Stay Signed In
Do you want to access your site more quickly on this computer? Check this box, and your username and password will be remembered for two weeks. Click logout to turn this off.
Stay Safe
Do not check this box if you are using a public computer. You don't want anyone seeing your personal info or messing with your site.
It was on the 28th of June 1914 that Gavrilo Princip fired the fatal shots that killed Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. Franz Ferdinand had travelled to Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina to inspect the Austro-Hungarian regiment there. The plans were that Franz and Sophie would be taken by car to the City Hall from the station to have lunch before the inspection began.
Franz had made it known that when he became Emperor he would make changes and this made him very unpopular within Austria-Hungary. A Serbian terrorist group called the Black Hand had decided that this trip would be the ideal time to assassinate the Archduke and had situated seven trained marksmen along the route from the City Hall to the inspection grounds.
The first two terrorists were unable to get a clear shot at the car as the streets were too crowded and they couldn't get a clear view. The third terrorist threw a grenade or dynamite stick, according to some reports, but this is said to have hit the canopy of Franz's car and bounced underneath the following car and exploded injuring some attendants who had to be taken to hospital.
Despite being stressed over the assassination attempts, Franz relaxed over lunch and the Archduke's party discussed how to guard against any further attacks. One suggestion was that the troops wiating inspection be brought into town and line the streets was rejected as they apparently did not have their parade uniforms on them. Therefore it was down to the remaining Sarajevo police force to protect Franz.
After lunch Franz Ferdinand decided to go and visit the wounded in hospital before proceeding to the inspection. On the way to the hospital the driver of the car took a wrong turning and, realising his mistake turned around where Gavrilo Princip, assuming the assassination attempt had been abandoned and went to get some lunch, pulled out a Belgian made Fabrique Nationale M 1910 semi-automatic pistol and fired two shots. One went through the side of the car hitting Franz's wife, Sophie, in the abdomen and Franz in the neck. They were rushed for medical treatment but died on the way there.
Franz's last words were supposedly:
„Sopherl! Sopherl! Sterbe nicht! Bleibe am Leben für unsere Kinder!“
