The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie, by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, on June 28, 1914, is widely considered the event that triggered the start of World War I.
This assassination, which took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia, had a chain reaction of events that led to the outbreak of war:
- Austria-Hungary, angered by the assassination of their heir, issued an ultimatum to Serbia demanding an investigation and punishment of the perpetrators.
- Serbia, despite making concessions, failed to meet all of Austria-Hungary's demands, leading to the declaration of war by Austria-Hungary on July 28, 1914.
- Germany, allied with Austria-Hungary, pledged its support and mobilized its troops.
- Russia, allied with Serbia, mobilized its troops in response to Austria-Hungary's aggression.
- France, allied with Russia, also mobilized its troops.
- Germany, fearing a two-front war, declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914, and on France on August 3, 1914.
- Great Britain, bound by treaty obligations to Belgium, declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914, after Germany invaded neutral Belgium.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, while the immediate catalyst for the war, was only one factor in a complex web of political, economic, and military tensions that had been building for decades. It was the spark that ignited a powder keg, leading to the eruption of the deadliest conflict in human history.
