payment page
The Archduke’s Assassination
On June 28, 1914, the archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife, Sophie, were on an official visit to the city of Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a Serb-dominated province of Austria-Hungary. During the visit, Serbian militants, seeking independence for the territory, made two separate attempts on the archduke’s life. In the first attempt, they threw a bomb at his car shortly after he arrived in town, but the bomb bounced off the car and failed to kill or injure the intended victim.
Later that day, while the archduke was en route to a hospital to visit an officer wounded by the bomb, his driver turned down a side street where Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old militant Bosnian Serb who had been part of the assassination attempt that morning, happened to be standing. Seizing the opportunity, Princip stepped up to the car’s window and shot both the archduke and his wife at point-blank range.
Reaction to the Assassination
The archduke’s assassination had an incendiary effect throughout Central Europe. Tensions between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, which had already been rising for several years over territorial disputes, escalated further. Despite limited evidence, Austria-Hungary blamed the Serbian government for the assassination. Furthermore, it blamed Serbia for seeding unrest among ethnic Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a province of Austria-Hungary that shared a border with Serbia.
Austro-Hungarian leaders decided that the solution to the Serbian problem was an all-out invasion of the country. However, there was a major obstacle to this plan: Russia, which had close ethnic, religious, and political ties to Serbia, was likely to come to its defense during an invasion. Though poorly armed and trained, Russia’s army was huge and capable of posing a formidable threat to Austria-Hungary.
Germany’s “Blank Check”
Aware of the threat from Russia, Austria-Hungary held off on its attack plans and turned to its well-armed ally to the north, Germany. On July 5, 1914, Austria-Hungary sent an envoy to meet personally with the German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, to discuss Austria’s concerns about Russia. Not only did the kaiser feel that Russia was unlikely to respond militarily, as its forces were utterly unprepared for war, but he also had a close personal relationship with Tsar Nicholas II and hoped to smooth things over diplomatically. Nevertheless, the kaiser pledged that if Russian troops did in fact advance on Austria-Hungary, Germany would help fight off the attackers. This guarantee is often referred to as Germany’s “blank check.”
Austria’s Ultimatum
On July 23, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian government issued an ultimatum to Serbia containing ten demands. They insisted that Austria-Hungary be allowed to participate in Serbia’s investigation of the assassination and to take direct part in the judicial process against the suspects. The demands also required Serbia to stamp out all forms of anti-Austrian activism and propaganda. The ultimatum, written by members of the Austrian Council of Ministers, was specifically intended to be humiliating and unacceptable to Serbia.
However, on July 25, Serbia accepted Austria-Hungary’s demands almost entirely, aside from just a few conditions regarding their participation in the judicial process against the criminals. Austria-Hungary’s response was swift: its embassy in Serbia closed within a half hour of receiving Serbia’s answer, and three days later, on July 28, Austria declared war on Serbia. On July 29, the first Austrian artillery shells fell on Serbia’s capital, Belgrade.
The Other Sides Enter the War
After this first military action, a series of events followed in quick succession. With news of Austria’s attack on Belgrade, Russia ordered a general mobilization of its troops on July 30, 1914. Germany, interpreting this move as a final decision by Russia to go to war, promptly ordered its own mobilization. Although the Russian tsar and German kaiser were communicating feverishly by telegraph throughout this time, they failed to convince each other that they were only taking precautionary measures. Britain attempted to intervene diplomatically, but to no avail. On August 1, the German ambassador to Russia handed the Russian foreign minister a declaration of war.
On August 3, Germany declared war on France as well. This was in accordance with the Schlieffen Plan, in which Germany would quickly attack and defeat France before Russia could mobilize and attack Germany. Germany made clear its intention to cross the neutral nation Belgium to reach France’s least fortified border, in violation of its own treaty in respect to neutral countries. Therefore, Britain, which had a defense agreement with Belgium, declared war on Germany the next day, August 4, bringing the number of countries involved up to six. There would soon be more.
Events Timeline
June 28, 1914
Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated in Sarajevo
July 5
Austria requests and receives Germany’s “blank check,” pledging unconditional support if Russia enters the war
July 23
Austria issues ultimatum to Serbia
July 25
Serbia responds to ultimatum; Austrian ambassador to Serbia immediately leaves Belgrade
France promises support to Russia in the event of war
July 28
Austria declares war on Serbia
July 30
Russia orders general mobilization of troops
August 1
Germany declares war on Russia
France and Germany order general mobilization
August 3
Germany declares war on France
August 4
Britain declares war on Germany
Key People
Franz Ferdinand
The archduke of Austria and heir to the Habsburg throne; his assassination on June 28, 1914 precipitated the start of World War I
Gavrilo Princip
A teenage Serbian militant who assassinated Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 in the city of Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina
