Assassination of Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip
Franz Ferdinand was entitled to inherit the throne of Austria-Hungary. He along with his wife Sophie were shot to death during an official visit to the Bosnian which was the capital of Sarajevo by a Bosnian Serb nationalist on 28th June 1914. This assassination worked as a spark in a chain of events that were responsible for leading to the outbreak of World War I. After five years later of the death of Franz Ferdinand on 28th June 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany and the Allied Powers to officially mark the end of World War I.
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This assassination was done by Gavrilo Princip whose political aim was to free Bosnia of Austria-Hungarian rule and the development of a common South Slav state. The assassination led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia and a factor causing the First World War.
Who was Gavrilo Princip?
On 25th July 1894, Gavrilo Princip was born in Obljaj, Bosnia. He was a South Slav nationalist who he famous for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife Sophie at Sarajevo, Bosnia in 1914. This act of Garvilo Princip provided an excuse to Austria-Hungary that plotted against Serbia and later precipitated World War I.
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He was born into a Bosnian Serb peasant family. He was given training in terrorism by the Serbian secret society known as the Black Hand. He wanted to destroy the rule of Austria-Hungary in the Balkans and to unite the people of South Slav into a federal nation. To accomplish his aim, he thought that the assassination of a member of the Habsburg imperial family or a high official of the government would be the first step.
Details of the Assassination
The eldest son of Archduke Charles Louis and brother of the emperor Franz Joseph, Franz Ferdinand tried to restore Austro-Russian understanding. In 1914, He was in Bosnia, the Austro-Hungarian province. His wife named Sophie accompanied him. He was appointed there as inspector general of the imperial army. The politics of Balkan were turbulent, and Bosnia was coveted by the neighboring Kingdom of Serbia. The date selected for this royal visit and Hapsburg (prominent royal house of Europe) presentation of force was 28 June which is a black date in the history of Serbia. It was the anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo (1389) when the Turkish won over Serbia.
The royal couple was ignorant of the fact that many assassins were waiting for them on the way to their preannounced stops. They were riding in a motorcade through Sarajevo in an open-topped car. In the morning huge crowd was cheering in the wide avenue called Appel Quay. They’re one of the attackers named Nedjelko Cabrinovic threw a grenade at the car of the royal couple. The bomb exploded behind them by bouncing off the back of the vehicle and the injured members of the entourage were in the next car.
The royal couple was shaken by this incident but they attended the planned reception at City Hall. They insisted to change their pre-decided schedule. They visited the hospital to check on one of the officers injured in the morning attack. The drivers drove the motorcade in the wrong direction where the conspirators were still present. This opportunity of killing the royal couple was sized by Garvilo Princip, a compatriot of Cabrinovic who was just 19 years old. When the royal motorcade ran on a side street and in order to turn it stopped. He shot Franz Ferdinand and Sophie with a Browning pistol by approaching the car of the royal couple. The royal couple died because of the shot.
Assassination Led to World War I
After killing the royal couple, Garvilo Princip tried to shoot himself but was apprehended by bystanders. In the wake of the assassination riots and anti-Serb protests followed throughout Austria-Hungary. One month later of this assassination, Austria-Hungary had announced a war on Serbia, the country behind the murders. The set of the Triple Alliance was among Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy against allies of Serbia in the Triple Entente (Russia, France, and Britain). This momentum became unstoppable and became the reason for World War I which is the deadliest in history. Later all of the conspirators were arrested. Princip was at a young age so he was exempted from the death penalty was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In 1918, he died in prison from tuberculosis.
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Did You Know?
Entente Powers or the Allies of World War I was a coalition of countries led by, Britain, Italy, Russia, Japan, France, and the United States against the Central Powers of Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary, Germany, the Ottoman Empire, etc. during the First World War (1914–1918).
Hence we get to know why was archduke Ferdinand assassinated and how the assassination of Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip became the initial spark of World War I. The countries of the world are divided into two groups. This was a cruel and unethical assassination because they were guests in Bosnia as they came for a state visit but led to death.
FAQs on Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
1. Why was Archduke Ferdinand assassinated?
The killers of Archduke Ferdinand wanted to establish a common South Slav. Archduke Ferdinand was a target because many people in the Balkans were angered by the annexation of Austria. The political objective of killers of the royal couple is considered to give freedom to Bosnia from the rule of Austria-Hungry. The assassination was responsible for the July crisis which eventually led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia and the start of the First World War. Gavrilo Princip killed a royal couple whose political aim was to free Bosnia and the development of a common South Slav state.
2. How did the assassination of Ferdinand lead to WWI?
It is always a matter of debate what was the main reason for World War I since it ended. The assassination of Ferdinand was also a reason for the world war but a series of factors were involved. After the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Austria-Hungary was furious and later with the support of Germany declared war on Serbia. Within days, Germany declared war on Russia and invaded France via Belgium, which then caused Britain to declare war on Germany. Hence countries started participating in the war which eventually become the deadly conflict of World War I.
3. How was Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated?
Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie visited Bosnia in1914, for a state visit. In order to inspect imperial troops stationed there, the royal couple went to the capital city of Sarajevo. They were attacked by the group of assassins as they headed toward their destination. In the first attempt, the assassins failed and the couple narrowly escaped death. But the terrorists attacked them again and their luck ran out later that day. The drive of the motorcade inadvertently drove them Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. He shot and killed Franz Ferdinand and his wife at point-blank range and Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated.
