Career
He took part in several important negotiations, including that leading to the Mürzsteg Agreement (1903). These were all based on the same general idea of friendly cooperation with Russia on the basis of concessions to Russia in the Black Sea Straits question in return for a free hand for Austria in the western Balkans. Appointed foreign minister in 1906, Aehrenthal initiated the famous negotiations with the Russian foreign minister, Alexander Petrovich Izvolsky. The negotiations ended in a verbal agreement, concluded between the two men with no witnesses present, at Buchlau, the Moravian residence of Austria's ambassador to Russia, Count Leopold von Berchtold, on Sept. 15, 1908. Shortly afterward Aehrenthal, without further notification to Russia, announced the annexation by Austria-Hungary of Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Izvolsky had expected further conversations to result in international agreement on concessions to Russia in the Straits and, when, owing to British opposition, Russia came out empty-handed, accused Aehrenthal of breach of faith. From this moment, conflict between Russia and Austria seemed inevitable. Nevertheless, Aehrenthal refused to accept the advice of the chief of the general staff, Conrad von Hoetzendorff, to make preventive war on Serbia (and Italy) before Russia was ready. A prolonged struggle between the two men ended with Conrad's resignation, but by then Aehrenthal had exhausted his strength. The Emperor Francis Joseph, who throughout had backed him (Conrad was the favorite of the heir to the throne, Francis Ferdinand), was unwilling to let him go, and he died, still in office, on Feb. 17, 1912. Both his policy and his personality have been most variously judged, but the charge of ill-faith is most probably baseless. He does, however, seem to have been over-impatient to score a quick success in 1908, on personal grounds.