SARAJEVO — 1914 · Murder
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Duchess Sophie were assassinated on 28 June 1914 during a visit to Sarajevo. Earlier that morning a bomb thrown at their motorcade had missed its target and wounded several people. Despite a change of plan, the archduke's car took a wrong turn near the Latin Bridge and stalled; there Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old Bosnian Serb nationalist, shot the couple with a pistol. Both died shortly afterwards. The conspirators were put on trial; because of his age Princip escaped execution, was sentenced to 20 years and died of tuberculosis in prison in 1918. The assassination triggered the July Crisis, and the First World War began a month later.
- Date
- 1914
- Place
- Latin Bridge, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, BA
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 43.8579, 18.4291 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 28 June 1914, morningA bomb thrown at the motorcade missed.
- 28 June 1914The archduke and his wife were shot near the Latin Bridge.
- October 1914The conspirators were tried in Sarajevo.
- 28 July 1914Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.
- 28 April 1918Princip died in prison.
Sources
- History.com — Austria's Archduke Ferdinand assassinated history.com ↗
- BBC News — Gavrilo Princip: Bosnian Serbs remember an assassin bbc.com ↗
- The Guardian — Gavrilo Princip: hero or villain? theguardian.com ↗
- History.com
- BBC News
- The Guardian
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.