Count Alois Lexa von Aehrenthal

Who was Count Alois Lexa von Aehrenthal?

Count Alois Lexa von Aehrenthal was an Austrian diplomat. He engineered the Bosnian crisis of 1908: His major accomplishment was the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908 on the basis of a secret agreement with Russian foreign minister Alexander Izvolsky, which appeared to be a triumph for Austria. "It was, however, one of those pyrrhic victories, which seem brilliant at the moment, but which bring more misfortune than success, if looked at from a longer perspective". It stirred deep resentment in Serbia and Russia, caused the rest of Europe to distrust Austrian diplomacy, and was one of the factors that helped bring about World War I.