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Assassination in Guidebook on WWI

Isonzo Front, the Soča
Sarajevo In Europe lights are dimmed Valley, Slovenia

The Isonzo Front On 28 June 1914, the heir to the throne, Franz
Ferdinand, and his wife, Sofia Hohenberg, born
Chotek, travelled to Sarajevo to oversee the
To the Eastern Front manoeuvres. He had been advised not to attend the
trip, as it fell on the so-called Vidov Dan day, an
WW1 in Writing important Serbian historical anniversary. Despite
warnings Franz Ferdinand did not feel threatened.
The nationalistic organization Young Bosnia
understood his visit as a provocation and they took
advantage of the opportunity to attack the
The Archduke and his wife in Sarajevo, 28 June 1914.
representative of the 'hated government', which in
Source: National Museum of Contemporary History 1878 conquered and in 1908 annexed Bosnia to
Austria-Hungary. The first assassination attempt,
which was unsuccessful, was carried out by Nedeljko
Čabrinović. The bomb he threw deflected from the Slovenians and the First
car and exploded under another car in the royal World War
retinue. Later during the visit, the car with the royal
couple coincidentally stopped next to one of the
assassins who was already leaving the area. Shots of
Gavrilo Princip, a member of Young Bosnia, were
fatal for the royal couple and were the catalyst that
pushed the amassed conflicts and military
connections among European states into a military
conflict. Due to its magnitude, importance and
number of casualties, it was named the Great World
The Archduke and his wife in Sarajevo, 28 June 1914.
War. Despite connections of the assassins, Young
Source: National Museum of Contemporary History
Bosnia, with Serbia, no direct evidence existed that
the assassination was organized by the Kingdom of
Serbia. Serbia was not ready for the war and was
economically and militarily exhausted after the two
Balkan Wars. The assassination caused great
Isonzo Front
consternation among inhabitants of Slovenian lands.
The cities flew black flags and patriotic feelings were
growing among the populace. The circles of the
Austro-Hungarian government that favoured war saw
the assassination as a confirmation of their opinions
about the necessity of a preventive and punitive war.
On 23 July, Austria-Hungary sent an ultimatum to
Serbia demanding from Serbia, among other things,
The Archduke and his wife in Sarajevo, 28 June 1914. to prohibit anti-Austrian publications and to allow
Source: National Museum of Contemporary History direct Austro-Hungarian search for the assassin in the
Serbian territory. Since Serbia did not want to accept
International
the last condition which was considered to be unconstitutional, Austria-Hungary, after discussions with
Encyclopedia of the First
its ally Germany, declared war on Serbia on 28 July and initiated a general mobilisation. As a result of
World War
numerous international connections and treaties on military cooperation and strategic defence plans, the
irreversible process of declarations of war, mobilisations and preparations began. Russia responded to the
Austro-Hungarian declaration of war on Serbia by a general mobilisation in the end of July. Thus the
Serbian and Austro-Hungarian conflict grew from a local to an international one. Despite diplomatic
attempts to resolve the crisis through political means, the war became inevitable. Declarations of war and
mobilisations in July and August 1914, following the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war on Serbia,
thus very quickly transformed Europe and a large part of the world into a battlefield.

Marko Štepec, M.A., National Museum of Contemporary History

SLOVENES AND
WORLD WAR I by
Petra Svoljšak, Milko
Kos Historical Institute

Map of the Walk of

Peace
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