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Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Born	(1863-12-18)December 18, 1863 Graz, Austrian Empire
Died	June 28, 1914(1914-06-28) (aged 50) Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary
Title	Archduke of Austria-Este, Archduke of Austria, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia
Spouse	Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg
Children	Princess Sophie von Hohenberg, Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg, Prince Ernst von Hohenberg
Parent(s)	Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria and Princess Maria Annunciata of the Two Sicilies

Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria-Este (December 18, 1863 – June 28, 1914) was an Archduke of Austria, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, and from 1896 until his death, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo precipitated the Austrian declaration of war. This caused countries allied with Austria-Hungary (the Central Powers) and countries allied with Serbia (the Entente Powers) to declare war on each other, starting World War I.

Birth and early life

Franz Ferdinand (Full Name: Franz Ferdinand Karl Belschwitz Ludwig Josef von Habsburg-Lothringen), was born in Graz, Austria, the eldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria (younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph and Maximilian I of Mexico) and of his second wife, Princess Maria Annunciata of the Two Sicilies. When he was only twelve years old, his cousin Duke Francis V of Modena died, naming Franz Ferdinand his heir on condition that he add the name Este to his own. Franz Ferdinand thus became one of the wealthiest men in Austria.

When he was born, there was no reason to think that Franz Ferdinand would ever be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. He was given the normal strict education of an archduke with an emphasis on history and moral character. From 1876 to 1885 his tutor was the historian Onno Klopp. In 1883 Franz Ferdinand entered the army with the rank of third lieutenant.

As a young man, Franz Ferdinand developed two great passions: hunting and travel. It is estimated that he shot more than 5,000 deer in his lifetime. In 1883, he visited Italy for the first time in order to see the properties left to him by Duke Francis V of Modena. In 1885, he visited Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey. In 1889, he visited Germany.

In 1889, Franz Ferdinand's life changed dramatically. His cousin Crown Prince Rudolf committed suicide at his hunting lodge in Mayerling, leaving Franz Ferdinand's father, Archduke Karl Ludwig, as first in line to the throne. However his father renounced his succession rights a few days after the Crown Prince's death. Henceforth, Franz Ferdinand was groomed to succeed.

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Assassination

On June 28, 1914, at approximately 11:00 am, Franz Ferdinand and his wife were killed in Sarajevo, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia and Herzegovina, by Gavrilo Princip, a member of Young Bosnia and one of several (seven) assassins organized by The Black Hand (Црна рука/Tsrna Ruka). The event, known as the Assassination in Sarajevo, triggered World War I. Franz and Sophie had previously been attacked when a bomb was thrown at their car. It missed them, but many civilians were injured. Franz and Sophie both insisted on going to see all those injured at the hospital. As a result of this, Princip saw them and shot Sophie in the abdomen. Franz was shot in the jugular and was still alive when witnesses arrived to his aid. Princip had used the Browning .380 ACP cartridge, a relatively low power round. The archduke's aides tried to undo his coat but by the time they realized they needed scissors to cut the coat open—Ferdinand had himself sewn in to appear slimmer—it was too late; he died within minutes. The assassinations, along with the arms race, nationalism, and the alliance system all contributed to the beginning of World War I, which began less than two months after Franz Ferdinand's death, with Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia.

Franz Ferdinand is interred with his wife Sophie in Artstetten Castle, Austria.

A detailed account of the shooting can be found in 'Sarajevo' by Joachim Remak

...one bullet pierced Franz Ferdinand's neck while the other pierced Sophie's abdomen.... As the car was reversing (to go back to the Governor's residence because the entourage thought the Imperial couple were unhurt) a thin streak of blood shot from the Archduke's mouth onto Count Harrach's right cheek (he was standing on the car's running board). Harrach drew out a handkerchief to still the gushing blood. The Duchess, seeing this, called: "For Heaven's sake! What happened to you?" and sank from her seat, her face falling between her husband's knees.

Harrach and Potoriek... thought she had fainted... only her husband seemed to have an instinct for what was happening. Turning to his wife despite the bullet in his neck, Franz Ferdinand pleaded: "Sopherl! Sopherl! Sterbe nicht! Bleibe am Leben fur unsere Kinder! - Sophie dear! Don't die! Stay alive for our children!". Having said this, he seemed to sag down himself. His plumed hat... fell off; many of its green feathers were found all over the car floor. Count Harrach seized the Archduke by the uniform collar to hold him up. He asked "Leiden Eure Kaiserliche Hoheit sehr? - Is Your Imperial Highness suffering very badly?" "Es ist nichts - It is nothing" said the Archduke in a weak but audible voice. He seemed to be losing consciousness, but, his voice growing steadily weaker, he repeated the phrase perhaps six or seven times more. He was losing counsciousness during his last few minutes. Koonin

A rattle began to issue from his throat, which subsided as the car drew in front of the Konak (Town Hall).

(Despite several doctors' efforts, the Archduke died shortly after being carried into the building while his beloved wife was almost certainly dead from internal bleeding before the motorcade reached the Konak.) - Les Gillard

Ancestors

Monarchical styles of Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este
Reference style	His Imperial and Royal Highness
Spoken style	Your Imperial and Royal Highness
Alternative style	Sir

References

1. Marshall, S.L.A. (2001). World War I. Mariner Books. pp. p.1. ISBN 0618056866. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
2. Keegan, John (2000). First World War. Vintage. pp. p.48. ISBN 0375700455. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
3. ^ Lonnie Johnson (1989). Introducing Austria: A short history. Ariadne Press, 270 Goins Court, Riverside, CA 92507. pp. pp.52-54. ISBN 0-929497-03-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
4. Brook-Shepherd, Gordon (1997). The Austrians: A thousand-year odyssey. Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc.; 19 West 21st Street; New York, NY 10010. pp. pp.107, 125–126. ISBN 0-7867-0520-5. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
5. "The Crown Prince's Successor". New York Times. 1889-02-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
6. THE LAST KAISER, p 351, by Giles MacDonogh
7. Lonnie Johnson 56
8. Remak, Joachim. "Sarajevo" (Wiedenfeld & Nicolson, 1959) (pp137 - 142)

External links

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• Template:Cs icon Archduke Francis Ferdinand d'Este
• Franz Ferdinand essay

• Austrian royalty
• House of Austria-Este
• House of Habsburg-Lorraine
• Austro-Hungarian people of World War I
• Assassinated royalty
• Austro-Hungarian Army officers
• Assassinated Austrian people
• People from Graz
• Knights of the Golden Fleece
• Knights of the Garter
• Deaths by firearm in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• 1863 births
• 1914 deaths