Lesson: 1.3
It was a hot summer’s day. According to newspaper reports, huge crowds
lined the streets as the archduke was driven into town. Among the crowds
were several members of the Black Hand Gang, armed with bombs and
pistols; it was their intention to kill Franz Ferdinand. On the way to City
Hall, one of the assassins politely asked a policeman which car was
carrying the archduke. He then threw a bomb at the archduke’s car, which
bounced off it and exploded, injuring several military officers in the car
behind. At City Hall the archduke was persuaded to leave the city as soon
as possible, but no-one told the driver. On the way out of the city, the
driver followed the original route, where he was stopped by an official and
told to use the new route. Unfortunately, the car stopped right beside one
of the assassins, Gavrillo Princip, who stepped forward and fired twice, at
point blank range, killing both Franz Ferdinand and his wife
AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN
EMPIRE
Belgrade
BOSNIA
ROMANIA
Sarajevo
SERBIA
BULGARIA
MONTENEGRO
ALBANIA
Constantinople
Salonika
ITALY
TURKEY
GREECE
The Balkans
in 1914
Athens
The Balkans had been part of the Ottoman
Empire for 500 years. The previous fifty years had
seen a series of wars between the Balkan states
as the Ottoman Empire weakened and they each
tried to win back their independence. Austria took
over Bosnia in 1908 to try to prevent minorities in
Austria-Hungary from gaining their independence
too. Franz Ferdinand wanted the minorities in
Austria-Hungary to run some of their own affairs,
but not have independence. June 28 was a very
special day for Serbians, as it was the anniversary
of a famous battle, the Battle of Kosovo in 1389,
when Serbia lost its independence to the
Ottomans.
Now it’s your turn
Extension work
1 The newspapers reported that huge crowds greeted
Franz Ferdinand, which suggests that he was very
popular. In what ways does the photograph support
the newspaper accounts?
2 Do you think it was wise for Franz Ferdinand to visit
Sarajevo, and to go there on 28 June?
3 Why do you think Franz Ferdinand was killed?
1 Was Gavrillo Princip
justified in
assassinating Franz
Ferdinand?
2 Is it ever right to kill
someone?
3 Is it ever right to break
the law?
Check your progress
★
I can pick out contradictions between two different types of evidence.
★★ I can give some reasons for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand.
★★★ I can discuss when it might be acceptable to break the law.
The Balkans: part of southeast Europe
Minorities: small groups within a population
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