life:He was born the son of a...
, the inventor of the torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
.
Family
He was born in Fiume (now RijekaRijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
, Croatia) on 13 May 1876 into the House of Hoyos
House of Hoyos
The House of Hoyos is a Spanish and Austro-Hungarian noble family. Itderives its name from El Hoyo de Pinares in Ávila, Castile and León, and can be traced to the 9th century...
, a noble family that hailed originally from Spain, but which had immigrated to Austria around 1525. Over the centuries, the family had become part of the Hungarian magnates.
His parents were Georg, Count Hoyos (1842–1904) and Alice Whitehead, who was the daughter of Robert Whitehead
Robert Whitehead
Robert Whitehead was an English engineer. He developed the first effective self-propelled naval torpedo. His company, located in the Austrian naval centre in Fiume, was the world leader in torpedo development and production up to the First World War.- Early life:He was born the son of a...
, the British engineer and inventor of the torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
. They had married in 1869, and Georg had been in charge of the Whitehead shipyard in Fiume at the time. One of his sisters, Marguerite (1871–1945), was married to Herbert von Bismarck
Herbert von Bismarck
Herbert, Prince of Bismarck was a German politician, who served as Foreign Secretary from 1886 to 1890. His political career was closely tied to that of his father, Otto von Bismarck, and he left office a few days after his father's dismissal...
, the oldest son of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
.
On 24 April 1913, he married Edmée de Loys-Chandieu (1892–1945) in Paris, the daughter of Henri, Marquis de Loys-Chandieu, and the couple had four children. His daughter Melanie, Countess Hoyos married a member of the Bismarck family. His descendants include Stephanie zu Guttenberg
Stephanie zu Guttenberg
Stephanie Freifrau von und zu Guttenberg , née Stephanie Gräfin von Bismarck-Schönhausen, is a German activist against child abuse, and the President of Innocence in Danger, an NGO advocating Internet censorship of child pornography and a co-author of a book about these topics.She is the wife of...
.
Career
Following an expedition to China with his uncle, who served as British chargé d'affaires in Tokyo, Count von Hoyos started his diplomatic career as a provisional attaché at the legation in BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in 1900. Then followed postings as attaché in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and from 1905 as counsellor first at the legation in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, then at the embassy in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
During the Bosnian crisis
Bosnian crisis
The Bosnian Crisis of 1908–1909, also known as the Annexation crisis, or the First Balkan Crisis, erupted into public view when on 6 October 1908, Austria-Hungary announced the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Britain, Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany and France...
in 1908, he was sent on a mission to Berlin to lobby German support for the annexation and became an ardent supporter of Count Lexa von Aehrenthal's more activist foreign policy.
In April 1912, he was appointed to serve as chef de cabinet
Chef de Cabinet
Chef de Cabinet is the head of an office in the United Nations Secretariat, appointed by the Secretary-General, or in the European Commission, appointed by an individual European Commissioner for his personal cabinet. The position's rank and responsibilities are equivalent to a chief of staff....
to the Imperial Foreign Minister Count von Berchtold, a post that had gained considerably in significance under his predecessor Count Szapáry. Count von Hoyos quickly became an influential adviser to Berchtold and became the leader of a group of younger diplomats at the Ballhausplatz
Ballhausplatz
Ballhausplatz is a square in central Vienna containing the building that for over two hundred years has been the official residence of the most senior Austrian Cabinet Minister, the State Chancellor, today the Chancellor of Austria . As a result, Ballhausplatz is often used as shorthand for the...
, referred to as the 'Young Rebels', who favoured a more aggressive foreign policy, as the only recipe to stop the decline of the Dual Monarchy and avoid its disintegration. This policy line would prove fatal during the summer of 1914.
July Crisis
As chef de cabinet, Count von Hoyos was at the centre of decision-making at BallhausplatzBallhausplatz
Ballhausplatz is a square in central Vienna containing the building that for over two hundred years has been the official residence of the most senior Austrian Cabinet Minister, the State Chancellor, today the Chancellor of Austria . As a result, Ballhausplatz is often used as shorthand for the...
following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Franz Ferdinand was an Archduke of Austria-Este, Austro-Hungarian and Royal Prince of Hungary and of Bohemia, and from 1889 until his death, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo precipitated Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia...
in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
on 28 June 1914. Together with Count von Forgách
Count Johann von Forgách
Johann Graf Forgách von Ghymes und Gács , was an Austro-Hungarian diplomat of Hungarian origin who played a prominent role during World War I and in particular the July Crisis.- Life :...
, who served as Second Section Chief and was another prominent member of the Young Rebels, he quickly became one of the most vocal pro-war diplomats during the ensuing July Crisis.
Count von Hoyos quickly advocated a firm, tough and confrontational approach towards Serbia. During the ensuing days a general consensus of war with Serbia was achieved in Vienna. Before the assassination, a memorandum calling for a more aggressive foreign policy in the Balkans had been prepared in the Ballhausplatz. This one was now revised under Count von Hoyos' guidance to counselling a military solution. In addition, a letter from Emperor Franz Joseph I to the Kaiser in the same spirit was drafted.
In order to ascertain the position of its ally Germany, Count von Berchtold decided on 4 July to send his chef de cabinet to Berlin to bypass the Ambassador at Berlin Count von Szögyény-Marich, whom he considered "too aged and unimaginative for such an important task". The following day, Count von Hoyos arrived to Berlin with the memorandum and the Emperor's letter to secure German support. While Count von Szögyény-Marich met the Kaiser for lunch at Potsdam, Count von Hoyos met the Under Secretary of State Zimmermann
Arthur Zimmermann
Arthur Zimmermann was State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the German Empire from November 22, 1916, until his resignation on August 6, 1917. His name is associated with the Zimmermann Telegram during World War I...
(as Secretary of State von Jagow
Gottlieb von Jagow
Gottlieb von Jagow was a German diplomat. He served as the foreign minister of Germany between January 1913 and 1916....
had just married and was away on his honeymoon). In the evening, Count von Szögyény-Marich cabled about the Kaiser's pledge of "full German backing". Count von Hoyos had received a similar message from Zimmermann during his meeting. The following day the two diplomats met with Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg
Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg
Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg was a German politician and statesman who served as Chancellor of the German Empire from 1909 to 1917.-Origins:...
and Zimmermann where the Kaiser's commitments were confirmed. Austria-Hungary had thus received the famous "blank check" for dealing with Serbia. Upon his return to Vienna on 7 July, Count von Hoyos reported back and acted as secretary during the meeting of the Common Ministerial Council the same day as well as on 19 July, when agreement was found on the last details about the note to Serbia.
While it is beyond doubt that Count von Hoyos and others in the Austro-Hungarian leadership not only foresaw but wanted war during the July Crisis, it has, however, been much debated amongst historians as to whether they fully understood the scale of such a war. Some have argued that they considered a Russian intervention as unlikely and that the intention was a limited war, while others have pointed to numerous remarks made during the course of July that undertaking action against Serbia would lead to a European war. However, what is clear is that a Russian intervention was not taken into much consideration. One can, for example, find little if any records of the issue being discussed in the minutes that Count von Hoyos wrote from the two meetings of the Common Ministerial Council in July.
World War I
After the war had begun, Count von Hoyos was relegated to a minor role but remained as chef de cabinet until January 1917, when he was demoted to serve as minister at the newly opened legation at Christiania (now OsloOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
).
After the fall of the Habsburg empire, he retired from public service and died in Schwertberg
Schwertberg
Schwertberg is a market town in the district of Perg in Upper Austria in Austria....
on 20 October 1937.
Works
- Der deutsch-englische Gegensatz und sein Einfluß auf die Balkanpolitik Österreich-Ungarns, Berlin, Verlag de Gryter, 1922.
- Weltenwende. Ein Vorschlag zur Lösung der Weltkrise, Vienna, Verlag Jung Österreich, 1931.