<P> The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria , heir presumptive to the Austro - Hungarian throne , and his wife Sophie , Duchess of Hohenberg , occurred on 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo when they were mortally wounded by Gavrilo Princip . Princip was one of a group of six assassins ( five Serbs and one Bosniak ) coordinated by Danilo Ilić , a Bosnian Serb and a member of the Black Hand secret society . The political objective of the assassination was to break off Austria - Hungary 's South Slav provinces so they could be combined into a Yugoslavia . The assassins ' motives were consistent with the movement that later became known as Young Bosnia . The assassination led directly to the First World War when Austria - Hungary subsequently issued an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia , which was partially rejected . Austria - Hungary then declared war , triggering actions leading to war between most European states . </P>
<P> The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria , heir presumptive to the Austro - Hungarian throne , and his wife Sophie , Duchess of Hohenberg , occurred on 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo when they were mortally wounded by Gavrilo Princip . Princip was one of a group of six assassins ( five Serbs and one Bosniak ) coordinated by Danilo Ilić , a Bosnian Serb and a member of the Black Hand secret society . The political objective of the assassination was to break off Austria - Hungary 's South Slav provinces so they could be combined into a Yugoslavia . The assassins ' motives were consistent with the movement that later became known as Young Bosnia . The assassination led directly to the First World War when Austria - Hungary subsequently issued an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia , which was partially rejected . Austria - Hungary then declared war , triggering actions leading to war between most European states . </P>
who assassinated the heir to the austro-hungarian throne
who assassinated the heir to the austro-hungarian throne
Gavrilo Princip
Gavrilo Princip