On this day in history, 109 years ago on 28 June 1914, Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand (heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary)
On this day in history, 109 years ago on 28 June 1914, Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand (heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary), and his wife Sophie Chotek Gräfin von Chotova (Duchess von Hohenberg) were assassinated by a member of Serbia's Black Hand gang, Gavrilo Princip. The assassination led to the July Crisis (a series of interrelated diplomatic and military escalations among the major powers of Europe) in 1914, and precipitated Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia. This triggered a series of complex events that eventually led to Austria-Hungary's allies and Serbia's allies declaring war on each other, starting WWI. As retaliation, Austria sought to inflict a military blow on Serbia to demonstrate its own strength. However, Vienna, wary of the reaction of the Russian Empire (a major ally of Serbia), sought a guarantee from their German ally that Berlin would support them. The Germans guaranteed their support, but urged Austria-Hungary to attack quickly, w...