Archduke's Assassination: The City That Started World War I

what city was the archduke of austria hungary assassinated in

On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated in Sarajevo, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The assassination of the royal couple by 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist, set off a chain of events that led to the outbreak of World War I.

Characteristics Values
Date of assassination 28 June 1914
City of assassination Sarajevo
Country of assassination Bosnia and Herzegovina
Assassin(s) Gavrilo Princip, Nedeljko Čabrinović, Vaso Čubrilović, Nedeljko Čabrinović, Cvjetko Popović, Trifko Grabež
Affiliation of assassin(s) Young Bosnia, Black Hand
Target(s) Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg

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Who was Archduke Franz Ferdinand?

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. He was born in Graz, then part of the Austrian Empire, on 18 December 1863. He was the eldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, the younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.

In 1889, Crown Prince Rudolf, Franz Ferdinand's cousin, committed suicide, leaving Karl Ludwig first in line to the throne. When Karl Ludwig died of typhoid fever in 1896, Franz Ferdinand became the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. However, due to his ill health in the 1890s, his younger brother Otto was seen as the more likely successor, which embittered Franz Ferdinand.

Franz Ferdinand's courtship of Sophie Chotek, a lady-in-waiting, caused conflict within the imperial household. Their marriage was only allowed after he renounced his descendants' rights to the throne. Despite this, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie had four children together.

Franz Ferdinand held significant influence over the military and was appointed inspector general of the Austro-Hungarian armed forces in 1913. He was also a prominent and influential supporter of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, which was not a priority in Austrian foreign policy at the time.

Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914, along with his wife, Sophie. Their assassination was one of the key events that led to World War I.

The Assassination

On the morning of 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were travelling in a motorcade through Sarajevo in an open-topped car. Earlier that day, the couple had escaped an assassination attempt when Nedeljko Čabrinović threw a grenade at their car. However, the bomb detonated behind them, injuring the occupants in the car behind.

After a short rest, the royal couple insisted on visiting the hospital to see those who had been injured by the bomb. However, the drivers were not informed of the change in schedule, and the motorcade ended up stalling in a side street. Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old Bosnian Serb and member of Young Bosnia, seized the opportunity to shoot the royal couple. Franz Ferdinand and Sophie both died from their wounds. Princip was too young to receive the death penalty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, where he died of tuberculosis in 1918.

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What was the political context of the assassination?

The political context of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was complex and multi-faceted. One key element was the ongoing tension between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, which had been exacerbated by Serbia's growing nationalism and desire to unite Serbian territories, including Bosnia, under a single state. This aspiration clashed with Austria-Hungary's annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908, which had already led to a diplomatic crisis between the two countries.

Another crucial factor was the involvement of various nationalist and revolutionary groups, such as the Black Hand and Young Bosnia. These organisations sought to undermine Austria-Hungarian rule in the region and promote Serbian interests. Gavrilo Princip, the assassin, was a member of Young Bosnia and had connections to the Black Hand. These groups received support from Serbian military and intelligence officials, who provided training, weapons, and other assistance to the assassins.

Additionally, the political dynamics within Serbia played a role. The Serbian government, led by Prime Minister Nikola Pašić, was aware of the assassination plot but failed to intervene effectively. Pašić's government had complex motivations, including a desire to balance relations with Austria-Hungary and nationalist sentiments within Serbia.

The assassination also took place against a broader backdrop of rising tensions in Europe, including an arms race, nationalism, imperialism, and militarism. The murder of the Archduke and his wife thus served as a spark that ignited these existing tensions and set off a chain of events leading to World War I.

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Who were the assassins?

The assassins were part of a group of six Bosnian revolutionaries, all but one of whom were Bosnian Serbs. They were:

  • Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old Bosnian Serb student and member of Young Bosnia, a student revolutionary group. Princip was tried and found guilty of murder and high treason. He was too young to be executed, so was sentenced to 20 years in jail, where he later died of tuberculosis.
  • Muhamed Mehmedbašić, a Bosniak carpenter from Herzegovina and member of the Black Hand, a Serbian nationalist group. Mehmedbašić was arrested in Montenegro but managed to escape from prison and later joined a Chetnik detachment during the war.
  • Vaso Čubrilović, a 17-year-old Sarajevo high-school student. Čubrilović was tried and found guilty, receiving a jail sentence.
  • Nedeljko Čabrinović, a Bosnian Serb and member of Young Bosnia. Čabrinović threw a bomb at the Archduke's car, but it bounced off and exploded under the next car. He swallowed a cyanide pill and jumped into a river, but the attempt on his own life failed. Čabrinović was tried and sentenced to death by hanging.
  • Cvjetko Popović, an 18-year-old student. Popović was tried and found guilty, receiving a jail sentence.
  • Trifko Grabež, a Bosnian Serb and member of Young Bosnia. Grabež was tried and found guilty, receiving a jail sentence.

The assassination team was coordinated by Danilo Ilić, a Bosnian Serb schoolteacher and bank worker. Ilić was tried and sentenced to death by hanging.

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What was the assassination attempt?

On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated in Sarajevo, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The assassination was carried out by 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb and member of Young Bosnia, a revolutionary student group. Princip was part of a group of seven assassins, six of whom were armed with bombs and pistols, and all of whom had cyanide capsules.

The assassination was not the first attempt on the Archduke's life that day. Earlier, at around 10:15 a.m., another Bosnian Serb named Nedeljko Cabrinovic threw a bomb at the Archduke's motorcade as it made its way to a reception at Sarajevo's City Hall. The bomb bounced off the car and exploded under the following vehicle, wounding several people but leaving the Archduke and his wife unharmed. Cabrinovic was apprehended after a failed attempt to kill himself.

The motorcade then continued on to City Hall, where the Archduke and his wife attended a reception. After the event, the couple insisted on visiting the wounded from the bombing at the local hospital. However, the drivers were not informed of the change in itinerary, and the cars had to turn around and reverse down the street. As the cars stalled, Princip, who was sitting in a cafe across the street, seized the opportunity and walked over to the Archduke's car, shooting the royal couple at point-blank range. Princip first shot Sophie in the abdomen and then shot Franz Ferdinand in the neck. The Archduke's dying words to his wife were, "Don't die darling, live for our children."

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What was the aftermath?

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, had a profound and far-reaching impact, setting off a chain of events that led to World War I. Here is an overview of the aftermath:

Immediate Aftermath

The assassination itself was carried out by 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb and member of the Young Bosnia group, with support from the Black Hand, a Serbian secret nationalist organisation. Princip was part of a group of six assassins, five of whom were under 20 at the time. In October 1914, the assassins and key members of their support network were tried in Sarajevo. Princip, too young to be executed, was sentenced to 20 years in jail, while four other attackers received jail terms as well. Five older prisoners were sentenced to death by hanging.

Diplomatic Fallout

The assassination immediately heightened tensions between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, with Austria-Hungary blaming the Serbian government for the attack. Given Serbia's support from powerful Russia, Austria-Hungary sought assurances from Germany that it would intervene on its side in any potential conflict with Russia and its allies. This dynamic further escalated when, on July 28, 1914, exactly one month after the assassination, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

World War I

Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia set off a chain reaction, drawing in each country's respective allies. Within a week, Germany, Russia, France, Belgium, Montenegro, and Great Britain had all entered the conflict. This marked the beginning of World War I, one of the deadliest wars in history. Over the next four years, the conflict would result in more than 16 million deaths before finally ending on November 11, 1918, with Germany's surrender.

Long-Term Impact

The assassination and the subsequent war had far-reaching consequences that reshaped the geopolitical landscape. The Versailles Treaty, signed on June 28, 1919, five years to the day after the assassination, aimed to build a post-war world that would prevent conflicts of such magnitude in the future. However, the harsh terms imposed on Germany led to widespread resentment, which would contribute to the outbreak of World War II two decades later.

Frequently asked questions

Sarajevo.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria.

Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old Bosnian Serb and member of Young Bosnia.

The political objective of the assassination was to free Bosnia and Herzegovina of Austria-Hungarian rule and establish a common South Slav ("Yugoslav") state.

The assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary was the most immediate cause of World War I.

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