Original subtitles

June the 28th, 1914, Sarajevo, Bosnia.

An open touring car takes a wrong turning. Its driver tries to reverse in

narrow road.

What happens in the next few seconds will cause the deaths of millions of

people.

Suddenly, a young man steps forward, raises a pistol, and fires two shots.

His target is the heir to one of Europe's oldest empires.

But how could a terrorist attempt by an obscure student in a hot and dusty

Balkan town plunge the world into the deadliest war yet known?

June 28, 1914, Sarajevo.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand is next in line to become Emperor of Austria -Hungary.

But when he and his wife Sophie are attacked by a Serbian nationalist, most

people think that, although an outrage, it is just another incident in a

notoriously unstable part of the world, the Balkans.

The region has been in turmoil for years. War and political mayhem seem

No one expects a localized event to lead all the world's great powers into a

conflict which will fundamentally change history.

Rarely has an assassination attempt had such swift, unforeseen, and dreadful

consequences. Why?

At the beginning of the 20th century, the world is dominated by great empires.

And in Europe, these have formed into two competing and increasingly hostile

power blocks.

Austria -Hungary and Germany against Russia, France and Britain.

It is the accelerating collapse of the oldest empire of all, coupled with this

rivalry, which turns an obscure terrorist incident into the spark which

a world war.

At its zenith in 1699, the Turkish Ottoman Empire dominates not only North

Africa and the Middle East, but the Balkans to within 50 miles of Vienna and

much of modern Hungary.

But by the middle of the 19th century, its control of the Balkans is

Greece achieves its freedom in 1829.

And in 1878, following a war between Russia and the Turks, Montenegro,

Romania and Bulgaria are given their independence.

At the same time, the province of Bosnia is placed under Austro -Hungarian

control, although it remains theoretically part of the Ottoman

This is resented by a large Serbian flower of minority in Bosnia, and the

Serbian government is determined to annex it and achieve a greater Serbia.

July 24, 1908, Constantinople.

Matters become worse when revolutionary officers, the young Turks, lead a coup

against the aged and corrupt Sultan.

The Austro -Hungarian government takes advantage of the chaos to annex Bosnia

into the Habsburg Empire.

Serbia immediately appeals to Russia for support to prevent this, but receives

little encouragement.

The Russian Empire is still recovering after its humiliating defeat by Japan in

1905.

And an announcement by Helmut von Moltke.

the German chief of staff, that if Russia mobilizes, Germany will support

ally, Austria -Hungary, means that the Tsar's government dare not risk another

military confrontation.

But the incident does make the Russians determine that never again will their

fellow Slavs be humiliated in the Balkans.

And it also encourages extreme Serbian nationalists in Bosnia to take matters

into their own hands.

In 1911, a Serbian army officer, Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijevic, sets up a secret

society named the Black Hand, dedicated to bringing all territories,

particularly Bosnia, which have large Serb minorities, under Serb control.

Dimitrijevic gives himself the codename Aps, the B.

Apis has already shown his ruthlessness and determination to undermine the

Habsburg Empire.

In 1903, he organizes the assassination of the pro -Austrian ruler of Serbia,

King Alexander I.

And in 1911, his new organization makes an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate

the Emperor Franz Josef of Austria -Hungary.

Thus, tensions are running high in the Balkans when further unrest breaks out.

September 12, 1912, the Balkans.

Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Greece ally to attack the remaining Ottoman

territories.

Among the young men desperate to fight the Turks is a Bosnian Serb named

Princip.

Born in 1894, He is expelled from school for protest demonstrations against

Austrian rule and goes to study in Belgrade, capital of Serbia.

Now an ardent nationalist, he tries to join the Serbian guerrilla forces under

Serbian Major Vojislav Tankovic, but is turned down as being medically unfit,

suspected of having tuberculosis.

Within a few months, the Balkan League has driven the Turks out of Europe,

except for the Dardanelles and a foothold around Constantinople.

But equally swiftly after this victory, the victors start squabbling.

Bulgaria attempts to increase the size of its territory by annexing much of

Macedonia.

The Serbs and Greeks resist this.

After a second Balkan war, The area is partitioned, and Serbia almost doubles

its size.

This time Germany refuses to support Austro -Hungarian objections to the

enlargement of Serbia.

Thus Serbian confidence is running high, and it is Austria -Hungary which seems

humiliated.

For Apis, it is an ideal moment to strike further blows for Serb

In January 1914, he organizes another unsuccessful assassination attempt to

General Oskar Potiorek, the governor of Bosnia.

And when in April sympathizers in Zagreb send him a newspaper report that the

heir to the Austro -Hungarian throne will be visiting the Bosnian capital

Sarajevo on June 28, after military maneuvers, the opportunity seems too

miss.

December 18, 1863, Vienna.

The Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who now becomes the main target of the Black

is born the nephew of the Austro -Hungarian Emperor Franz Josef.

He is fascinated by soldiering and joins the army in 1883.

But his life changes dramatically in 1889 when his cousin, Crown Prince

dies in mysterious circumstances from gunshot wounds.

Possibly suicide, possibly murder. At his hunting lodge at Merling with his

mistress, Maria Vecera.

The emperor's heir is now Franz Ferdinand's father, the Archduke Karl

And when he dies in 1896, Franz Ferdinand takes his place.

But he has a secret, which soon causes problems.

A year earlier, the Archduke had fallen in love with an aristocratic but not

royal lady -in -waiting, Countess Sophie Ciotek.

In the snobbish imperial court, she's not considered to be of a suitable rank

for the heir to the throne, and a crisis looms.

But finally, in 1899, the emperor Franz Joseph gives in and allows them to get

married.

But he imposes a number of humiliating conditions on the archduke. Sophie can

never become empress, only the imperial consort, ranking below all other

archduchesses.

Their children will not be allowed to succeed to the throne.

And unlike this occasion at a royal wedding, Sophie will not be allowed to

appear next to him when he is acting in an imperial capacity.

Despite the snubs, the couple are idyllically happy and have three

girl and two boys.

Franz Ferdinand proves an excellent officer.

He becomes Inspector General of the Austro -Hungarian Army through his

not just because of his rank.

The empire which Franz Ferdinand will inherit is a sprawling collection of 11

different nationalities. The main ethnic groups are Austrians, Hungarians and

Poles. But the empire also includes Italians, Slovenes, Croats and a variety

other Balkan peoples.

For almost 400 years the Habsburgs have held this increasingly ramshackle

patchwork together.

But now they face growing demands for independence.

Franz Ferdinand is convinced that the way to preserve his inheritance is to

allow further decentralization.

And this brings him into conflict with the 84 -year -old emperor and the many

conservatives at his court.

But it also makes Franz Ferdinand the particular target of a much more

opponent, the Black Hand.

Apis is concerned that if the reforms proposed by the Archduke can stabilize

Austro -Hungarian Empire, the chances of detaching Bosnia and incorporating it

into Serbia will be greatly reduced.

This fear increases his determination to eliminate Franz Ferdinand, and the news

that the Archduke will be attending the main army maneuvers for summer 1914,

which are due to be held near to Sarajevo in Bosnia, seems an ideal

The trip to Sarajevo also has a special significance for Franz Ferdinand.

The maneuvers will coincide with the Archduke's wedding anniversary, June the

28th. So he decides to take his wife. For once she can be treated as his

since he will be on army, not imperial business.

The Archduke is well aware that there are many in Bosnia who resent being part

of the Habsburg Empire, but he's confident that they will not cause

He would be less sanguine had he known how seriously Dimitrievich is now

plotting.

Immediately upon receiving the news, Apis instructs his aide, the former

guerrilla leader Major Tankovich, to recruit suitable killers.

and Tankovic knows just the men for the job.

In a coffee shop in Belgrade, he contacts Gavrilo Princip, and through

other ardent young nationalist Bosnian serfs,

Nedioko Kabrinovic and Trivko Grabic.

The three young assassins are trained in the use of firearms and explosives, and

then smuggled back into Bosnia.

There, four more young men are recruited.

Danilo Ilic, Vazo Kubrilovic, Zvietko Popovic, and Mohamed Mehmet

Dasic.

In early June, Nikola Pasic, the Prime Minister of Serbia, hears rumors of the

plot to murder the Archduke. He sends a warning via the Serbian ambassador in

Vienna.

But when the ambassador delivers the warning to his closest contact in the

Austro -Hungarian government, the urgency is not understood, and the

passed on to the Archduke or his security chiefs.

June 21, 1914, Sarajevo, Bosnia.

The Austro -Hungarian army begins a week of summer maneuvers.

Among the senior officers observing the action, is the Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

The maneuvers go well, and at their end, the mayor of Sarajevo arranges a

reception for the imperial couple.

Since Franz Ferdinand will be going in his military role, it is agreed that his

wife can accompany him.

June 28, 1914.

At 10 in the morning, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie leave the military camp near

Sarajevo, where they have been staying, and head to the reception at the city

hall.

They are in the second car of a six -car convoy, accompanied by the governor of

Bosnia, General Oskar Potiorek.

There are crowds along the route into Sarajevo, and the tops of the cars have

been put down.

Although many thousands of troops are available just outside the city, the

Archduke has specifically asked that they are not used to line the street.

His security will be left up to the local police force.

It is a misplaced sign of confidence in the loyalty of his future subjects, one

which condemns both him and his wife to death.

June 28, 1914, Sarajevo.

At about ten past ten in the morning, four of the assassins are waiting with

bombs. They are on the Apel Key, just before the Kumyurja Bridge over the

Milyatska.

As the Archduke's convoy approaches, the first of them, Mohamed Mehmed Basit,

panics and fails to throw his bomb.

A few seconds later, the second, Nedjelko Kabrinovic, throws his.

It bounces off the folded roof of the Archduke's car and explodes behind it,

injuring about a dozen people.

The following car is damaged, and General Potiorek's adjutant is cut on

head.

Hearing the explosion, the Archduke's driver attempts to accelerate away, but

the car stalls.

He restarts it, and the convoy races towards the city hall, moving too fast

any of the other assassins to be able to act.

Gabrinovich attempts to escape by jumping into the river, but it is only a

inches deep, and he is hauled out and arrested.

Within five minutes, the Archduke and his wife reach the city hall.

Franz Ferdinand complains, I come on a friendly visit and someone throws a bomb

at me.

He then listens to the mayor's speech of welcome and replies graciously.

While this is going on, the other assassins remain in the crowds along the

Quay, not quite sure what to do.

Gavrilo Princip is hungry.

and decides that he will not get a second chance.

He goes across to Moritz Schiller's food store, which is on the corner of the

Arpo Quay and Franz Josef Street.

After about an hour at the reception in the city hall, the Archduke and his wife

leave. He decides to go back via the hospital, to which the wounded have been

taken.

The original route for the car was to turn off at the Latina Bridge onto Franz

Josef Street.

which runs one block back.

However, General Potiorek then decides to go by the quickest route, straight

back along the Appel Quay.

Unfortunately, because his adjutant is injured, no one else thinks to tell the

drivers.

At 11 .15 the Archduke's car turns off at Franz Josef Street.

The driver is told to stop and reverse, because he's going the wrong way.

By an extraordinary coincidence, the car attempts to manoeuvre just beside

Princip, who is standing on the pavement, eating a sandwich.

He cannot believe his luck.

Drops the sandwich, pulls out his gun, and shoots twice.

At first, the royal couple do not seem to be injured, so General Potiorek tells

the driver to head for the governor's residence.

As the car moves off, Sophie collapses, shot in the abdomen.

Then blood starts pouring down the Archduke's chest from a wound in his

which has cut his jugular.

He, too, loses consciousness.

Princip turns his gun on himself, but it is knocked away.

The police manage to hustle him away from a hostile crowd.

Within a few minutes, the car reaches the governor's residence, but Sophie is

already dead.

and the Archduke dies shortly afterwards.

Princip and Kabrinovic say little under interrogation, but then Danilo Ilic is

brought in because Princip had been staying at his house.

He loses his nerve and gives the police the names of the other four assassins.

By July 5th, they are all in custody, except Mehmet Basich, who gets away to

Montenegro.

All the prisoners are found guilty, but most are under 20 and thus cannot be

executed. Princip and Kubrinowicz are sentenced to 20 years.

Only Danilo Ilic, who had betrayed his comrades, is hanged since he is 23.

Franz Ferdinand and Sophie are taken back to Austria and buried in his castle

Arstetten.

An investigation by an Austrian police commissioner finds no evidence of direct

Serbian involvement in any plot.

But this does not lessen the determination of some Austrian

particular the foreign minister Count Bertholdt and the army chief of staff,

Konrad von Herzendorf, to punish Serbia.

July 5, 1914, Berlin.

The Austro -Hungarian ambassador is assured by the Kaiser that Germany

its full support and will come to the aid of Austria -Hungary should the

Russians attack.

This blank check is confirmed by the German Chancellor, Bettmann -Holweg, the

next day.

Sure of the backing of their powerful ally, Bechtolt and von Herzendorf now

argue for an ultimatum to Serbia.

which will be so extreme that it will be rejected out of hand, thus providing an

excuse for war.

They are initially opposed by the Prime Minister of Hungary, Count Stefan Tisza,

but he is gradually worn down.

July 23, 1914, Vienna.

An ultimatum is sent to Serbia.

Berchtolt includes conditions which he is sure the Serbian government could

never accept and gives it just 48 hours in which to reply.

It does so with five minutes to spare and accepts all the conditions but one,

that Austro -Hungarian officials should be allowed into Serbia to conduct an

investigation.

This is enough for the Austro -Hungarian government to break off diplomatic

relations.

July 28, 1914.

Austro -Hungary declares war on Serbia and its forces begin to advance into the

country.

Faithful to its ally, Germany warns Russia that any form of mobilization in

support of Serbia will be countered by German mobilization and war.

But the Russians are not prepared to be humiliated again.

July 30, 1914, Belgrade.

As Austro -Hungarian guns begin to bombard the Serbian capital, Russia

to support its fellow Slavs.

Now the rival power blocks in Europe come into play with deadly effect.

As they had warned, the Germans also start to mobilize.

But terrified of having to fight a war on two fronts, with Russia's ally France

attacking them from the other side, they are locked into a war plan which

demands that they knock out France first.

August 1st, 1914, Berlin.

Germany declares war on Russia and asks the French if they will remain neutral.

The French reply that they will consult their interests.

and begin to mobilize.

August 3rd, Germany declares war on France and attacks through Belgium.

August 4th, Britain and Belgium declare war on Germany.

In just a week, a seemingly local incident has become a world war.

Before it ends in 1918, more than 20 million people would have been killed.

But ironically, Gavrilo Princip, the assassin who started it all, dies in

obscurity of tuberculosis in a prison hospital in 1918.

Never before or since has such an insignificant event led to the deaths of

many innocent people.