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467. The Murder of Franz Ferdinand: The Victim (Part 3)

Archduke Franz Ferdinand, as heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was one of the most important men in the world. But he was a lonely man, not helped by the fact that, in spite of custom and tradition, he had chosen for wife Sophie, an aristocrat who nonetheless was not noble enough to marry a Habsburg Archduke. Public humiliation, enforced by the Emperor himself, would plague them for the rest of their lives. In an attempt to show a Habsburg presence in the Balkans, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie had been convinced to undertake a military inspection in Sarajevo, amidst rising nationalist tensions in the area. And for once, they would be allowed to perform their public duties together, as a couple. But, after the electricity went down in his train on the way there, the Archduke could feel something sinister was in the making…

Join Tom and Dominic in the third part of our series on the assassination that sent millions of men to war, as they discuss how Archduke Franz Ferdinand became heir, his strained relationship with his uncle, the Emperor, shooting parties with Kaiser Wilhem II and George V, and why he went to Sarajevo with his wife, Sophie…

Series
The Murder of Franz Ferdinand: The Killer, The Conspiracy, The Victim, The Crime
Topics
World War IBritish Empire
Part
Part 3
Published date
2024-07-07
Year span
1900 – 1914

At a glance

Archduke Franz FerdinandKaiser Wilhelm IIGeorge VSarajevoBosnia and HerzegovinaAustro-Hungarian EmpireBalkans

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466. The Murder of Franz Ferdinand: The Conspiracy (Part 2)468. The Murder of Franz Ferdinand: The Crime (Part 4)465. The Murder of Franz Ferdinand: The Killer (Part 1)469. The Road to The Great War: Countdown to Armageddon (Part 1)470. The Road to The Great War: The Kaiser’s Blank Cheque (Part 2)474. The Road to The Great War: The Lights Go Out (Part 6)