Austria's Unfortunate Strike: Serbia's Tragedy

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo, Bosnia, by Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip, set off a chain of events that led to World War I. The assassination was carried out by members of the secret Serbian officers' organisation, the Black Hand, who were supported by Serbian civilians and military officers. The political objective of the assassination was to break the southern Slav provinces away from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914, one month after the assassination. This declaration of war effectively began World War I. Austria-Hungary's decision to go to war was influenced by its powerful ally, Germany, which urged quick action. The declaration came after Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with an ultimatum on July 23, 1914, demanding the suppression of anti-Austrian propaganda and the right to conduct its own investigation into the assassination. Serbia accepted all demands except one, but Austria-Hungary broke off diplomatic relations on July 25 and continued with military preparedness measures.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were in Sarajevo, the provincial capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to attend military exercises and to open the state museum in its new premises. On the morning of 28 June, the couple boarded a train for a short ride into Sarajevo. For once, Sophie was permitted to walk alongside Ferdinand during a brief troop inspection, after which the couple got into an open-topped car for a motorcade ride to the town hall.

Meanwhile, seven Young Bosnians had taken up positions along the Appel Quay, a main avenue in Sarajevo running parallel to the Miljacka River. When the motorcade passed by, Nedeljko Čabrinović threw a bomb at the car, which bounced off and rolled underneath the wrong vehicle. The bomb's explosion wounded two army officers and several bystanders but left the Archduke and his wife essentially unharmed. Čabrinović swallowed a cyanide pill and jumped into the river but was apprehended by the police.

Rather than immediately flee Sarajevo, Ferdinand decided to continue on to the town hall. After finishing the event, he insisted on visiting the wounded officers in the hospital. In order to dissuade any other bomb throwers, the motorcade sped down the Appel Quay. However, the first three cars turned onto a side street, and as they attempted to reverse back onto the Appel Quay, Princip whipped out his pistol and fired two shots at the Archduke from point-blank range, piercing him in the neck and also striking Sophie's abdomen. Within minutes, both had passed away. Princip, a slender, 19-year-old Serbian army reject, later admitted to killing Ferdinand but said he had not meant to hit Sophie.

The assassination precipitated the July Crisis, which led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia and the start of World War I. The assassination was supported by an underground network of Serbian civilians and military officers, who provided transportation, weapons, maps, and other information. The assassins and key members of the clandestine network were tried in Sarajevo in October 1914. Princip was found guilty of murder and high treason and, being too young for the death penalty, was sentenced to 20 years in jail. He died of tuberculosis in prison in April 1918, at the age of 23.

Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia

On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This declaration of war was the culmination of a series of events that began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, on June 28, 1914. A complex web of alliances and rivalries between the European powers, combined with miscalculations and ambitions of political and military leaders, set the stage for the outbreak of World War I.

Austria-Hungary, with the encouragement and support of its ally Germany, sought to punish Serbia and demonstrate its strength in the region. However, they were wary of Russia, a major supporter of Serbia, and wanted to avoid a wider conflict. On July 23, 1914, Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with an ultimatum, demanding, among other things, the suppression of anti-Austrian propaganda and the allowance of Austrian involvement in the investigation of the archduke's assassination.

Serbia accepted all but one of the demands, but Austria-Hungary was not satisfied and broke off diplomatic relations on July 25. Russia, alerted to the impending crisis, began its initial steps towards military mobilisation against Austria-Hungary. The rest of Europe watched with trepidation, fearing the outbreak of a wider conflict. Despite efforts by the British Foreign Office to pursue an international convention to moderate the conflict, Germany advised Austria-Hungary to proceed with its plans.

On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, initiating what became known as the First World War. This declaration of war set off a chain reaction of mobilisations and declarations of war between the European powers. Russia formally ordered mobilisation, and that night, Austrian artillery divisions bombarded Belgrade. Germany, concerned about the growing influence of Russia, declared war on Russia on August 1. France, an ally of Russia, followed suit, and on August 3, France and Germany declared war on each other. The invasion of neutral Belgium by German troops prompted Britain to declare war on Germany on August 4, marking the official start of World War I.

The Serbian Campaign

The First Campaign

The first campaign began after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. The campaign, dubbed "punitive expedition" by the Austro-Hungarian leadership, was under the command of Austrian General Oskar Potiorek. It ended after three unsuccessful Austro-Hungarian invasion attempts were repelled by the Serbians and their Montenegrin allies. The victory of the Royal Serbian Army at the battle of Cer is considered the first Allied victory in World War I. The Austro-Hungarian Army's defeat by Serbia has been called one of the great upsets of modern military history.

The Second Campaign

The second campaign was launched, under German command, almost a year later, on 6 October 1915, when Bulgarian, Austro-Hungarian, and German forces, led by Field Marshal August von Mackensen, successfully invaded Serbia from three sides, pre-empting an Allied advance from Salonica to help Serbia. This resulted in the Great Retreat through Montenegro and Albania, the evacuation to Greece, and the establishment of the Macedonian front. The defeat of Serbia gave the Central Powers temporary mastery over the Balkans, opening up a land route from Berlin to Constantinople, allowing the Germans to re-supply the Ottoman Empire for the rest of the war. Mackensen declared an end to the campaign on 24 November 1915. Serbia was then occupied and divided between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Bulgaria.

The Balkan Wars

First Balkan War

The First Balkan War began on 8 October 1912, when the four Balkan states of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war on the Ottoman Empire. The Balkan League was formed by these countries, with the aim to conquer and divide the Ottoman-held Macedonia. The war ended eight months later with the signing of the Treaty of London on 30 May 1913. The Ottoman Empire was left with only Eastern Thrace under its control.

Second Balkan War

The Second Balkan War began on 16 June 1913, when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its loss of Macedonia, attacked its former Balkan League allies. Romania, having taken no part in the first conflict, invaded Bulgaria from the north. The Ottoman Empire also attacked Bulgaria, regaining Adrianople. The Treaty of Bucharest was signed, and Bulgaria managed to regain most of the territories it had gained in the First Balkan War.

Prelude to World War I

The Bosnian Crisis

Background

The Congress of Berlin in 1878 gave Austria-Hungary the right to occupy and administer Bosnia and Herzegovina, which were officially still possessions of the Ottoman Empire. The Treaty of Berlin also granted Austria-Hungary the right to build its own administration in the provinces. Over the following three decades, the Austrian administration invested heavily in the economic development of the region.

Annexation

Fearing that the new Young Turk rulers of the Ottoman Empire would enforce a restoration of Ottoman rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Austrian foreign minister, Graf Lexa von Aehrenthal, resolved to annex the provinces. On 6 October 1908, Austria-Hungary informed the Ottoman Empire of its "annexation" of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stating that its army would be withdrawn from the Sanjak of Novi Pazar. This marked the formal incorporation of the provinces into the territory of the Dual Monarchy, making Austria-Hungary the ruler of Bosnia and Herzegovina de jure as well as de facto.

Reactions

The annexation was strongly rejected in Constantinople, and protests broke out across Europe, particularly in Russia and Serbia. Serbia, which had its own national ambitions in the region, demanded that Austria cede a portion of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The vast majority of the Serbian people demanded war with Vienna, even at the price of a possible defeat.

At the time, Serbia's traditional protecting power, Russia, was weakened due to its recent defeat in the Russo-Japanese War. However, Russia's foreign minister, Alexander Izvolsky, initially recognised Vienna's right to incorporate Bosnia and Herzegovina. He insisted, though, that the matter be discussed at an international conference, a demand that was not met by Austria-Hungary. This amounted to a diplomatic defeat for Russia, and massive protests broke out across the country.

Resolution

During the crisis, Germany stressed its willingness to support its ally, Austria-Hungary. Russia, on the other hand, grew closer to France and Great Britain. Eventually, in March 1909, Izvolsky notified Germany that Russia accepted the annexation. The crisis was resolved without immediate warfare, but the resulting embittered relations between Serbia and Austria-Hungary, as well as Russia's resentment at having been deceived and humiliated, contributed to the outbreak of World War I.

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