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Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1863–1914) -

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, was the immediate cause of the First World War.

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A killing with no consequences? -

On hearing of the archduke's murder, Edward House (pictured), American diplomat and adviser to President Woodrow Wilson, commented that "it created no more audible effect than a tenor solo in the boiler shop." And he was right, up to a point. The assassination was written off by Western leaders as almost inevitable, given that political violence in the region was seen as almost routine. But within a few weeks, the world would be at war.

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The Great Powers -

To understand why the archduke was targeted and the reasons for Europe taking up arms, one needs to study the geopolitics map prior to 1914. Within the great powers of the era, three imperial dynasties dominated: the Romanovs in Russia (pictured), the Hohenzollerns in Germany, and the Hapsburgs.

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Austro-Hungarian Empire -

One of Europe's major powers was the Austro-Hungarian Empire, ruled by the Hapsburg dynasty. While the Hapsburgs had expanded their territory partly by war, it was largely built on very carefully arranged marriages. Theirs was a seemingly impregnable dominion.

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The unification of Germany -

But when Prussia defeated France in the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War and the Prussian monarch became kaiser of a unified Germany, bringing together a collection of previously independent states, the balance of power in Europe shifted considerably. Prussia effectively became Germany.

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Wilhelm II -

After unification, the king of Prussia, Wilhelm II, was made emperor, kaiser of all German states, further solidifying the country.

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Queen Victoria and King George V -

Wilhelm II was Queen Victoria's grandson, and cousin of King George V of England.

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Czar Nicholas II -

King George V of England was in turn cousin of the Russian Czar Nicholas II. It was a complicated family tree.

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"Peace remains at the mercy of an accident" -

Wilhelm von Schoen, the German ambassador in Paris, recognized it as such, and said as much when he warned that despite all these family bonds, "peace remains at the mercy of an accident."

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A hotbed of Slav nationalism -

In the Balkans, the Hapsburgs ruled over Slavs in territory they had captured from the Turks. Historically, the Slavs were bound to Russia, and the greatest threat to the Hapsburg Empire was Slav nationalism.

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A fateful visit -

Bosnia-Herzegovina was part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1908, the Hapsburgs annexed this territory from the Ottomans in order to prevent the Serbians from getting access to the sea. This move sparked protest from all the Great Powers and Austria-Hungary's Balkan neighbors, including Serbia. In June 1914, the Hapsburgs sent Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, to Sarajevo to officially tie the annexed territory to the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. However, unbeknown to the imperial entourage, a group of assassins were lying in wait.

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Lying in wait -

Seven conspirators led by Muhamed Mehmedbašić (pictured) and bankrolled by the Black Hand, a Serbian secret nationalist group, mingled with the crowds lining the route of the archduke's procession. His car passed Mehmedbasic and Vaso Čubrilović, another plotter, without incident.

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First assassination attempt -

But as the imperial motorcade passed Nedeljko Čabrinović, another member of the assassination squad, he tossed a bomb towards the archduke's vehicle. It missed and instead exploded under the next car. Čabrinović was quickly arrested. Much debate surrounds whether this photograph shows the moment of Čabrinović's apprehension or whether it depicts that of an innocent bystander called Ferdinand Behr.

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Gavrilo Princip -

Upon hearing the bomb blast and assuming the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary had been dispatched, co-conspirator Gavrilo Princip wandered off to a nearby café on Gebert Street, just off the main road.

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Oblivious to danger -

Incredibly, however, the procession advanced to deliver the archduke to a prearranged civic reception at Sarajevo Town Hall.

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Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand -

Later, his duties completed, the archduke and his wife were returning to the train station along Appel Quay when the motorcade turned off too early into Gebert Street, where Princip was suddenly confronted by the target vehicle. He immediately pulled out his pistol and fired towards the couple, mortally wounding both. The driver's mistake became the most famous wrong turn in history.

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A bloody end -

The archduke died within minutes of being shot, his wife soon after. Pictured is the archduke's bloodied tunic.

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The assassins are rounded up -

Gavrilo Princip was arrested shortly afterwards and detained (pictured). In fact, all of the would-be assassins were eventually caught.

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Punishment -

The main conspirators, including Princip, identified here by the number 1, Danilo Ilitch (2), and Čabrinović (3), were tried alongside others. All were handed down long prison sentences except Ilitch and Veljko Čubrilović (brother of Vaso, and also involved in the plot), who were executed.

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Lying in state -

Within hours of the killings, widespread rioting had broken out in Sarajevo. Meanwhile, the bodies of the slain couple were taken back to Vienna to lie in state.

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The forgotten funeral -

Not a single Western European dignitary attended Franz Ferdinand's funeral. The assassination had been regarded by the Western powers as a Balkan problem, with no real interest shown in the consequences. But others saw it as an opportunity.

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An excuse for war -

The Hapsburgs felt compromised and undermined by Serbian nationalists over the killing of their heir presumptive. And the murder of Ferdinand, previously an advocate of peace, was used as an excuse for war.

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The July Crisis -

In the wake of the assassination came the July Crisis. This was a series of interrelated diplomatic and military escalations among the major powers of Europe in the summer of 1914.

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War, or peace? -

Characterized by a complex web of alliances, coupled with the miscalculations of numerous political and military leaders, the crisis saw just a handful of men making critical decisions on whether there would be war or peace. The situated prompted Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, the Austro-Hungarian chief of staff, to write: "It will be a hopeless struggle but it must be pursued because so old a monarchy and so glorious an army cannot go down ingloriously." Conflict was on the horizon.

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The blame game -

The two principal drivers for war, Austria-Hungary and Germany, were allies. But Germany was the stronger power. Russians and pan-Slavs were seen as aggressors and to blame for the assassination.

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The "Blank Check" -

But Germany decided to defer to Vienna in challenging their foes. Imperial chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg believed the Hapsburgs could manage the crisis themselves. He sent a telegram to that effect: "The Emperor may rest assured that his Majesty will faithfully stand by Austria-Hungary as is required by the obligations of his alliance and of his ancient friendship." History knows this telegram as the "Blank Check."

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The Triple Entente -

The rationale of German leaders was that Russia would not back Serbia. Serbia's protector was Russia, who enjoyed an alliance with France, with British involvement. This tripartite was known as the Triple Entente.

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The Triple Alliance -

The counterweight to the Triple Entente was the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. These allegiances meant that if war was to break out in the Balkans, it would likely spread very quickly across the rest of Europe.

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Serbia turns to Russia -

On July 19, 1914, Austria presented an ultimatum to Serbia that threatened war unless Serbia complied with what were, frankly, unacceptable terms. Serbia turned to Russia, but Moscow (pictured) had its own problems dealing with civil unrest and the threat of revolution.

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A prelude to war -

In Great Britain, the prime minister, Herbert Asquith, wrote to the King: "The Austrian ultimatum is the gravest event of many years past in European politics as it maybe the prelude to war." He was right.

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Declaration of war -

On July 28, 1914, exactly one month after the events in Sarajevo, the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war was delivered to Serbia. The cards had began to fall.

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Troops mobilized -

In response, Russia mobilized its troops. This allowed German leaders to act defensively and prompted Berlin to also initiate war. On July 31, Germany issued its own declaration of war, Kriegsgefahr, effectively accepting the challenge of conflict with Russia.

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Great Britain and the US sit on the fence -

London was still undecided, while the United States continued to adopt a strategy of isolationism (the US would enter the war on April 6, 1917).

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The Schlieffen Plan -

On August 4, 1914, Germany invaded Belgium, ostensibly to attack France. By doing so, Germany had invoked the Schlieffen Plan, which established that, in case of the outbreak of war, Germany would attack France first and then Russia. Pictured is an exuberant crowd outside the Austrian embassy in Berlin after news of the outbreak of war with Serbia.

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Brinkmanship and recklessness -

By following Schlieffen, Germany drew Great Britain into the conflict, the invasion of Belgium seen by London as imperiling its security. Germany then declared war on France after falsely accusing the French air force of bombing Nuremburg (Hitler pulled a similar stunt in 1939 when Germany falsely accused Polish troops of attacking a radio post at Gleiwitz). Brinkmanship and recklessness ultimately plunged Europe into war.

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The lamps go out -

With the conflict spiraling, the British foreign secretary, Edward Grey, famously lamented: "... thus the efforts of a lifetime go for nothing... the lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime." The First World War had begun. 

Sources: (History) (Library of Congress) (Britannica) (National WWI Museum and Memorial) 

See also: Murders that changed the world

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