How was Franz Ferdinands assassination linked to the cause of world war one?
Usually given as the event that started the Great War, when on 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were shot dead in an open topped car in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip. The incident led Austro Hugary (backed by Germany) to issue an ultimatum (The July Ultimatum) calling for (among other things) punishment of those involved. An incident on the Danube involving Serbian troops was the last straw and AH declared war on Serbia, a month after the assasination.
