Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on June 28, 1914, was a pivotal event that contributed to the outbreak of World War I. Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was shot by Gavrilo Princip, a member of a nationalist group seeking independence for Slavic peoples. This act set off a chain reaction of alliances and conflicts between European powers. Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia, where the assassin was linked, triggered a series of mobilizations and declarations of war, ultimately leading to a devastating global conflict.