who was the archduke franz ferdinand `
Franz Ferdinand (18 December 1863 â 28 June 1914) was an Archduke of Austria-Este, Austro-Hungarian and Royal Prince of Hungary and of Bohemia, and from 1896 until his death, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne.His assassination in Sarajevo precipitated Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia.rchduke Franz Ferdinand with his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, and their three children (from left), Prince Ernst von Hohenberg, Princess Sophie, and Maximilian, Duke of Hohenburg, in 1910.