Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria

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

Princip was one of a group of six assassins (five from Serbia and one from Bosnia). The leader was Danilo Ilić, a member of the Black Hand secret society. The political reason for the assassination was to break off Austria-Hungary's South Slav provinces so they could be combined into a new country, Yugoslavia.

This soon led to the outbreak of war in Europe at the end of July 1914. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Both country's allies became involved in the war, and soon most of Europe became involved.

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