The assassination of Prince Franz Ferdinand in 1914 led to World War I.
The pistol is now on display at Vienna's Military History Museum and is touted as the pistol that killed 8.5 million people.
Assassination of Duke Franz Ferdinand,
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand in 1914 changed the course of European and world history. After Ferdinand's rise to power in the Austro-Hungarian army and his death, the countries of Europe divided their loyalties, sparking World War I.
Who was Duke Franz Ferdinand?
Portrait of Duke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
On June 28, 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife, the Duchess of Hohenberg, were brutally gunned down while riding in a motorcade through Sarajevo. It was their fourteenth wedding anniversary. The assassination of Duke Franz Ferdinand was the trigger that led to the start of World War I.
Franz Ferdinand was born on December 18, 1863 in Graz, Austria. His parents, Duke Carl Ludwig of Austria and Princess Maria Annunziata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, had their son educated by private tutors according to royal custom. - Children born. Ferdinand's uncle and Ludwig's brother was Emperor Franz Joseph, who ruled Austria for sixty-six years. Franz Ferdinand was never destined to become the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, but a series of unfortunate events changed his destiny.
Since it was unlikely that Franz Ferdinand would ever succeed to the throne, he began a military career at the age of twelve. Generally known as outspoken and intelligent, he joined the Austro-Hungarian army at the age of twenty, where he achieved a number of prestigious promotions, including captain, major and colonel. By the time Franz Ferdinand was thirty years old, he had attained the rank of major general.
His last promotion in the Austro-Hungarian Army was in 1913, when he was appointed Inspector General. This position allowed Ferdinand to conduct military inspections, inspect certain establishments, and observe military exercises. He was actually on a trip to watch military maneuvers when he was killed.
Heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne
Austro-Hungarian Empire
As mentioned earlier, the duke was never expected to be an heir to the throne. This right belonged to the son of Ferdinand's cousin, Franz Joseph, son of the Crown Emperor Rudolf. But the crown prince committed suicide in 1889. As he was an only child and had no children, Karl Ludwig, the Emperor's brother and Franz Ferdinand's father, became the next heir to the throne.
As Carl Ludwig's eldest son, Franz Ferdinand succeeded his father to the throne. However, Ludwig never became a ruling member of the Austro-Hungarian dynasty as he died of a sudden infection, most likely from drinking contaminated water while traveling in Egypt. At the time of Ludwig's death, Ferdinand was not married, but was expected to be engaged to a noblewoman.
An unexpected marriage
Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg
Rather than courting a woman of similar birth, as the Habsburgs had hoped, Franz Ferdinand chose Sophie Chotek von Chotkowa, a lady-in-waiting to Isabella of Pressburg. Despite the differences in their social ranks, the couple fell madly in love; However, they both knew that their relationship would not be accepted, so they had to keep their love a secret. When Emperor Franz Joseph discovered their relationship, he forbade Ferdinand to marry her. Franz Ferdinand stood his ground and refused to yield to the Emperor's demand.
Eventually, the emperor was persuaded by other ruling members to allow the couple to marry. However, the emperor only allowed them to marry if they renounced their children's rights to the Austro-Hungarian throne; This is also known as a Morgantic marriage. In addition, Sophie, who became Duchess of Hohenberg when Franz Ferdinand inherited the throne, was not allowed to become an archbishop or empress. The couple had their formal wedding ceremony on June 28, 1900, without many family members present.
The married couple soon started a family. In 1901 they welcomed their first child, Sophie, and by 1904 they had two sons, Maximilian and Ernst. Sadly, the couple did not live to see their children reach adulthood.
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