Austria-Hungary sends an ultimatum to Serbia, the contents of which are deliberately made unacceptable to the Serbs, while the German chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg promises Austria a 'blank cheque' of unconditional support in case of war with Serbia.Īfter a month of failed attempts to deescalate the crisis, the great powers of Europe break into open conflict, triggering a chain reaction of war declarations.
While visiting Sarajevo on the 28 th of June, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie are assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip, a Black Hand agent with secret ties to the Serbian armed forces, triggering the July Crisis. Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
