Austria's Ultimatum: Demands Issued To Serbia

On the evening of July 23, 1914, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, marking a critical turning point in the lead-up to World War I. This ultimatum came almost a month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo, Bosnia, by a young Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip. The ultimatum, delivered by the Austrian ambassador, Baron Giesl von Gieslingen, to the Serbian foreign ministry, was formulated with the full support of Austria-Hungary's allies in Berlin and intended to provoke a military conflict with Serbia.

Austria-Hungary, in coordination with the German foreign office, sought to force a swift and decisive victory over Serbia before its powerful ally, Russia, could intervene. The ultimatum demanded that Serbia accept an Austro-Hungarian inquiry into the assassination, suppress anti-Austrian propaganda, and eliminate terrorist organisations within its borders. Notably, Austria-Hungary insisted on having its representatives participate in suppressing subversive movements and investigating the assassination, which Serbia considered a violation of its sovereignty.

While Serbia's response on July 25 accepted most of the demands, it refused to allow foreign officials to operate on its soil. This rejection was used by Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia on July 28, 1914, marking the beginning of World War I.

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

On 23 July 1914, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, demanding a response within 48 hours. This ultimatum was delivered by the Austro-Hungarian ambassador, Baron Giesl von Gieslingen, to the Serbian Minister of Finance, who was the only member of the royal government present in the capital that day.

The ultimatum was a response to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the thrones of Austria and Hungary, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, on 28 June of the same year. The assassination was carried out by Gavrilo Princip, a young Serbian nationalist, in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

The ultimatum demanded that Serbia formally and publicly condemn the "dangerous propaganda" against Austria-Hungary, which it claimed was aimed at detaching territories from the Monarchy. It also called for the suppression of all publications that "incite hatred and contempt" towards Austria-Hungary and the dissolution of Serbian nationalist organisations. Additionally, it demanded the removal of Serbian officials implicated in the assassination plot and the arrest of those directly involved.

Austria-Hungary's ultimatum was the result of intense negotiations and planning within the leadership of the Dual Monarchy. The text was carefully drafted to appear untenable, ensuring its rejection by Serbia. The delivery of the ultimatum was timed to coincide with the departure of French officials from a summit in Russia, temporarily immobilising two members of the Entente.

Serbia's response to the ultimatum was influenced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Sazonov, who advised addressing the majority of Austria-Hungary's demands while seeking clarification on certain points. Serbia effectively accepted all demands except one, refusing to allow Austrian officials to operate within its borders. This decision led to the severance of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

On 28 July 1914, Austria-Hungary formally declared war on Serbia, marking the beginning of the First World War.

The ultimatum was delivered by the Austrian ambassador to Serbia, Baron Giesl von Gieslingen

On 23 July 1914, the Austro-Hungarian ambassador to Serbia, Baron Wladimir Giesl von Gieslingen, presented the Serbian government with an ultimatum from Austria-Hungary. The ultimatum was delivered with a 48-hour deadline and was drafted in deliberately provocative terms that made it highly unlikely that Serbia would accept. The ultimatum was a response to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip on 28 June 1914.

Giesl von Gieslingen was an Austro-Hungarian general and diplomat, born in 1860 into an officer's family. He attended the Theresian Military Academy and, following graduation from the War College, was promoted to lieutenant and attached to the General Staff. He served in various units and, in 1893, was appointed military attaché to the Austro-Hungarian Embassy in Constantinople (now Istanbul). In 1898, he was also appointed military attaché in Athens and Sofia, and he received further promotions in 1900 and 1906. In 1909, he was appointed minister at Cetinje, and in 1913, he became Austro-Hungarian minister at Belgrade.

The ultimatum was delivered to Dr Lazu Pacu, who was deputising for Prime Minister Pašić. There was initial confusion as the ultimatum was written in French, which Pacu could not read. An interpreter was found, but Pacu told Giesl von Gieslingen that he was not qualified to receive the ultimatum and that it would be impossible to convene a cabinet meeting to discuss it before the deadline. Giesl von Gieslingen replied that this was not his concern. Eventually, he had no option but to place the ultimatum on the table and leave.

The ultimatum demanded that Serbia formally and publicly condemn the "dangerous propaganda" against Austria-Hungary, which it claimed was ultimately aimed at detaching territories from the Monarchy. It also demanded that Belgrade suppress this propaganda, dissolve Serbian nationalist organisation Narodna Odbrana, eliminate publications inciting hatred of Austria-Hungary, dismiss certain officials, and allow "Austro-Hungarian delegates" to take part in the investigations into Franz Ferdinand's assassination and the suppression of subversive movements.

At 5:55 pm on 25 July, Pašić arrived at the Austro-Hungarian embassy and handed his reply to Giesl von Gieslingen, saying that the ultimatum had been partially accepted but that the terms infringing on Serbian sovereignty had been rejected. Giesl von Gieslingen declared that, as the ultimatum had not been accepted in full, he and his legation would be leaving Belgrade that night. He and his staff burned their diplomatic code books and compromising documents, left the embassy at 6:15 pm, and caught the 6:30 pm train to Vienna. At 6:40 pm, the train crossed the border, and Giesl von Gieslingen wired the news to Vienna.

Austria-Hungary demanded that Serbia accept 'representatives of the Austro-Hungarian government for the suppression of subversive movements'

Austria-Hungary's Demands on Serbia

On the 23rd of July 1914, the Austro-Hungarian government issued Serbia with an ultimatum containing concrete demands designed to prevent an escalation of conflict between the two nations. The ultimatum came almost a month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, by a young Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

The sixth point of the ultimatum was formulated to make Serbian acceptance unlikely. It demanded that Austrian officials be allowed to take part in the investigation into the assassination and the hunting down of the ringleaders on Serbian territory. This would have infringed upon Serbia's state sovereignty.

Serbian Response

Serbia was given 48 hours to respond to the ultimatum. Their answer, delivered on the 25th of July, accepted the majority of the demands but rejected the sixth point concerning the participation of Austrian officials in investigations on Serbian sovereign territory. This response did much to appeal to international observers, but to Vienna, it made little difference.

The Road to War

Austria-Hungary's foreign minister denounced Serbia's reply and issued a formal declaration of war on the 28th of July, beginning the First World War. Attempts at mediation by France and England were fruitless, and Germany refused to curb her ally.

Austria-Hungary also demanded that Serbia allow its delegates to take part in the investigation of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

On 23 July 1914, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, demanding that the Serbian government:

• Officially distance itself from the political campaign to unite the southern Slav peoples under Serbian leadership, which was seen as a challenge to the territorial integrity of Austria-Hungary.
• Purge the Serbian army and civil service of anti-Austrian agitators.
• Suppress anti-Austrian propaganda in the Serbian press.
• Track down and take legal action against extremist secret organisations operating against Austria-Hungary.
• Allow Austro-Hungarian officials to participate in the investigation of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and in the hunting down and prosecution of the ringleaders on Serbian territory.

The sixth point regarding the participation of Austro-Hungarian officials in the investigation and prosecution was formulated in such a way as to make Serbian acceptance unlikely, as it infringed upon Serbia's state sovereignty. Serbia was given 48 hours to respond to the ultimatum, and the initial consequence of non-acceptance was the breaking off of diplomatic relations. However, it was clear that a military conflict would likely follow.

Serbia's response to the ultimatum arrived within the 48-hour deadline on 25 July. Serbia accepted most of the demands but rejected the participation of Austro-Hungarian officials in investigations on Serbian sovereign territory, stating that it would violate their constitution and criminal procedure laws. This response appealed to international observers, but it made little difference to Austria-Hungary, which was determined to go to war. As a result, Austria-Hungary broke off diplomatic relations with Serbia and, three days later, on 28 July 1914, declared war on Serbia, marking the beginning of World War I.

The ultimatum gave Serbia 48 hours to respond

On the evening of July 23, 1914, nearly a month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Austro-Hungarian ambassador to Serbia, Baron Giesl von Gieslingen, delivered an ultimatum to the Serbian foreign ministry. The ultimatum was issued with the full support of Austria-Hungary's allies in Berlin, and was designed to force a military conflict that would end quickly and decisively with an Austrian victory before Serbia's powerful ally, Russia, had time to react.

The ultimatum demanded that the Serbian government accept an Austro-Hungarian inquiry into the assassination, suppress all anti-Austrian propaganda, and take steps to root out and eliminate terrorist organisations within its borders. 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 was formulated in six points, which were designed to be as unacceptable as possible. Austria demanded that Serbia:

• Officially distance itself from the political campaign to unite the southern Slav peoples under Serbian leadership, which challenged the territorial integrity of Austria-Hungary.
• Purge the Serbian army and civil service of anti-Austrian agitators.
• Suppress anti-Austrian propaganda in the Serbian press.
• Take legal proceedings against extremist secret organisations operating against Austria.
• Allow Austrian officials to participate in the investigation and prosecution of these organisations on Serbian territory, which would infringe on Serbia's state sovereignty.
• Arrest specific individuals believed to have aided the archduke's killer.

Serbia was required to respond within 48 hours, and the initial consequence of refusal was to be the breaking off of diplomatic relations. However, it was clear that war would be the next step.

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