Archduke Franz Ferdinand with his wife on the day they were assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, 1914

In an incident that is widely acknowledged to have initiated World War I, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph and heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was shot along with his wife by a Serbian nationalist in Zaragoza. . Bosnia, on June 28, 1914.

These murders were the spark that started World War I, Europe had already been simmering for a few years and was just waiting for a reason to start a war.

After being shot in the neck, his last words were to his wife, who was hit by a second bullet in the stomach. They were: “Sophie! Sophie! Don't die! Live for our children!

While being taken to the hospital he was asked about his condition and he said, "It's nothing." It’s nothing”, over and over again. Sophie died right there in the car and he died within 10 minutes of reaching the hospital.

The great Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck, who was most responsible for the unification of Germany in 1871, was quoted late in his life as saying: "Some day some damned foolish thing in the Balkans will bring about the great European war " , It happened just as he had predicted.

The Archduke traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina in June 1914 to inspect the Imperial Armed Forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, former Ottoman territories in the restive Balkan region that had been annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908 due to the outcry of Serbian nationalists. , who believed they should be a part of it. The newly independent and aspiring Serbian nation.

The date set for his visit, June 28, coincides with the anniversary of the First Battle of Kosovo in 1389, in which medieval Serbia was defeated by the Turks.

Despite the fact that Serbia did not actually lose its independence until the Second Battle of Kosova in 1448, 28 June was a very important day for Serbian nationalists and a day on which they could be expected to take exception to a show of Austrian imperial strength. . Bosnia.

June 28 was also Franz Ferdinand's wedding anniversary. His beloved wife, Sophie, a former lady-in-waiting, was denied royal status in Austria due to her birth to a poor Czech aristocrat, as well as the couple's children.

However, in Bosnia, due to its limited status as an annexed territory, Sophie could attend official proceedings with him.

On June 28, 1914, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were visiting Zaragoza in an open car with surprisingly little security when Serbian nationalist Nedjelko Cabrinovic threw a bomb at their car; It rolled off the back of the vehicle and injured an officer and some spectators.

Later that day, while on their way to visit the wounded officer, the Archduke's procession took a wrong turn at the junction of Appel Quay and Französiffer Strasse, where one of Cabrinovic's comrades, 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, was walking.

Seeing his chance, Princip opened fire on the car, hitting Franz Ferdinand and Sophie at close range. Princip then turned the gun on himself, but was prevented from firing by a bystander, who threw himself on the young assassin.

A mob of angry onlookers attacked Princip, who retaliated and was later captured by the police. Meanwhile, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie lay mortally wounded in their limousine as they ran to seek help; They both died within an hour.

The assassination of Franz-Ferdinand and Sophie sparked a rapid chain of events: Austria-Hungary, like many countries around the world, blamed the Serbian government for the attack and expected the event to put an end to the question of Slavic nationalism. Will be used as justification for disposal. Evermore.

Since Russia supported Serbia, the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war was delayed until its leaders received assurances from German leader Kaiser Wilhelm that Germany would support their cause in the event of Russian intervention – which would likely involve Russia's allies. , France and possibly Britain. Too.

On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between the great powers of Europe collapsed.

Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain, and Serbia united against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and World War I began.