The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Summary

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand set off a chain of events that led to the first World War, a conflict entangling nearly every major power due to alliances and national tensions. In 1914, Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip assassinated the Archduke, igniting long-standing geopolitical and nationalistic tensions. The video explores the complex web of factors leading to the war, including nationalism, imperialism, and alliances, detailing the assassination plot by the Black Hand terrorist group. Despite the uncertainty about government involvement, Austria-Hungary leveraged the incident to crack down on Serbia, triggering a domino effect of war declarations involving major global powers. Beyond merely igniting a war, the assassination highlighted the fragile geopolitical state of early 20th-century Europe.

Highlights

• Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination was the catalyst for World War I. 🔥
• Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip carried out the fatal shooting. 🎯
• The Black Hand terrorist group planned the assassination to promote Greater Serbia. 🕵️‍♂️
• Failed initial assassination attempts led to the final fatal encounter by mere chance. 🎲
• Austria-Hungary's severe demands on Serbia post-assassination were pivotal in starting the war. 📜

Key Takeaways

• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip sparked World War I. 🔫
• Alliances and nationalism played key roles in escalating the conflict following the assassination. 🌍
• The Black Hand, a Serbian terrorist group, orchestrated the assassination to disrupt Austro-Hungarian rule. 💣
• Austria-Hungary's response to the assassination exacerbated tensions, leading to widespread warfare. ⚔️
• The assassination underlined the already simmering geopolitical tensions in Europe. 🌐

Overview

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, often viewed as the event that ignited World War I, drew nearly every major power into one of history's deadliest wars. Archduke Franz, heir to the Austrian throne, was shot by Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand, during an ill-fated visit to Sarajevo. This seemingly isolated act set off a global conflict, fueled by complex alliances and combustible nationalistic fervor.

As the Austro-Hungarian Empire demanded stringent consequences from Serbia, alliances across Europe triggered. Germany joined Austria-Hungary against Serbia and its ally Russia, inviting France and the UK into the fray. The situation spiraled as nations like Japan and the Ottoman Empire seized the chance to pursue their interests, thus sprawling the conflict worldwide. Each declaration of war was like a domino falling in a row long set by strategic and historical rivalries.

Despite the assassination being a direct cause, it was not the sole reason for the war. Decades of political tension, imperialistic pursuits, and militarization primed Europe for conflict. The assassination merely lit the fuse on an already volatile situation. Even without Princip's fatal shots, the intricate web of alliances and unresolved nationalistic sentiments suggested that Europe was on a collision course toward a large-scale war.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:00: Introduction The chapter 'Introduction' sets the stage in the year 1916 during World War I. It describes a soldier from the Indian army fighting under the British Empire against Germans and Ottomans in Palestine. The narrative highlights the complexity and chaos of World War I, triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by a Bosnian Serb, which resulted in a tangled web of alliances and declarations of war involving nearly every major power. The focus is on the cataclysmic ripple effect of one man's death spiraling into a worldwide conflict.
• 01:00 - 03:00: Background and Events Leading to the Assassination The chapter discusses the complexities leading to the Great War, focusing on the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. While acknowledging other contributing factors like imperialism and nationalism, the chapter emphasizes the assassination's significant role in igniting tensions. It promises an analysis of the remarkable circumstances surrounding Ferdinand's death and its impact on escalating into a major global conflict.
• 03:00 - 05:00: Serbian Nationalism and the Black Hand The chapter discusses the early life of Franz Ferdinand, born in 1863, who belonged to one of the most influential families within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the age of 11, he experienced a significant change in fortune following the untimely death of his cousin, Francis the Fifth, who bequeathed him nearly all his titles and possessions.
• 05:00 - 06:30: The Assassination Plot The chapter titled 'The Assassination Plot' follows the dramatic turns in Franz's life starting with a significant boost in social status due to wealth, catapulting him into the high society of Austria-Hungary and making him one of the wealthiest in the Empire. The narrative takes a darker twist with the suicide of his cousin, Crown Prince Rudolph, in 1889, which sets the stage for Franz's family to move closer to the throne. However, the transition of power continues to be tumultuous as Franz's father, next in line, dies of typhoid fever in 1896, ultimately positioning Franz himself for a consequential role.
• 06:30 - 10:30: Failed Assassination Attempts The chapter titled 'Failed Assassination Attempts' details a significant political shift following the Russian Empire's victory over the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War. The narrative describes how Austria-Hungary gained control of Bosnia through a treaty, while Serbia achieved full autonomy and emerged as the Kingdom of Serbia. This geopolitical reorganization placed Rand, a central figure in the chapter, at the forefront of a complex and powerful position in global politics.
• 10:30 - 15:00: The Consequences of the Assassination This chapter discusses the pivotal event in Serbia in 1903 where a coup d'etat led to the assassination of the king and queen. Subsequently, Peter the First was installed as the new king. Under his rule, Serbia's policies shifted significantly, impacting their relationships with neighboring countries, especially altering the previously stable relationship with Austria-Hungary.
• 15:00 - 18:00: Outbreak of World War I Nationalism heightened military tensions as nations sought to expand territory, with Serbia aiming to establish a greater Serbia.
• 18:00 - 19:30: The Legacy of the Assassination The chapter titled 'The Legacy of the Assassination' explores the persistent violence and political unrest in Bosnia, focusing on the period from 1909 to 1914. It discusses the rise of groups like the Black Hand, a secret society intent on ending Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and annexing it to Serbia. This group, among others, frequently resorted to violence, including numerous failed assassination attempts on Austro-Hungarian officials and the governor of Croatia. The chapter highlights the Black Hand's significant influence and dedication to their cause.

The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 the year is 1916. you're a soldier in the Indian army fighting for the British Empire in Palestine getting shot at by Germans and Ottomans all because a Bosnian Serb shot an important guy from Austria-Hungary this absolute mess was the reality of the first world war a tangled web of alliances and Declarations of war that pulled nearly every major power into one devastating conflict and it was all because of the death of one man Archduke Franz
• 00:30 - 01:00 Ferdinand well sort of it's really hard to pin the insane complexity of the Great War on one simple Act and the reality is that there were a lot of other factors at play such as imperialism and nationalism but there is no denying that the archduke's assassination played a big role in igniting the European geopolitical powder keg of the early 20th century So today we're going to analyze the unbelievable circumstances of his death and how it somehow snowballed into one of the deadliest
• 01:00 - 01:30 Wars in human history foreign born in 1863 Franz Ferdinand was raised in one of the most powerful families in the Australian Empire when France was just 11 years old his cousin Francis the fifth Duke of several things and Prince of several other things met an untimely fate and left him nearly all of his
• 01:30 - 02:00 wealth this boosted Friends into The High Society of Austria-Hungary instantly becoming a one of the wealthiest people in the entire Empire but that wasn't the only plot twist in France's life in 1889 another one of his cousins crowned Prince Rudolph took his own life leaving franza's father first in line to the throne but franz's father wouldn't last much longer passing away from Thai void fever in 1896 when all was said and done Franz was now the one
• 02:00 - 02:30 in line for the throne and Not only was Rand thrust into one of the most powerful positions on Earth at the time he also subsequently found himself at the center of one of the most complex political situations that the world has ever seen you see the Russian Empire had just defeated the ottoman Empire in the Russia Turkish war and in the treaty that was signed afterwards Austria-Hungary was left in charge of Bosnia which had previously been ruled by the Ottomans in the same treaty Serbia was granted full autonomy and soon became known as the kingdom of
• 02:30 - 03:00 Serbia the next few years the kingdom of Serbia was content with their borders and maintained decent relationships with their neighbors but especially good relations with Austria-Hungary that things changed in 1903 when a dramatic coup d'etat saw the Royal Serbian Army storm the Serbian Royal Palace and shoot the king and queen a combined 48 times the new king they installed Peter the first wanted to run things just to Tad differently the new Serbia shifted
• 03:00 - 03:30 quickly into nationalism and the military was riled up to build its power and reclaim territory that believed it was owed trying to create a greater Serbia several conflicts erupted in the following years such as the Bosnian crisis which was a rebellion when Austria-Hungary announced the official annexation of Bosnia and both Balkan Wars in 1912 and 1913 in which Serbia annexed Kosovo and Macedonia all of this success encouraged radical Serbian nationalists who began taking drastic measures to further their agenda revolutionary groups began popping up
• 03:30 - 04:00 such as a young Bosnia and Narada whose goal was to end austro-hungarian rule in Bosnia and restore it to Serbia there were certainly no stranger to using violence to get what they wanted between 1909 and 1914 there were numerous failed assassination attempts on Australian officials as well as the attempted assassination of the governor of Croatia the most dangerous group though well that was the black hand a society dedicated to the creation of
• 04:00 - 04:30 Greater Serbia through the use of terrorism in fact the black hands other name was unification or death they were a seriously dangerous Group Well connected with officials in the Serbian government and known for their use of political murder and it was this group that would eventually bring the Archduke to meet his maker the idea of Greater Serbia was popular
• 04:30 - 05:00 among the public at the time especially after the successful expansion following the Balkan Wars however the Serbian government had chilled out of it not really intending to go to war again so soon focusing more on relations with Russia and consolidating Power in the regions that they're just annexed but the black hand was impatient and they believed that the Prime Minister wasn't doing enough to restore Serbia's Glory so they began taking matters into their own hands now some context here the black hand was separated into numerous
• 05:00 - 05:30 cells of three to five men who knew very little about the other cells the plot of information was contained to ensure secrecy it was all overseen by a central executive committee led by a man named dragutin Dmitry yevitz better known by his nickname apis apis was a powerful man not only in charge of the black hand but also he was the chief of Serbian Military Intelligence follow in the annexation of Bosnia app has began taking special note of Archduke Franz
• 05:30 - 06:00 Ferdinand who he believed to be a growing threat to Greater Serbia this is because Ferdinand was possibly planning to incorporate a Slavic Kingdom into his Empire which would pacify him any bosnians serbs and croatians who would no longer see a need to fight once they had a decent amount of representation in their country this would be disastrous for the black hands plans as they could potentially lose contact and allies in Bosnia as well as any revolutionary initiative lapis wanted to act before
• 06:00 - 06:30 this future could be realized and so in 1914 he began recruiting to eliminate the Archduke from the picture now it's actually a lot of mystery regarding the planning of the assassination for example it isn't known how the Serbian prime minister knew about the plot at all and it's likely that apis didn't even consult the other leaders of the black hand what is known is who was selected for the mission this was gabriello Principe yadielko chadbrinovitz and trifco grabesh these
• 06:30 - 07:00 were three young men who were members of the young Bosnia group that we mentioned earlier after green to do the job the three received arms training from members of the Serbian military which included the use of both firearms and grenades though because ammunition was so expensive the training was minimal just consisting of firing a few shots in a park outside of Belgrade on the 26th of May 1914 the black hands main weapons contact finally arrived with the gear for the mission and the three assassins were given Browning FM model 1910 pistols six hand grenades as well as
• 07:00 - 07:30 cyanide pills along with this was a stack of money and a special card that would Grant the free access to a well-known safe house where they could then sneak across the border it was around this time that the Serbian prime minister caught wind of the plot or at least part of it and ordered app is to call it off apparently made at least some superficial attempt to catch up to his three Hitmen but ones that already crossed the border he apparently couldn't stop them now in Bosnia the young men needed a way to get to the capital of Sarajevo This Was Made Simple
• 07:30 - 08:00 with the help of a Serbian Border guard who after seeing their special black hand card gave them paperwork that would help them steal the identity of three Customs officials under their newly assumed identities they were able to purchase discount train tickets to Sarajevo on the way they stopped in the City of Tulsa where they stashed their weapons with a member of the narodnod Brana after boarding the train from Tesla to Sarajevo on June the third one of the craziest coincidences of the whole story emerged one of the Assassins jabrinovitz was the son of a Sarajevo
• 08:00 - 08:30 police and one of his father's friends from the same police force always seated right next to them on the train chaprine of us struck up a conversation with him and was able to casually get a bunch of information regarding the archduke's upcoming visit the most important of which was the exact time of their Target's arrival the morning of June 28 1914. the other two were upset at him for standing out so much but in the end he managed to not draw any suspicion this Essence now had little more than three weeks in Sarajevo to prepare for
• 08:30 - 09:00 the moment that would change history foreign the three assassins headed to their respective Hideout Prince it met up with and stayed with a man named Ilitch a prominent black hand member who was in on the plot and oh would be the group leader in Sarajevo grab Edge and jabrinovitz both stayed with their families there was little to no contact for most of June as the group laid low and only alerts knew that there were three additional assassins already in
• 09:00 - 09:30 Bosnia thouso to bilovitz Viet popovit and mehmed mehmed bashitz ilits kept the group's identities a secret from each other to avoid damage in case someone was captured by the police or betrayed the cause on June the 14th Ellis made his way to Tulsa and picked up the stash weapons he smuggled them back into Sarajevo in a box of sugar and then hid them underneath his mother's sofa around this time their job was made a lot easier when ferdinand's trip was planned in detail and published in the newspapers down to the arrival times and
• 09:30 - 10:00 the streets this oh is hoping to draw a crowds to see such an important figure but it would ultimately be his downfall on June 27th the two assassin trios finally met each other and were given their pistols their grenades and their cyanide pills the next morning Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie Duchess of hohenberg or on Route taking an early morning train before they plan to arrive through the capital for a busy day of public speeches and meetings when Ferdinand arrived at the train station there were six cars waiting for him
• 10:00 - 10:30 Ferdinand and his wife Sophie sat in the third car while the other five were filled with police officers and local government officials the first Fiasco of the day occurred while everyone was getting in the vehicles when three local police officers mistakenly sat down in the first car taking the place of Three Special security officers who were then accidentally left behind at the train station and speaking of security there wasn't going to be very much at all despite ferdinand's worries that there might be some danger awaiting him in Sarajevo the local government declined the military's request to station troops
• 10:30 - 11:00 along the Route thinking that it might offend the City's population by showing a lack of trust so without the military security was left in the hands of the local police which only had a few dozen officers on duty and essentially no formal plan for the archduke's protection after their first scheduled stop to inspect the military Barracks the motorcade began driving down apple key where among a large crowd of Spectators were the six assassins poised and ready to strike Elliot had positioned them at different points along the Route and given them a brief pep talk about courage before the cars
• 11:00 - 11:30 arrived at about 10 AM the motorcade passed the first assassin mehmed Bashir TSU o was standing in front of the mo Star Cafe and armed with the grenade but despite his months of planning for this exact moment the first assassin froze up and he failed to act next to him was the Second Assassin trebilobids who had a pistol and a grenade but whatever had gotten into the first assassins and herbs must have also struck the second as he too froze up unable to follow through with a plan the motorcade continued down the street and passed the third assassin chibrinovitz who became
• 11:30 - 12:00 the first to actually do something he stepped through a break in the crowd took aim and threw his grenade right at the archduke's car unfortunately for him his throw was just listed off in the grenade bounced off the convertible cover and fell into the street behind Ferdinand who continued to drive forward by the time the grenade exploded it was now underneath car number four which it disabled on the spot it also injured 15 to 20 people but the Archduke was not among them knowing that an entire crowd had just witnessed an act of terrorism jabrinovic swallowed his cyanide pill turned around and jumped into the river next to the street determined until the
• 12:00 - 12:30 very end unfortunately for him once again the cyanide in the bills was old and no longer strong enough to kill only to induce some vomiting and luck really wasn't with him that day because on top of all of this the miatica river was all but dried up due to the hot summer and there was only 13 centimeters of water that's about five inches after smacking his face in what was essentially a muddy puddle the police dragged him back up to the street where he was severely beaten by the crowd before being arrested and taken into custody after the explosion the motorcade picked up pace and sped
• 12:30 - 13:00 off to the next destination leaving the bombed car behind as the five remaining vehicles sped past the crowds the other three assassins failed to act either unable to improvise in the new situation or simply Frozen like the first two in the end only one of the six assassins had even attempted to carry out the plan it was enough of failure having narrowly escaped danger Ferdinand and Sophie arrived at the Town Hall still shaken up from the ordeal Ferdinand even interrupted the mayor's speech with an exasperated Mr Mayor I came here on a
• 13:00 - 13:30 visit and I am greeted with bombs it is outrageous after giving a brief speech Ferdinand and Sophie decided to postpone the rest of the plans for the day and instead go to a local hospital to visit those wounded by the grenade blast governor general Oscar patio act pointed out that the best route to the hospital would once again be along apple key as it would be wise to avoid the city center in case other assassins were waiting for them but in yet another unfortunate moment this idea never made it to the drivers and the motorcade turned off apple key near the Latin bridge at about 10 45 AM where governor
• 13:30 - 14:00 potirack who was riding in the same car as the Archduke and Duchess saw that the cars had taken the wrong turn he called out for them to stop causing his driver to slam on the brakes as the car was coming to a stop the driver threw it into reverse and accidentally stalled the engine by some Cosmic coincidence the vehicle rolled to a stop right in front of Schiller's Delicatessen where one of the Assassins gabrillo princip was standing some sources say he was eating a sandwich at said Delhi and while this can't be confirmed what is known for sure is what he did next
• 14:00 - 14:30 pulling out his pistol Prince have stepped right up to the edge of the car and at point-blank range fired Two Shots one struck the Archduke in the neck and the other Hit The Duchess in the abdomen principle tried to turn the gun on himself but was tackled by police before he could pull the trigger the driver then began speeding to the governor's house to treat their wounds but it was far too late The Duchess died on Route and the Archduke just 10 minutes after her the Assassins had been successful after all and the world would never be the same
• 14:30 - 15:00 [Music] eventually every assassin was apprehended as well as many of the conspirators that aided them with weapon supplies or helped them enter the country many claimed to be unwilling participants though the three original recruits all took full responsibility for their actions turning their trial into an opportunity to publicly talk about the danger Ferdinand supposedly posed to Serbia despite this they later expressed regret for their participation saying that they wouldn't have done so if they knew it would spark such a massive war bed the death penalty
• 15:00 - 15:30 because of their relatively young age the three were sentenced to 20 years in prison and although they later received a letter from the Imperial couple's children for giving them for or what they did their actions had lit the European views and there was no turning back immediately after the assassination anti-surb riots broke out in the region across Sarajevo even in Zagreb Serbian businesses were looted and raised and on the first day of riots two serbs lost their lives thousands absurds were arrested on the basis of nationality and hundreds of these would go on to die in
• 15:30 - 16:00 prison meanwhile the Australian government was determined to find everyone responsible for ferdinand's murder to this day there is still some debate about who was actually responsible was it the black hand acting on their own Rogue terms or or was it fully sanctioned by the Serbian military and its government and it's still not clear at the time though this wasn't much of a concern to Austria-Hungary who simply saw all of Serbia as a threat on July the 24th 1914 Austria-Hungary sent
• 16:00 - 16:30 a formal letter to Serbia with several steep demands these demands included the dissolution of Serbian nationalist societies like narodnara Brana in the arrest and extradition of all remaining conspirators on Serbian Soul it also wanted permission for austro-hungarian officials to open their own investigation within Serbia and much more if zelia didn't agree to these demands within 48 Hours the Australian Ambassador would be recalled and diplomatic relations would be officially severed Serbia then responded by accepting a few of the points and rejecting a few others as well as mobilizing its Army the next day Serbian
• 16:30 - 17:00 soldiers landed on the Australian Hungarian side of the Danube River where Austrian soldiers fired their rifles in the air as a warning things were tense and so Austria checked with Germany to make sure that their Alliance was still active which Germany confirmed at the same time Serbia checked with Russia to see if their Alliance was still on which it was this whole mess was about to go off so here's a quick rundown of what happened next on July the 28 1914 austro-hungary declared war on Serbia
• 17:00 - 17:30 and thanks to a network of alliances and agreements from the previous Century or so The Dominoes started falling pretty quickly in August Germany joined Austria declaring war on Russia and France who declared war in return Germany then invaded Belgium to go around France's main defenses which then pulled the United Kingdom into the war then Japan not letting the opportunity slip past also declared war on Germany a month later the Ottoman Empire seized its chance as well and announced its siding with Germany by surprise attacking Russian ports in the Black Sea one country after another joined the war
• 17:30 - 18:00 including Bulgaria then Italy Portugal Romania Greece and finally the United States in the end even China declared war on Germany it was the war to end the Wars one of the largest conflicts in the history of mankind and in the end the first world war would lead to the deaths of more than 20 million people it would redraw the borders of Europe and even lend a hand in sparking the Russian Revolution its subpar finale and inadequate treaties with an ultimately lead to its own deadliest sequel it's
• 18:00 - 18:30 easy to say that if Prince hadn't pulled the trigger that day that none of this would have happened it seems that if the Archduke had never been killed the brutal years of Muddy trench warfare the horrifying use of chemical weapons the unending days of deafening artillery could have all been avoided but that's really an oversimplification tensions between the major Powers have been rising for decades Balkan nationalism was undermining Australia and Authority across their empire the franco-prussian war had just seen the humiliating defeat
• 18:30 - 19:00 of France and the loss of some of their territory the UK was concerned about one nation offsetting the balance of power in Europe and Germany felt left out of the rest of Europe pillaging Africa and Southeast Asia some historians pin the blame entirely on Austria who they claim simply used the assassination as an excuse to crush Serbia others penitentially on Serbia but many others believe that it was simply bound to happen at one point or another resources nationalism revenge and much more were
• 19:00 - 19:30 all at play and it's probably safe to say that even if the Archduke hadn't been assassinated on that fateful day something else would have inevitably pulled Europe into the flames foreign [Music]