Austria-Hungary's Attack On Serbia: What Sparked World War I?

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, in June 1914 by a Serbian nationalist was the catalyst for Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia on July 28, 1914, marking the beginning of World War I. Tensions between the two nations had been building, with Austria-Hungary seeking to suppress Serbian nationalism and Serbia aiming to establish its dominance in the Balkans. The assassination provided the spark that ignited the conflict, leading to Austria-Hungary's ultimatum and subsequent invasion of Serbia. Despite Serbian resistance, Austria-Hungary, with support from Germany, Bulgaria, and others, ultimately occupied Serbia until Allied forces liberated the country in 1918.

Austria-Hungary's ultimatum to Serbia

On the evening of July 23, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian ambassador, Baron Giesl von Gieslingen, delivered an ultimatum to the Serbian foreign ministry. This was nearly a month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife by a young Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The ultimatum, which was supported by Austria-Hungary's allies in Berlin, was designed to force a military conflict and end quickly with an Austrian victory before Serbia's powerful ally, Russia, had time to react.

The ultimatum demanded that the Serbian government:

• Officially condemn the "dangerous propaganda" against Austria-Hungary, which aimed to detach territories belonging to the Monarchy.
• Suppress all publications inciting hatred or contempt for the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and threatening its territorial integrity.
• Dissolve Serbian nationalist organisations, such as Narodna Odbrana ("The People's Defence").
• Eliminate anti-Austrian propaganda from schoolbooks and public documents.
• Remove anti-Austrian officers and functionaries from the Serbian military and civil administration.
• Accept "representatives of the Austro-Hungarian Government" to suppress subversive movements and investigate the assassination, allowing them to participate in the prosecution of the ringleaders on Serbian territory.
• Arrest individuals believed to have participated in the assassination plot.
• Cease the traffic of arms and explosives across the frontier and dismiss and punish the officials of Šabac and Loznica frontier service who assisted the perpetrators.
• Provide explanations for the statements made by Serbian officials expressing hostility towards the Austro-Hungarian Government.
• Notify the Austro-Hungarian Government of the execution of these measures within 48 hours.

The ultimatum was intentionally extreme, as the Austrians hoped for a Serbian rejection to justify an invasion. While Serbia accepted most of the demands, it refused to allow Austrian officials to investigate on Serbian territory, citing this as a violation of its constitution and criminal procedure law. This response led to Austria-Hungary breaking off diplomatic relations and declaring war on Serbia on July 28, 1914, marking the beginning of World War I.

Serbian rejection of most demands

The Serbian government was given 48 hours to respond to the ultimatum issued by the Austro-Hungarian government. The ultimatum contained six concrete demands, which were formulated to be as unacceptable as possible. The first demand required the Serbian government to officially distance itself from the political campaign to unite the southern Slav peoples under Serbian leadership, which was a challenge to the territorial integrity of Austria-Hungary. The second demand called for the purging of the Serbian army and civil service of anti-Austrian agitators. The third demand required the suppression of anti-Austrian propaganda in the Serbian press. The fourth demand was directly related to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, with the Serbian government being called upon to track down and take legal proceedings against extremist secret organizations operating against Austria.

The sixth and final demand was the most contentious, as it required that Austrian officials be allowed to take part in the investigation into the assassination and in the hunting down and prosecution of the ringleaders on Serbian territory, which would have infringed upon Serbian state sovereignty. This final demand was the only one that Serbia rejected outright, agreeing to the other demands. However, the Austrian foreign minister refused to consider further negotiations, making it clear that Vienna was not interested in a diplomatic solution.

The Serbian rejection of the sixth demand was significant as it demonstrated that Serbia was not willing to compromise its state sovereignty, even in the face of a powerful ultimatum from Austria-Hungary. This rejection also heightened tensions between the two countries and made the possibility of a diplomatic resolution less likely. Ultimately, the Serbian rejection of the sixth demand contributed to the escalation of the conflict, leading to the outbreak of World War I.

Austria-Hungary declares war

Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia on 28 July 1914 marked the beginning of World War I. The declaration came exactly one month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Habsburg throne, by Bosnian Serb student Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. The preservation of Austria-Hungary's prestige necessitated a punishing attack on Serbia, which the Austro-Hungarian leadership deemed responsible for the murder.

The tensions between Austria-Hungary and Serbia had been building up for years, with Austria-Hungary seeing Serbia as a leading example of "panslavism", the nationalism by which the Slav races of the Balkans aspired to set up their own nation-states. This was seen as a threat to the future of the empire given its sizeable South Slavic population.

In the lead-up to the war, Serbia had built trade links with France and Bulgaria to reduce its economic dependence on Austria-Hungary. In response, Austria-Hungary banned all imports of Serbian pork, an action known as the "Pig War". Serbia retaliated by selling its pork to France through Bosnia and the Adriatic.

After the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with an ultimatum on July 23, 1914, demanding that all anti-Austrian propaganda within Serbia be suppressed and that Austria-Hungary be allowed to conduct its own investigation into the archduke's killing. Serbia accepted all but one of the terms, but Austria-Hungary broke diplomatic relations and continued with military preparedness measures.

On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. That evening, Austro-Hungarian artillery shelled the Serbian capital of Belgrade from the border town of Semlin, now known as Zemun. The invasion of Serbia was led by Feldzeugmeister Oskar Potiorek, the Governor-General of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who had been responsible for the security of Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Duchess Sophie of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo.

The Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia was marked by numerous war crimes and atrocities committed against the Serbian civilian population. Mass killings, hostage-taking, and the destruction of villages through punitive raids were common occurrences during the occupation. Despite these brutal tactics, the Austro-Hungarian forces faced strong resistance from the Serbian army and were unable to successfully invade Serbia until October 1915, when they launched a joint offensive with Germany and Bulgaria.

Serbian resistance and guerrilla warfare

The Serbian resistance and guerrilla warfare against Austria-Hungary during World War I was a remarkable display of their military prowess and determination. The Serbian campaign, consisting of multiple military expeditions launched by the Central Powers against the Kingdom of Serbia, began in 1914 and lasted until 1915.

The first campaign, dubbed the "punitive expedition" by the Austro-Hungarian leadership, started after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914. Led by Austrian General Oskar Potiorek, the Austro-Hungarian forces launched three unsuccessful invasion attempts, all of which were valiantly repelled by the Serbians and their Montenegrin allies. The victory of the Royal Serbian Army at the Battle of Cer marked the first Allied victory in World War I and dealt a humiliating blow to the Austro-Hungarian Army.

Serbia's success in the first campaign can be attributed to their able commander, Radomir Putnik, who led his troops to victory in the battles of Cer Mountain and Šabac. However, the Austrians launched a second offensive in early September, forcing the Serbs to abandon their northward offensive on the Sava River. The Austrians initiated a third offensive, achieving some success in the Battle of Kolubara and forcing the Serbs to evacuate Belgrade on November 30. Demonstrating their resilience, the Serbian forces mounted a counterattack in mid-December, retaking Belgrade and forcing the Austrians to retreat.

The second campaign of the Serbian campaign began almost a year later, on October 6, 1915, under German command. Bulgarian, Austro-Hungarian, and German forces, led by Field Marshal August von Mackensen, invaded Serbia from three sides. This resulted in the Great Retreat through Montenegro and Albania, leading to the evacuation of Serbian forces to Greece and the establishment of the Macedonian front. The defeat of Serbia gave the Central Powers temporary control over the Balkans, allowing them to open a land route from Berlin to Constantinople and resupply the Ottoman Empire.

Despite the eventual occupation and division of Serbia between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Bulgaria, Serbian resistance played a crucial role in delaying the Central Powers' advance and disrupting their plans. The Serbian forces, though exhausted and poorly equipped, fought valiantly and held off the Austro-Hungarian invasions for a significant period. Their resistance also bought time for the Russians to mobilize their forces and enter the conflict, shaping the course of World War I.

During World War II, Serbia again found itself under occupation, this time by German forces. In July 1941, the Communist Party of Yugoslavia initiated an uprising against the German occupation and their Serbian auxiliaries. The Partisans, joined later by the Chetniks, liberated towns, captured German garrisons, and created the largest liberated territory in occupied Europe, known as the Republic of Užice. The uprising caused significant concern to the Germans, who responded with mass terror and retaliatory massacres, such as the Kragujevac massacre. Despite the eventual collapse of the uprising, it demonstrated the Serbian people's resilience and determination to resist occupation and fight for their freedom.

Serbian liberation

The liberation of Serbia from Austria-Hungary took place in the final weeks of October 1918, when Allied forces broke through the Salonica front, leading to the swift surrender of Bulgaria and the retreat of all remaining Austro-Hungarian troops. By November 1, 1918, all of pre-war Serbia had been liberated, bringing an end to the three-year occupation.

The liberation marked the culmination of a series of military engagements between Serbia and Austria-Hungary during World War I. The conflict between the two nations began in July 1914, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist. This declaration of war was influenced by underlying tensions, with Austria-Hungary seeking to curb Serbian ambition in the Balkans and fearing the rise of nationalism among the South Slav populations within its empire.

The initial Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia in August 1914 was met with strong resistance, and the Royal Serbian Army successfully liberated Šabac and reached the Sava River frontier. However, the Austro-Hungarians launched subsequent invasions, exploiting their superiority in artillery and numbers. By early 1916, Serbia had fallen under occupation, divided into zones governed by both Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian military administrations.

The occupation was marked by harsh policies aimed at denationalising and depoliticising the Serbian population. Public gatherings and political parties were banned, and Serbian cultural institutions were closed. The occupiers committed numerous atrocities, including massacres, deportations, and the establishment of internment and concentration camps.

Despite the challenges, Serbian resistance persisted. Guerrilla groups, known as Chetniks, waged a guerrilla campaign against the occupiers, receiving strong local support. The Chetniks played a crucial role in supporting Allied offensive operations in the summer of 1918.

In September 1918, the Allied breakthrough on the Salonica front led to Bulgaria's surrender and the subsequent liberation of Serbia. Guerilla warfare broke out across the occupied regions, further supporting the Allied advance. By late October, the Austro-Hungarian and German forces commanded by General Hermann von Kövess retreated behind the Danube, Sava, and Drina rivers. On October 30, Belgrade was liberated by the Royal Serbian Army, and by November 1, all of pre-war Serbia was free from occupation.

The liberation of Serbia marked a significant turning point in World War I, contributing to the ultimate defeat of the Central Powers and the conclusion of the war.

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