Ottokar von Czernin
| Ottokar Theobald Otto Maria Graf Czernin von und zu Chudenitz | |
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| Austro-Hungarian Minister to Romania | |
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In office 25 October 1913 – 27 August 1916 |
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| Preceded by | Karl Emil Prinz zu Fürstenberg |
| Succeeded by | None |
| Imperial Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary | |
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In office 23 December 1916 – 14 April 1918 |
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| Preceded by | István Freiherr Burián von Rajecz |
| Succeeded by | István Freiherr Burián von Rajecz |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
26 September 1872 Dimokur, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic) |
| Died | 4 April 1932 (aged 59) Vienna, Austria |
| Spouse(s) | Marie, née Gräfin Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (1878–1945) |
Ottokar Theobald Otto Maria Graf Czernin von und zu Chudenitz (Czech: Otakar Theobald Otto Maria hrabě Černín z Chudenic; 26 September 1872 – 4 April 1932) was an Austro-Hungarian diplomat and politician during the time of World War I, notably serving as Foreign Minister from 1916 to 1918.
Czernin was born in Dymokury (German: Dimokur) into an ancient Bohemian noble family (the Czernin family). In 1897, he married Marie née Gräfin Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (1878–1945) in Heřmanův Městec (German: Hermannstädtel). His younger brother Otto was also a diplomat and served inter alia as envoy to Sofia during World War I.
After studying law at the Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague, he joined the Austro-Hungarian foreign service in 1895 and was dispatched to the embassy in Paris. In 1899, he was sent to The Hague, but only three years later he had to resign as a result of a lung infection and retired to his Bohemian estates.
In 1903, Count von Czernin became a member of the Bohemian Lower House as a representative of the Deutsche Verfassungspartei. He quickly became a champion of conservatism and a defender of 'monarchical principles' and favoured upholding the monarchy and opposing universal suffrage and parliamentarism. This brought him to the attention of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir apparent to the throne of the Dual Monarchy. As a leading member of Franz Ferdinand's so-called Belvedere Circle, Count von Czernin was appointed a member of the Austrian Upper House (Herrenhaus) in 1912.
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