Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
June 28, 1914 · 20th Century
On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old Bosnian Serb nationalist, shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, during a motorcade in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The assassination followed a failed bomb attempt by co-conspirator Nedeljko Cabrinovic earlier in the procession. Princip fired when the archduke's car made a wrong turn. Both victims died within the hour. Austria-Hungary's subsequent ultimatum to Serbia activated the European alliance system, and within five weeks the continent was at war.
Key Figures
Archduke Franz FerdinandSophie, Duchess of HohenbergGavrilo PrincipNedeljko Čabrinović
Locations
SarajevoLatin Bridge
Topics
serbianWWIsarajevoaustria
Connected Events — 3 Connections
Provided the immediate pretext that prompted Austria-Hungary to seek German support, as Emperor Franz Joseph's letter specifically referenced the need for backing against Serbia following the Sarajevo assassination Germany Issues Blank Check to Austria-Hungary
Assassination in Sarajevo created the crisis that Austria-Hungary used to justify its ultimatum to Serbia, leading through diplomatic escalation to the bombardment of Belgrade that began the war First shots of World War 1
The triggering event that began the July Crisis, without which Russian mobilization would never have been necessary Tsar Nicholas II's General Mobilization Order
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