In 1908, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was inspecting troops in the city of Sarajevo, which is located in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. This event is historically significant as it took place in the context of rising tensions in the Balkans and is often cited as a precursor to World War I. Sarajevo was also the site of his assassination in 1914, which directly triggered the war.
The lead-up to Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination on June 28, 1914, involved rising nationalist tensions in the Balkans, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which had been annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908. The assassination plot was orchestrated by a group of Serbian nationalists known as the Black Hand, who sought to promote Slavic nationalism. On the day of the assassination, Ferdinand's visit to Sarajevo was met with both celebration and outrage, and after an initial failed attempt on his life, he was ultimately shot by Gavrilo Princip when his car took a wrong turn near the assassin’s location. This event set off a chain reaction of alliances and hostilities that ultimately led to the outbreak of World War I.
The spark was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. In 1908, Austria-Hungary had annexed the largely Slavic province of Bosnia. Serbia had wanted Bosnia to create a Slavic (Eastern European ethnic group) empire. In 1914, Ferdinand was invited by Bosnia's governor to see the army run through maneuvers. A Serbian nationalist group, the Black Hand, made multiple attempts on his life. Gavrilo Princip's was a success. After the assassination, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia. If the smaller nation didn't comply, there would be war. Russia stepped in to aid its fellow Slavic country. It sent troops to its border with Germany, Austria's ally, as a precaution, but Germany took it as a threat and went to war. Events continued to spiral, dragging Belgium, England, France, Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire, Italy, Japan and all of those countries colonies into a world-wide conflict.
He was employed as a messenger at the Massachusetts State House, where in 1908 he would be fatally injured in an accident that trapped his leg in an elevator.
When Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia. You're welcome.
The ruthless general who ruled Venezuela in 1908 that boasted all of Venequela is a cattle ranch was Juan Vicente Gomez. Gomez did not rule for 30 years, however. He served one six year term from 1908 to 1913 and served another term from 1922 to 1929.
Franz Ferdinand was called the new oppressor of Serbia because he was heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. Emperor Franz Joseph had promised limited autonomy to Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Congress of Berlin in 1878 but reneged in 1908 and decided to annex them instead. Radicals decided to assassinate the heir to prompt a fight with Austria-Hungary.
Franz Pfnür was born in 1908.
Franz Leydig died in 1908.
Franz Zingerle was born in 1908.
Franz Meyers was born in 1908.
Franz Dübbers was born in 1908.
Ferdinand Stone was born in 1908.
Franz Stangl was born on March 26, 1908.
Franz Stangl was born on March 26, 1908.
Franz Maria Doppelbauer died in 1908.
Franz von Bodmann was born in 1908.
Franz Cisar was born on 1908-11-28.