On 28th June 1914 the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Ferdinand, was together with his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, on a visit to Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The visit took place in a politically tense climate: despite ethnic and religious tensions and claims by neighbouring Serbia, in 1908 the dual Monarchy decided to annex this region to the Empire, giving rise to several international protests.
The cortege initially followed the programme that had been prepared. The Archduke and his wife drove along the roads of the city in an open vehicle, accompanied by the Mayor and other military authorities. Along the journey to the town hall, a member of the nationalist pro-Serbia organization "Mlada Bosna" (Young Bosnia) suddenly threw a hand grenade at the car of the heir to the throne. The throw, however, was inaccurate and missed its target and the bomb, after having brushed past Sophie, exploded under another vehicle.
This gesture spread panic and the vehicles were led quickly to the destination. However, despite what had happened, the Archduke wanted to show that he was not frightened and decided to proceed with his visit by going to the National Museum. The cortege therefore, following the road that runs along the river Miljačka, left again but at a slower pace because the road had been invaded by the population that had previously been on the pavements. While driving across one of the many bridges of the city, the vehicle of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand found in front of it a second attacker Gavrilo Princip, a member of Young Bosnia, who was armed with a pistol and fired two shots, killing both the heir to the throne as well as his wife.
The death of the Archduke was a decisive moment in a climate of tension that could no longer be controlled between the Habsburg Empire and Serbia: "on the part of Austria its intention was to establish that responsibility lay solely with the Serbian government. […] This was the incident that some people wanted to exploit for a definite showdown with Serbia, to give a lesson to this country which - protected by the Russian Empire - presented itself as leader of the southern Slavs." (Luciano Canfora, 1914, Sellerio, Palermo, 2006, page 65). Austria-Hungary decided to send a very tough ultimatum that, in the event of a refusal, would inevitably provoke conflict. The demands by the Habsburgs, presented on 23rd July 1914, were considered unacceptable by the Serbian government and were rejected two days later. Consequently, on 28th July Emperor Franz Josef signed the order for the mobilization of troops against Serbia and Montenegro.
