Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and of his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, happened on 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo. Both of them were shot and killed by Gavrilo Princip. 

Princip was one of a group of seven assassins (five from Serbia and one from Bosnia) from the Black Hand. The political reason for the secret society to commit assassination was to make Austria-Hungary's South Slavic provinces and then combine them into a new country, Greater Serbia. 

That led to the outbreak of war in Europe in late July 1914, which started when Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia. Both countries had allies that fought in World War I. 

 References  

 Other websites 

 Map of Europe  at the time of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand at omniatlas.com
 Newsreels about Franz Ferdinand's assassination at www.europeanfilmgateway.eu
 Prison Interview with Gavrilo Princip after the Assassination

Category:1914 in Europe
Category:Assassinations in Europe
Category:Murders by firearm
Category:Sarajevo
Category:World War I