who assassinated franz ferdinand and why

#Who assassinated franz ferdinand and why series

The Black Hand, formally Unification or Death, was a secret military society formed on May 9, 1911, by officers in the Army of the Kingdom of Serbia. The political objective of the assassination was to break off Austria-Hungary’s South Slav provinces so they could be combined into Yugoslavia. Princip was one of a group of six assassins (five Serbs and one Bosniak) coordinated by Danilo Ilić, a Bosnian Serb and a member of the Black Hand secret society. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, occurred on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo when they were shot dead by Gavrilo Princip. Henceforth, Franz Ferdinand was groomed to succeed him. This left Franz Ferdinand’s father, Karl Ludwig, first in line to the throne. His cousin Crown Prince Rudolf committed suicide at his hunting lodge in Mayerling. In 1889, Franz Ferdinand’s life changed dramatically. Franz Ferdinand thus became one of the wealthiest men in Austria. In 1875, when he was only 11 years old, his cousin Duke Francis V of Modena died, naming Franz Ferdinand his heir on condition that he add the name Este to his own. This caused the Central Powers (including Germany and Austria-Hungary) and Serbia’s allies to declare war on each other, starting World War I.įranz Ferdinand was born in Graz, Austria, the eldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria (younger brother of Franz Joseph and Maximilian) and his second wife, Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. His assassination in Sarajevo precipitated Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war against Serbia. There were two key ideologies promoted among the members of the group: the Yugoslavist (unification into a Yugoslavia) and the Pan-Serb (unification into Serbia).įranz Ferdinand 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. The members were predominantly school students, primarily Serbs but also Bosniaks and Croats. Young Bosnia A revolutionary movement active in the Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina before World War I.

#Who assassinated franz ferdinand and why series

Immediately after Gavrilo Princip, a Yugoslav nationalist, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo, a series of diplomatic maneuverings led to an ultimatum from Austria-Hungary to the Kingdom of Serbia and eventually to war. July Crisis A diplomatic crisis among the major powers of Europe in the summer of 1914 that led to World War I. It is often advocated by nationalist and pan-nationalist movements and has been a feature of identity politics and cultural and political geography. Key Terms Black Hand A secret military society formed on May 9, 1911, by officers in the Army of the Kingdom of Serbia, originating in the conspiracy group that assassinated the Serbian royal couple (1903) led by captain Dragutin Dimitrijević “Apis.” irredentism Any political or popular movement intended to reclaim and reoccupy a “lost” or “unredeemed” area territorial claims are justified on the basis of real or imagined national and historic (an area formerly part of that state) or ethnic (an area inhabited by that nation or ethnic group) affiliations.

Eventually, Britain and France were also obliged to mobilize and declare war, beginning World War I. The system of European alliances led to a series of escalating Austrian and Russian mobilizations.This led to Austria-Hungary invading Serbia. The assassination triggered the July Crisis, a series of tense diplomatic maneuverings that led to an ultimatum from Austria-Hungary to the Kingdom of Serbia, who rejected some of these conditions as a violation of their sovereignty.The murder was described by Christopher Clark as “a terrorist event charged with historic meaning, transforming the political chemistry in Vienna.” The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sent deep shock waves through Austrian elites.The political objective of the assassination was to break off Austria-Hungary’s South Slav provinces so they could be combined into Yugoslavia.Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, a member of the Austrian royal family and heir presumptive to the Austrian throne, was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Young Bosnia movement connected to the Blank Hand secret society.