Assassination
Archduke Franz FerdinandFranz Ferdinand (1863 – 1914) was the unpopular crown prince of Austria-Hungary, alienated from Emperor Franz Josef by his marriage to Sophie von Hohenberg and by his sympathies with the Serbian population. Unlike the Emperor, Franz Ferdinand believed that war with Serbia was unnecessary. As he said, “What would we get out of war with Serbia? We’d lose the lives of young men, and we’d spend money better used elsewhere. And what would we gain, for heaven’s sake? A few plum trees, some pastures full of goat droppings, and a bunch of rebellious killers!” (The First World War: The Complete Series, 'To Arms 1914') However, Serbs saw him as a "representative of the oppressor [Austria-Hungary]. . . an arrogant tyrant" (Borijove Jevtic). |
Franz Ferdinand & family
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On June 28th, Franz Ferdinand entered the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. As stated by a member of the Black Hand, Borijove Jevtic,
"June 28 is a date engraved deeply in the heart of every Serb. . . . It is the day on which the old Serbian kingdom was conquered by the Turks at the Battle of Amselfelde in 1389. It is also the day on which in the second Balkan War the Serbian arms took glorious revenge on the Turk for his old victory and for the years of enslavement. How dared Franz Ferdinand, not only the representative of the oppressor but in his own person an arrogant tyrant, enter Sarajevo on that day? Such an entry was a studied insult. That was no day for Franz Ferdinand, the new oppressor, to venture to the very doors of Serbia for a display of the force of arms which kept us beneath his heel. Our decision was taken almost immediately. Death to the tyrant!"
~Borijove Jevtic, account of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
~Borijove Jevtic, account of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand & Sophie entering Sarajevo
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"Sarajevo was decked in flags for the occasion, for the 28th of June was Serbian National Day, a natural focus for hatred of the Hapsburgs, as the Serbian ambassador to Vienna warned: 'This will cause much discontent. Some young Serb might put a live round rather than a blank in his gun and fire it. Therefore, it might be good if Archduke Franz Ferdinand were not to go to Sarajevo'" (World War I: The Complete Story). Ignoring the warnings, "the royal couple arrived by train" on June 28th, escorted by "a six-car motorcade [that] drove them to city hall for an official reception. The archduke and his wife were in the second car with the top rolled back in order to give the crowds a good view" (biography.com). |
“When Francis Ferdinand and his retinue drove from the station they were allowed to pass the first two conspirators. . . . When the car passed Gabrinovic, the compositor, he threw his grenade. It hit the side of the car, but [Franz] Ferdinand with presence of mind threw himself back and was uninjured. Several officers riding in his attendance were injured. The cars sped to the Town Hall and the rest of the conspirators did not interfere with them" (Borijove Jevtic). After the visit, the Archduke "asked to be driven to the hospital to visit the two injured officers" (Gilbert 16). "On the route back to the palace, the archduke's driver took a wrong turn into a side street, where 19-year-old nationalist Gavrilo Princip was waiting. As the car backed up, Princip approached and fired his gun . . . " (biography.com). According to Count Franz von Harrach, another eye-witness of the assassination, “a thin stream of blood spurted from His Highness's mouth onto my right cheek. As I was pulling out my handkerchief to wipe the blood away from his mouth, the Duchess cried out to him, 'For God's sake! What has happened to you?' At that she slid off the seat and lay on the floor of the car, with her face between his knees . . ." (Carlisle 22). Their death was established soon after arriving at the hospital. |
Gavrilo Princip
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