The archduke and duchess in the car, the morning they were killed. Sarajevo, June 28, 1914.
Ferdinand and his wife were shot while driving in a motorcade through Sarajevo, during an official visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Credit: Courtesy The National World War I Museum
One hundred years ago, on June 28, 1914, the assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife, Sophie, sparked the largest conflict the world had seen to date -- World War I.
Ferdinand was next in line for the Austro-Hungarian throne and his death led to the empire declaring war on Serbia, setting off a chain reaction that eventually involved all of Europe and beyond.
Credit: Bain News Service/Library of Congress
The archduke and duchess leaving the train in Sarajevo, June 28, 1914.
The archduke and duchess, leaving town hall, the morning they were killed. Sarajevo, June 28, 1914.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his family.
Gavrilo Pricip, a 19-year-old Bosnian-Serb, was arrested for the assassination of Ferdinand.
Princip shot the archduke at point-blank range, also fatally injuring Sophie.
Gavrilo Pricip is arrested moments after the assassination, June 28, 1914.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand with his children, ca. 1910 - 1914.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand with his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, and their children, ca. 1910 and ca. 1915.