FRANCIS FERDINAND
1863 - 1914

Prince Francis Ferdinand was born in 1863 and, together with his wife, assassinated in 1914. His German name was Franz Ferdinand. He was archduke of Austria (in German: Erzherzog Von Österreich) and after 1889 successor to the throne, on which his uncle Emperor Francis Joseph sat at the time.

Francis Ferdinand's assassination marked the beginning of World War I. One month after his death, Austria declared war on Serbia and the madness began.

Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife, Countess Sophie, walking toward an open car on June 28, 1914, shortly before their assassination.
© DeA Picture Library

The assassination
The main assassin was Gavrilo Princip, a Serb. However, there were more people involved in the plot. One of them was Borijove Jevtic. You can read Borijove Jevtic's comment here.

The FAMILY
Francis's wife was the Countess Sophie Chotek, duchess of Hohenberg. She was Czech. Francis's father was the Archduke Charles Louis, brother of Emperor Francis Joseph.