Gavrilo Princip

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It would have been incomprehensible, at the turn of the nineteenth century, to believe that the actions of one man could set in motion a series of events that would reverberate through history for the next nine decades. Yet when Gavrilo Princip (1894-1918) stepped in front of the automobile carrying Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, the Duchess Sophie, putting two bullets into their bodies and killing both, that is precisely the path on which he sent the world.

The son of a postal worker, Princip was born in Obljaj (Oblej), Bosnia. His father, Petar, was married late in life to a local woman, Maria, also known as Nana, who was fourteen years younger than her husband. Petar and Nana had a total of nine children, four daughters and five sons. Only three children survived infancy. Princip was the fourth child and second son, born seven years after his brother, Jovo. When Princip was born his mother wanted to name him for her brother, Spiro, but the local priest insisted that since he was born on the feast day of Saint Gabriel, he should be called Gavrilo. Neither parent disagreed.

Princip's birth date is recorded as July 13, 1894. When he was baptized a month later a young priest recorded the birth date in the parish register as July 13, 1894, but he recorded the date in the civil register as June 13, 1894. This conflict would play a pivotal role at his sentencing nineteen years later.

Princip left home at thirteen and went to Sarajevo to live with his brother, Jovo. Jovo encouraged his younger brother to apply to the military school in Sarajevo, believing it would lead to a career as an officer. Jovo Pesut, a clothier and friend of the Princip family, spoke against the military school and convinced Princip to enter the merchant school. The first three years at the school were uneventful. Princip was a good student, reserved in manner and a voracious reader. By the end of his third year he decided to transfer to a classical high school. Although not in favor of the change, his brother Jovo reluctantly agreed. In August 1910 Princip went to Tuzla and enrolled in the fourth grade of the high school. He graduated in 1911.

But it was events prior to this that set the stage that would ultimately direct world politics for the rest of the century. On October 5, 1908, the Austro-Hungarian Empire annexed Bosnia. Public opinion in Serbia immediately soured. The Serbian nationalists believed that this action unfairly snatched the Bosnian territory from their grasp. Two secret societies instantly surfaced: Narodna Odbrana (National Defense) and Ujedinjenje ili Smrt (Unification or Death), also known as Crna Ruka (The Black Hand).

The year 1911 was critical for Princip. His ideals began to change, and he became more deeply involved in the Greater Serbian cause. He continued school in Sarajevo and Tuzla, and in 1912, at the age of eighteen, he traveled to Belgrade where he took a more Serb-national education. At the same time a group of students formed Mlada Bosna (Young Bosnia) and adopted an anti-Hapsburg stand. Their campaign took on a wider, Pro-Yugoslav slant, moving away from their previous narrow Serb nationalist position. Of this group, Princip went on to become the most famous, moving into the ranks of the Black Hand. He clearly defined his beliefs when he stated at his later trial, "I am a Yugoslav nationalist, aiming for the unification of all Yugoslavs, and I do not care what form of state, but it must be free from Austria."

The Black Hand

The Ujedinjenje ili Smrt (Union or Death) was a secret society also known as the Black Hand. The society was formed in 1911, one year before Princip was recruited and trained in terrorism. It was during this training that his desire to unite the south Slavs into a federal nation by eliminating the Austro-Hungarian rule began to surface. It became clear to Princip that this goal would only be achieved through the elimination of a government official or a member of the ruling Hapsburg Imperial family.

Princip had a history of ill health and although admitted to the Black Hand academy in 1912, he was considered unfit for active duty. His health did not, however, prevent him from coming to the attention of the organization's leader, Major Tankosic, who considered him to be a strong personality with good leadership qualities.

Events of the Day

By the spring of 1913 relations between Austro-Hungary and Serbia were critical. War was imminent between the two powers. Serbian conquests of neighboring territories threatened the Austro-Hungarians, causing the military governor of Bosnia to declare a state of emergency. His actions were harsh and immediate. He dissolved parliament, suspended civil courts, closed Serb associations and took over the control of Bosnian schools. By the end of May 1913, the short-lived First Balkan War ended with the Treaty of London. However, by this time the governor's anti-Serb policies were securely established, much to the distress of the Serbian citizens. Everything was now in place for the events that would occur in June of 1914. The Austro-Hungarian army made plans to stage military maneuvers in Sarajevo, and Archduke Ferdinand and his wife were scheduled to be present to review the army.

Princip remained closely tied to the Black Hand society during this two-year period. When it was learned that Archduke Franz Ferdinand would make an official visit to Sarajevo, the wheels were set in motion for one of the most disruptive acts in world history. As a plot to assassinate the Archduke began to unfold, Princip was selected to be its leader for his marksmanship abilities and those very same leadership qualities recognized two years earlier.

On June 28, 1914, Princip and his comrade, Nedeljko Cabrinovic, along with four other members of the Black Hand, awaited the arrival of the Archduke. The first attempt to assassinate Ferdinand failed when Cabrinovic tossed a bomb at the royal automobile, but the bomb bounced off it and rolled under a second car, exploding and injuring an army officer. Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Hohenberg, sped off to a reception at the City Hall untouched. Afterward the Archduke asked to visit the officer who had been injured earlier that day, and his driver unwittingly followed the same return route as the one taken earlier. The Duchess was not originally scheduled to return with the Archduke, but when last minute plans were made to visit the officer injured in the first attempt, she insisted on accompanying her husband. This decision, coupled with the lack of judgment in planning the return route, resulted in her death. The return route brought the Archduke back into the sights of Gavrilo Princip. As the royal car stopped within feet of him, Princip stepped forward and fired two shots. Sophie was hit on the right side and died first. The Archduke outlived her by only a short time. The bullet that took his life severed his jugular vein and came to rest in his spine. Princip later claimed that he intended one shot for General Oskar Potiorek, military governor of Bosnia, but the shot felled the duchess instead. One month later, on July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary had found the reason it sought to enter into war. It held Serbia accountable for the actions of Gavrilo Princip and declared war.

The Trial, the Sentence and Death

Princip understood only too well the actions that would follow. He attempted suicide at the scene by shooting himself, but a quick-thinking onlooker swiftly knocked the gun from his hand. A mob began to close in, but Princip was rescued by the police and imprisoned.

Princip and his fellow conspirators were all arrested at the scene, but during questionable interrogations, neither Princip nor Cabrinovic broke their code of silence with the Black Hand. His account of the event was not clear. "Where I aimed I do not know. But I know that I aimed at the Heir Apparent. I believe I fired twice, perhaps more, because I was so excited. Whether I hit the victims or not, I cannot tell, because instantly people started to hit me." One of the group, Danilo Ilic, confessed to his participation and nearly spelled disaster for the group, but Princip was able to gain control and exercise his leadership over the group.

While in custody, Princip again attempted suicide by the use of cyanide, but again his attempt was unsuccessful. Throughout the trial Princip remained quiet and aloof. He also remained loyal to the Black Hand, refusing to place the blame for the assassination with any organization. He expressed no remorse for the crime and made only a short final statement saying, "In trying to insinuate that someone else has instigated the assassination, one strays from the truth. The idea arose in our own minds and we ourselves executed it. We have loved the people. I have nothing to say in my defense."

Princip was found guilty, and it was at this point that the question of his age became pivotal to the outcome of his trial. The prevailing law of the country prevented the execution of any prisoner who was under twenty on the day of his crime. Princip's exact birth date could not be determined, and the court gave him the benefit of the doubt. He was sentenced to twenty years in prison, the maximum the courts could give.

Princip was imprisoned in Theresienstadt prison in Austria. It is thought that he was tubercular before entering prison, and as a result of his poor health he underwent the amputation of an arm. During his incarceration he was transferred between his prison cell, where he was kept in solitary confinement, and the prison hospital where he was treated for his tuberculosis. Princip's death certificate reads that he died April 28, 1918 at 6:30 p.m. of tuberculosis of the bone in Theresienstadt Hospital. He was buried secretly.

A Century of Warfare

The whole of the twentieth century was sent into a tailspin as a result of two bullets fired from the gun of Gavrilo Princip. The "war to end all wars," World War I, concluded with the Treaty of Versailles, an agreement so punitive to Germany that its reaction fostered the rise of Nazism and led to World War II. The division of Europe at the end of World War II aided in the rise of Soviet Russia and the Communist bloc and resulted in Cold War tensions that persisted until the fall of Communism in the late 1980s and the dissolution of the Soviet state in 1991. By the end of the twentieth century the world had come full circle, focusing on another Serbian terrorist named Slobodan Milosevic.

Books

Dedijer, Vladimir, The Road to Sarajevo, Simon and Schuster, 1966.

Malcolm, Noel, Bosnia: A Short History, New York University Press, 1994.

Periodicals

Newsweek, March 15, 1999. Time, June 14, 1999.

Online

"Black Hand," Encyclopaedia Britannica,http://www.britannica.com/seo/b/black-hand-I (November 17, 2000).

"Death of an Archduke, 1914," http://www.ibiscom.com/duke.htm (November 17, 2000).

"Gavrilo Princip," http://www.worldwarI.com/biosgprn.htm(November 17, 2000).

"Picture of the Day: June 28," http://www.thehistorynet.com(November 17, 2000).

"Princip, Gavrilo," Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia,http://www.infoplease.com (November 17, 2000).

"Princip, Gavrilo," Encyclopaedia Britannica,http://www.britannica.com/seo/g/gavrilo-princip/ (November 17, 2000).

"Princip, Gavrilo," http://raven.cc.ukans.edu (November 17, 2000).

Gavrilo Princip
Gavrilo Princip in prison cell at Terezín
Born	25 July 1894(1894-07-25) Obljaj, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria-Hungary
Died	28 April 1918 (aged 23) Terezín, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary
Nationality	Serbian[1]
Religious beliefs	Serbian Orthodox

Gavrilo Princip (Serbian Cyrillic: Гаврило Принцип, pronounced [ɡǎʋrilo prǐntsip]; 25 July 1894(1894-07-25) – 28 April 1918) was a Yugoslav nationalist, ethnic Serb, associated with the freedom movement Mlada Bosna (Young Bosnia).^[2] Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914.^[3] Princip and his accomplices were arrested and implicated a number of members of the Serbian military, leading Austria-Hungary to issue a démarche to Serbia known as the July Ultimatum.^[4] This set off a chain of events that led to World War I,^[5] making him unwittingly one of the most influential people in 20th century history since he was indirectly responsible for sparking the chain of events that led to both World Wars, the Cold War, the rise of Communism , and other problems that continue to be an issue to this day. ^[6][7]

Contents 1 Early life 2 Assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand 3 Capture and imprisonment 4 Quotes 5 References 5.1 Further reading 6 External links

Early life

Gavrilo Princip was born in the village of Obljaj, a poor area of Bosnia near Bosansko Grahovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria-Hungarian Empire, the son of a postman. His parents, Petar and Marija (née Mićić), had nine children, five sons and four daughters, six of whom died in infancy. His impoverished parents could not provide for him and sent him to live with an older brother in Zagreb.

Most historians agree that Princip was a member of the group known as "Union or Death", a smaller, breakaway group of Young Bosnia, was involved with the Black Hand (Црна рука/Crna ruka); and that the latter group was at least somewhat responsible for coordination, training, and/or supplying weapons for the forthcoming assassination attempt on Franz Ferdinand.^[8] However, Princip had minimal contact with the group, and did not associate with them. The Young Bosnia movement was a group made up of Serbs, Croats, and Bosnian Muslims, committed to the independence of the South Slavic peoples from Austria-Hungary. In February 1912, Princip took part in protest demonstrations against the Sarajevo authorities for which he was expelled from school. Following his expulsion, he moved to Belgrade. In Belgrade, he sought to gain admission to the First Belgrade Gymnasium but failed the entrance exam.

On 6 October 1908, Bosnia-Herzegovina was declared a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire by Emperor Franz Josef. This created a stir among Slavic people of southern Europe and the Russian Czar who opposed this annexation.

In 1912, Serbia was abuzz with mobilization for the First Balkan War. Princip planned to join the komite, irregular Serbian guerrilla forces under Serbian Major Vojislav Tankosić which had fought in Macedonia against Ottoman units. Tankosić was a member of the central committee of the secret society Unification or Death (Ujedinjenje ili Smrt). Princip, however, was rejected by the komite in Belgrade because of his small physical stature. He then went to Prokuplje in Southern Serbia where he sought a personal interview with Tankosić. Tankosić, however, rejected Princip due to being "too small and too weak." Vladimir Dedijer argued that this rejection was "one of the primary personal motives which pushed him to do something exceptionally brave in order to prove to others that he was their equal."

Assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Main article: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria

The Princip Bridge (now called the Latin Bridge) was the site of the assassination.

On 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip participated in the assassination in Sarajevo. General Oskar Potiorek, Governor of the Austrian provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina had invited Franz Ferdinand and Countess Sophie to the opening of a hospital. The Archduke knew that the visit would be dangerous, knowing his uncle, Emperor Franz Josef, had been the subject of an assassination attempt by the Black Hand in 1911.

Just before 10 o'clock on Sunday, the royal couple arrived in Sarajevo by train. In the front car was Fehim Čurčić, the Mayor of Sarajevo and Dr. Gerde, the city's Commissioner of Police. Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were in the second car with Oskar Potiorek and Count Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau. The car's top was rolled back in order to allow the crowds a good view of its occupants.

The seven conspirators lined the route. They were spaced out along the Appel Quay, each one with instructions to try to kill Franz Ferdinand when the royal car reached his position. The first conspirator on the route to see the royal car was Bosniak Muhamed Mehmedbašić. Standing by the Austro-Hungarian Bank, Mehmedbašić lost his nerve and allowed the car to pass without taking action. Mehmedbašić later said that a policeman was standing behind him and feared he would be arrested before he had a chance to throw his bomb.

At 10:15 A.M., when the six car procession passed the central police station, nineteen-year-old student Nedeljko Čabrinović hurled a hand grenade at the Archduke's car. The driver accelerated when he saw the object flying towards him, but the bomb had a 10 second delay and exploded under the wheel of the third car. Two of the occupants, Eric von Merizzi and Count Ludwig Joseph von Boos-Waldeck were seriously wounded. About a dozen spectators were also hit by bomb shrapnel.

After Čabrinović's bomb missed the Archduke's car, five other conspirators, including Princip, lost an opportunity to attack because of the heavy crowds and the high speed of the Archduke's car. To avoid capture, Čabrinović swallowed cyanide and jumped into the River Miljacka to make sure he died. The cyanide pill was expired and made him sick, but failed to kill him and the River Miljacka was only 13 centimetres (5 in) deep. A few seconds later he was hauled out and detained by police.

A map depicting the assassination route.

Franz Ferdinand later decided to go to the hospital and visit the victims of Čabrinović's failed bombing attempt. In order to avoid the city centre, General Oskar Potiorek decided that the royal car should travel straight along the Appel Quay to the Sarajevo Hospital. However, Potiorek forgot to inform the driver, Leopold Loyka, about this decision. On the way to the hospital, Loyka took a right turn into Franz Josef Street.

Princip had gone into Moritz Schiller's cafe for a sandwich, having apparently given up, when he spotted Franz Ferdinand's car as it drove past, having taken the wrong turn. After realizing the mistake, the driver put his foot on the brake, and began to back up. In doing so the engine of the car stalled and the gears locked, giving Princip his opportunity. Princip stepped forward, drew his FN Model 1910 pistol, pistol-whipped a nearby pedestrian, and at a distance of about five feet, fired twice into the car. Franz Ferdinand was hit in the neck and Sophie in the abdomen, and they both died before 11:00 A.M.

His partners in Franz's death were: Nedeljko Čabrinović, Trifun Grabež, Muhamed Mehmedbašić, Vaso Čubrilović, Cvjetko Popović, Lazar Djukić, Danilo Ilić, Veljko Čubrilović, Neđo Kerović, Mihaijlo Jovanović, Jakov Milović, Mitar Kerović, Ivo Kranjcević, Branko Zagorac, Marko Perin, and Cvijan Stjepanović.^{[citation needed]}

Capture and imprisonment

Gavrilo Princip's trial on 5 December 1914.

Princip attempted suicide first by ingesting cyanide, and then with the use of his pistol. But he vomited the past-date poison (as did Čabrinović, leading the police to believe the group had been deceived and bought a much weaker poison). The pistol was wrestled from his hand before he had a chance to fire another shot.

Princip was too young to receive the death penalty, being twenty-seven days short of his twentieth birthday at the time of the assassination. Instead, he received the maximum sentence of twenty years in prison. He was held in harsh conditions which were worsened by the war. Due to tuberculosis in his bone, he underwent the amputation of one of his arms while in prison. He died of tuberculosis^[3] on 28 April 1918 at Theresienstadt (a place which later became infamous as a Nazi concentration camp), 3 years and 10 months after he assassinated the Archduke and Duchess. At the time of his death, Princip weighed around 40 kilograms (88 lb), weakened by malnutrition, blood loss from his amputated arm, and disease.

The cell where Gavrilo Princip was kept

The house where Gavrilo Princip lived in Sarajevo was destroyed during the First World War. After the war, it became a museum in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was conquered by Germany in 1941 and Sarajevo became part of fascist Croatia. The Croatian fascists destroyed the house again. After a communist Yugoslavia was established in 1944, the house of Gavrilo Princip became a museum again and there was another museum dedicated to him within the city of Sarajevo. During the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, the house of Gavrilo Princip was destroyed a third time by the government; no attempts to rebuild it have yet been announced. The Gavrilo Princip museum has been turned into a museum dedicated to Archduke Ferdinand and the Habsburg monarchy. Prior to the 1990s the site on the pavement on which Princip stood to fire the fatal shots was marked by embossed footprints. These were removed as a consequence of the 1992-5 war in Bosnia and the perception of Princip as having been a Serb nationalist. Later, a simple wooden memorial was placed near the site of the assassination with the words "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in Bosnian, Serbian and English.

Quotes

"I am the son of peasants and I know what is happening in the villages. That is why I wanted to take revenge, and I regret nothing."

"I am not a criminal, for I destroyed a bad man. I thought I was right."

—Princip after he performed his assassination

"No I am not sorry. I have cleared evil out of the way"

—Princip during his trial

"There is no need to carry me to another prison. My life is already ebbing away. I suggest that you nail me to a cross and burn me alive. My flaming body will be a torch to light my people on their path to freedom."

—Princip to the prison governor on being moved to another prison

"Our shadows will be walking through Vienna, strolling through the court, frightening lords."

—Found engraved on the wall of Princip's prison cell after his death

"If I hadn't done it the Germans would have found another excuse."

—Supposedly his last words.

References

1. ^ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/476793/Gavrilo-Princip
2. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=Cvk6oMf9R7AC&pg=PA153&lpg=PA153
3. ^ ^{a b} Johnson, Lonnie (1989). Introducing Austria: A short history. Riverside, CA: Ariadne Press. pp. 52–54. ISBN 0-929497-03-1. 
4. ^ Gilbert, Martin (1995). First World War. HarperCollins. pp. 20–24. ISBN 0006376665. 
5. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=rUMM_-Q7JDAC&pg=PA9
6. ^ Time magazine article
7. ^ Biography at Bookrags
8. ^ Hupchick, Dennis P. (2004-02-21). The Balkans: From Constantinople to Communism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 318. ISBN 1403964173. 

Further reading

• Wolfson, Robert; Laver, John (2001-12-30). Years of Change, European History 1890-1990 (3 ed.). Hodder Murray. p. 117. ISBN 0340775262. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gavrilo Princip

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Gavrilo Princip

• Gavrilo Princip article at Schoolnet.co.uk
• Who's Who in World War I Gavrilo Princip at firstworldwar.com

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