The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand gave the hardliners in Austria-Hungary the opportunity to take action against Serbia and put an end to their fight for independence. As the car backed up, Princip approached and fired his gun, striking Sophie in the abdomen and the archduke in the neck.
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On the route back to the palace, the archduke's driver took a wrong turn into a side street, where 19-year-old nationalist Gavrilo Princip was waiting. The archduke and his wife were in the second car with the top rolled back in order to give the crowds a good view. On the morning of June 28, 1914, the royal couple arrived by train and a six-car motorcade drove them to city hall for an official reception. He had been informed of terrorist activity conducted by the nationalist organization the "Black Hand," but ignored the warnings.
In the summer of 1914, Franz Ferdinand and wife Sophie accepted an invitation to visit the capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo. Though he cared little for their nationalist ambitions, he advocated for a careful approach with the Serbs, warning his military leaders that harsh treatment toward them could cause an open conflict with Russia. This idea was in direct conflict with the Serbian nationalists who had designs of breaking off with Bosnia and Herzegovina to form an independent state. He also considered forming a federal government of 16 states, calling it the United States of Greater Austria. However, this idea was unpopular with the ruling elite, further stirring doubts of Franz Ferdinand's sanity. After the suicide of the emperor's son, Crown Prince Rudolf, in 1889, and his own father's death from typhoid fever in 1896, Franz Ferdinand was groomed to inherit the throne.Īt one point, Franz Ferdinand proposed changing the Austro-Hungarian rule with a triple monarchy of Slavs, Germans and Magyars, each having an equal voice in government. He began his military career at age 12 and was quickly promoted through the ranks becoming a major general at age 31. Franz Ferdinand was a member of the House of Hapsburg, rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Spanish Empire. Early Life and Marriageįranz Ferdinand was born in Graz, Austria, on December 18, 1863, the oldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig, who was the younger brother of Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph. One month later, Austria declared war on Serbia and World War I began. In 1914, a Serb nationalist assassinated him. While in power, he attempted to restore Austro-Russian relations while maintaining an alliance with Germany.
In 1900, Ferdinand gave up his children's rights to the throne in order to marry a lady-in-waiting. Who Was Franz Ferdinand?Īrchduke Franz Ferdinand was born in 1863 in Austria. Franz Ferdinand's assassination on June 28, 1914, at the hand of a Serbian terrorist group the "Black Hand," led to the beginning of World War I.
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