photos courtesy of The final spark The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

photos courtesy of Franz Ferdinand  Franz Ferdinand was the nephew of the Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary.  He became heir to the throne after his cousin Crown Prince Rudolf committed suicide, and his father Ludwig renounced his right to succeed his brother.  He was given a conventional royal upbringing, joining the army and later developing a passion for hunting and travel.

photos courtesy of Marriage and family  Franz Ferdinand married Sophie Chotek from Bohemia, causing a rift with his uncle, as she was not considered to be sufficiently royal.  His children were deprived from rights of succession, and Sophie was required to stand aside in any official function involving royalty.  Despite this overt snobbery from others, their relationship remained warm and affectionate.

photos courtesy of The fatal visit to Sarajevo  Franz Ferdinand was visiting Sarajevo inspecting Austrian troops based in Bosnia.  He was the target of an assassination plot by the Black Hand, a group of extremist Serb nationalists.  During his visit, one assassin threw a grenade which bounced off the car and exploded.  The Archduke was unhurt, but others were injured. He insisted on visiting them in hospital.  On the way, his driver took a wrong turn.

photos courtesy of The assassination  Gavrilo Princip, one of the conspirators, happened to be passing as the car stopped.  He pulled out his pistol, fired several shots, hitting both the Archduke and Princess Sophie.  Despite frantic efforts, both died as a result of the assassination.  Princip was chased, caught, tried and eventually executed.  The scene was set for the final crisis leading to war.