Home > Wight At War > Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were shot dead in Sarajevo, by Gavrilo Princip, one of a group of six assassins (five Serbs and one Bosnian Muslim), coordinated by Danilo Ilic. The political objective of the assassination was to break off Austria-Hungary's south-Slav provinces so they could be combined into a Greater Serbia or a Yugoslavia. The assassins' motives were consistent with the movement that later became known as Young Bosnia. Serbian military officers stood behind the attack. The assassination led directly to the First World War when Austria-Hungary subsequently issued an ultimatum against Serbia, which was partially rejected. Austria-Hungary then declared war, marking the outbreak of the war.

Island Stories

One Mans War - A Privates Record

One Mans War - A Privates Record

Posted: 20 Jul 15
Private TH Sprake 2050 RAMC - An archive of a family historyRead more...
Captain Graves

Captain Graves

Posted: 01 Jul 15
An Osborne House inmateRead more...
William Mariner VC

William Mariner VC

Posted: 23 Jun 15
Ex Isle of Wight prisoner rememberedRead more...
The Denham Family of Newport Serve Their Country in WW1

The Denham Family of Newport Serve Their Country in WW1

Posted: 02 Jun 15
Brothers Reg and Jack Denham and their Uncle Jack serve in Gallipoli and FranceRead more...
The Urry Brothers and William Richardson of the Isle of Wight Rifles

The Urry Brothers and William Richardson of the Isle of Wight Rifles

Posted: 07 May 15
A Newport family joins B company of the 1/8th Hampshire Regiment and all are lost at Gallipoli.Read more...
Claud Vere Cavendish HOBART

Claud Vere Cavendish HOBART

Posted: 07 May 15
The first Commanding Officer of the Isle of Wight RiflesRead more...
Private Frank Saunders

Private Frank Saunders

Posted: 07 Apr 15
Memories of a brave Great GrandfatherRead more...
AA Milne

AA Milne

Posted: 25 Feb 15
A pacifist's warRead more...
Captain Clement Villar

Captain Clement Villar

Posted: 27 Jan 15
A biography by his great nephew, Philip CaveRead more...