Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was aware that his first official visit to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, twin provinces under ottoman rule until annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908, would be a dangerous one. These provinces were hotbed of pan Serbian nationalism. Ferdinand's words carried little weight with most Serbian nationalists who hated the dynasty and the empire represented by the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. On Sunday morning Ferdinand's motorcade made its way through the narrow streets of the capital and along the route, 7 assassins were armed with bombs and revolvers. The first assassin did nothing but the second throw a bomb into the open car. It grazed Ferdinand's arm and exploded near another vehicle and injured dozens of spectators. Undeterred, Ferdinand went on to a reception at city hall and after the reception he told his driver to take him to the hospital where those wounded from the earlier attack were being held. While on his way, a young Bosnian Serb named Gavrilo Princip lunged at the archduke's car and fired a revolver. The first bullet blew a gaping hole in the side of Ferdinand's neck. A second bullet meant for the governor of Bosnia went off and entered the stomach of the expectant Duchess Sophie, the wife of the archduke. By the time medical aid came, both the archduke and his wife were dead. The Assassination on June 28, 1914 brought to increased tensions between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the neighboring kingdom of Serbia. As other European power took sides, the stakes outgrew the Austro-Serbian conflict. Nationalist aspirations, international rivalries, and inflexible alliance system transformed that conflict into a general European war and ultimately a global struggle of 32 nations.