Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
The Balkans had been a powder keg since the Russo-Turkish War of 1875–1876. The geopolitical interests of the Austro-Hungarian Empire stood in conflict with the Pan-Slavic nationalism of Tsarist Russia and Serbia, and were based on the increasingly apparent weakness of the Ottoman Empire. In 1903, a coup d’Etat placed Pierre Karageorgevitch, a pro-Russian prince, on the throne of Serbia. Five years later, the sandjaks (administrative divisions) of Bosnia and Herzegovina, initially governed by the Austrians in the name of the Ottoman Empire, were annexed by Austria-Hungary, much to the anger of the Serbians and of Tsarist Russia. Austria chose the date for the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife's inspection visit to Sarajevo in Bosnia with care. The 28 June is an important date in the Serbian Orthodox calendar: not only is it Vidovdan, or St Vitus day, but it also commemorates the Serbian defeat by the Turks in 1389 and was also the royal couple's 14th wedding anniversary. The Austrians confidently paid no heed to the warnings of the Serbian ambassador in Vienna, nor did the Archduke listen to his friends and family, who advised him not to go to Sarajevo. The royal couple arrived in the Bosnian capital without a military escort. After a heated visit to the town hall, Franz Ferdinand wanted to visit those injured in an assassination attempt that had taken place in the city that morning. But the chauffeur got lost and, at Latin Bridge, the Serbian nationalist GAprilo Princip, a member of the Young Bosnia movement, fired twice at the royal car, hitting the Archduke and his wife, who died a quarter of an hour later. The Serbians celebrated the event, along with those at the Austrian Court who did not approve of the Slavic leanings of the heir to the throne.