Austria-Hungary's Fateful Declaration Of War On Serbia, July 28, 1914

On July 28, 1914, one month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This declaration was the culmination of a series of diplomatic manoeuvrings between European powers, which began with Austria-Hungary's annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, further escalated tensions between the two countries.

Austria-Hungary, threatened by Serbian ambition in the Balkans, responded to the assassination by preparing for a possible military invasion of Serbia. After securing the support of its powerful ally, Germany, 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 Archduke's killing. Serbia effectively accepted all demands except one, which would have resulted in a major infringement of its sovereignty.

On July 25, Austria-Hungary broke diplomatic relations with Serbia and continued with military preparedness measures. Russia, Serbia's supporter in the Balkans, began its initial steps towards military mobilisation against Austria-Hungary. The rest of Europe, including Russia's allies, Britain and France, looked on with trepidation, fearing the outbreak of a Balkans conflict that could explode into a general European war.

On July 28, 1914, after pressure from Germany for quick action, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This declaration of war sparked a chain reaction, with Russia ordering mobilisation, Germany declaring war on Russia and France, and Britain declaring war on Germany. Within a week, most European nations had jumped into the conflict, marking the beginning of the First World War.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, on 28 June 1914

On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated in Sarajevo. The assassination was carried out by 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb and member of Young Bosnia, a revolutionary group seeking to free Bosnia and Herzegovina from Austria-Hungarian rule and unite all South Slavs. Princip was part of a group of six assassins, five of whom were Bosnian Serbs, coordinated by Danilo Ilić. The political objective of the assassination was to establish a common South Slav ("Yugoslav") state.

The day of the assassination was the feast of St. Vitus, a date commemorated in Serbia as Vidovdan, marking the 1389 Battle of Kosovo against the Ottomans. Princip and other members of Young Bosnia were inspired by the heroism of Miloš Obilić, reenacting the Kosovo Myth.

On the day of the assassination, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were touring Sarajevo by motorcade after observing military exercises in Bosnia. Six assassins were positioned along the motorcade route. The first attempt on the Archduke's life was made by Nedeljko Čabrinović, who threw a hand grenade at the motorcade, injuring the occupants of the following car. Later that morning, as the royal couple were on their way to visit the wounded in the hospital, their car stalled after taking a wrong turn. Gavrilo Princip seized the opportunity and shot the royal couple at point-blank range. Princip first shot Sophie in the abdomen and then Franz Ferdinand in the neck. Princip's weapon was a Belgian-made Fabrique Nationale model 1910 .380-calibre pistol.

Sophie died en route to the hospital, while Franz Ferdinand died within minutes of arriving at the Governor's residence. His last words to Sophie were, "Don't die darling, live for our children."

The assassination of the Archduke and his wife was one of the key events that led to World War I. The assassination precipitated the July Crisis, during which Austria-Hungary sought to inflict a military blow on Serbia, viewing Serbian support for Yugoslav nationalism as a threat to the unity of its multi-national empire. On 23 July, Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with an ultimatum containing harsh demands designed to be rejected. Serbia's partial acceptance of the ultimatum was not enough to prevent Austria-Hungary from declaring war on Serbia on 28 July 1914, one month after the assassination.

Austria-Hungary's ultimatum to Serbia on 23 July 1914

On the evening of July 23, 1914, nearly a month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, the Austro-Hungarian ambassador to Serbia, Baron Giesl von Gieslingen, delivered an ultimatum to the Serbian foreign ministry. Acting with the full support of its allies in Berlin, Austria-Hungary had determined to pursue a hard-line policy towards Serbia. Their plan, developed in coordination with the German foreign office, was to force a military conflict that would end quickly and decisively with a crushing Austrian victory before the rest of Europe—namely, Serbia’s powerful ally, Russia—had time to react.

According to the terms of the ultimatum, the Serbian government would have to accept an Austro-Hungarian inquiry into the assassination, notwithstanding its claim that it was already conducting its own internal investigation. Serbia was also to suppress all anti-Austrian propaganda and to take steps to root out and eliminate terrorist organizations within its borders—one such organization, the Black Hand, was believed to have aided and abetted the archduke’s killer, Gavrilo Princip, and his cohorts, providing weapons and safe passage from Belgrade to Sarajevo. The Dual Monarchy demanded an answer to the note within 48 hours. However, anticipating Serbian defiance, Gieslingen had already packed his bags and prepared to leave the embassy.

The ultimatum caused a stir in foreign capitals. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Sazonov declared that no state could accept such demands without “committing suicide.” British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey declared that he had "never before seen one state address to another independent state a document of so formidable a character." Winston Churchill, then Britain’s first lord of the admiralty, called it “the most insolent document of its kind ever devised.”

The ultimatum was designed to put the burden of avoiding war on Belgrade. Austria-Hungary was counting on Serbia to reject their demands, which would give Vienna the opportunity to wage a swift and victorious war against its upstart neighbour. However, while Serbia's response effectively accepted all of the ultimatum's terms except for one, the Austrian government broke diplomatic relations with Serbia on July 25 and went ahead with military preparedness measures. Three days later, on July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, beginning the First World War.

Serbia's partial acceptance of the ultimatum

On the 23rd of July 1914, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, demanding that they:

• Condemn the "dangerous propaganda" against Austria-Hungary.
• Suppress all publications that "incite hatred and contempt" of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
• Dissolve the Serbian nationalist organisation Narodna Odbrana ("The People's Defence").
• Eliminate propaganda against Austria-Hungary from schoolbooks and public documents.
• Remove certain officers and functionaries from the Serbian military and civil administration.
• Accept "representatives of the Austro-Hungarian Government" for the "suppression of subversive movements" in Serbia.
• Bring to trial all accessories to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
• Arrest Major Vojislav Tankosić and civil servant Milan Ciganović, who were named as participants in the assassination plot.
• Cease the cooperation of Serbian authorities in the "traffic in arms and explosives" across the Austro-Hungarian border.
• Dismiss and punish the officials of Šabac and Loznica frontier service, who were "guilty of having assisted the perpetrators of the Sarajevo crime".
• Provide "explanations" regarding "Serbian officials" who expressed themselves in interviews "in terms of hostility to the Austro-Hungarian Government".

The Serbian government agreed to comply wholly or in part with most of the ultimatum, but rejected the sixth demand, which would have allowed Austro-Hungarian police to operate in Serbia, as it would have resulted in a major infringement of Serbian sovereignty. The Serbian Cabinet worked out a compromise, which historians disagree on the extent of. Some argue that Serbia accepted all of the terms of the ultimatum except for the sixth demand. Others, including historian Christopher Clark, argue that the Serbs drafted their reply to give the impression of making significant concessions, but in reality, it was a rejection of most points.

The Serbian response was so skillfully worded that Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II read it as "a great moral victory for Vienna; but with it, every reason for war is removed". Many of the Kaiser's contemporaries reacted similarly, and many histories today present the Serbian response as a valiant effort to avoid war. However, the response was, in fact, a rejection of most points, carefully crafted to make Serbia seem like the victim in the court of world opinion.

On the 28th of July 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia on 28 July 1914

On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, marking the beginning of World War I. The declaration came a month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo.

In the aftermath of the assassination, Austria-Hungary sought to suppress Serbian nationalism and demonstrate its strength. After securing the support of its powerful ally, Germany, 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 most of the demands but rejected the final demand, which would have resulted in a significant infringement of its sovereignty.

On July 25, Austria-Hungary broke diplomatic relations with Serbia and began military preparedness measures. Russia, Serbia's ally, also started its initial steps towards military mobilisation against Austria-Hungary. The rest of Europe, including Britain and France, watched the escalating tensions with trepidation, fearing the outbreak of a broader European war.

On July 28, after pressure from Germany for quick action, Austria-Hungary officially declared war on Serbia. In response, Russia ordered mobilisation in the four military districts facing Galicia, the common front with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. That night, Austrian artillery divisions initiated a brief bombardment of Belgrade across the Danube River. The declaration of war by Austria-Hungary set off a chain reaction, with Germany declaring war on Russia on August 1, followed by France and Germany declaring war on each other on August 3. The German invasion of neutral Belgium on August 4 prompted Britain to join the conflict, marking the start of World War I.

The First World War begins

On the 28th of July 1914, exactly one month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This declaration of war was the result of a series of diplomatic manoeuvrings among European powers.

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand on the 28th of June 1914 was carried out by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist. This event followed years of tensions between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, which escalated after Austria-Hungary's annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908.

Austria-Hungary sought to inflict a military blow on Serbia, and after securing the support of its powerful ally, Germany, presented Serbia with an ultimatum on the 23rd of July 1914. The ultimatum demanded that Serbia suppress anti-Austrian propaganda within its borders and allow Austria-Hungary to conduct its own investigation into the assassination. Although Serbia accepted all of the demands except one, Austria-Hungary broke diplomatic relations on the 25th of July and continued with military preparedness measures.

On the 28th of July 1914, after a report of an unverified incident involving Habsburg and Serbian troops, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This declaration of war sparked a chain reaction, with Russia, Serbia's ally, ordering mobilisation in the four military districts facing Galicia, the common front with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In response, Germany declared war on Russia on the 1st of August, and France, Russia's ally, ordered its own general mobilisation. On the 3rd of August, France and Germany declared war on each other, and on the 4th of August, Germany's planned invasion of neutral Belgium prompted Britain to declare war on Germany.

Thus, within a month, the major powers in the Western world, with the exception of the United States and Italy, flung themselves into the First World War.

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