Assassinations That Changed The Course Of History

May 2024 · 2 minute read

After Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina, Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand journeyed to his new territorial acquisition to view symbolic military exercises. The annexation was quite controversial as Serbian and Bosnian nationalist sects had been growing since Austria first colonized Bosnia in 1878, and the exercises would be a show of power meant to dissuade any revolutionaries.

Because of these tensions, Ferdinand's visit turned out to be a markedly bad idea — he was almost assassinated multiple times by the revolutionary group Young Bosnians. After smuggling bombs, guns, and even cyanide capsules across the Serbian border and into Bosnia (with History reporting that it has yet to be determined whether the Serbian government was involved or not), the Young Bosnians began to strike. They threw a bomb at the archduke's car, which missed but injured bystanders, and were in close enough range to shoot but chickened out.

Despite these near-death experiences, the archduke and his wife decided to remain in-country for their final scheduled event. As they were leaving, driving quickly to avoid more bombs, they accidentally turned down a side street where one of the disgruntled Young Bosnians happened to be — and no, he was not eating a sandwich. Gavrilo Princip saw his moment and shot, striking both Ferdinand and his wife. The two died at the scene, and Princip was taken into custody. The violent event led to World War I, with Austria-Hungary essentially blaming Serbia for the blood of its son, and different European powers taking sides.

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