breaking point Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand Austria-Hungary Serbia Russia Germany France Britain Ottoman Empire Europe
The first decade of the 20th century saw increasing diplomatic tension between the European great powers. This reached a breaking point on 28 June 1914, when a Bosnian Serb named Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Austria-Hungary held Serbia responsible, and declared war on 28 July. Russia came to Serbia's defence, and by 4 August, Germany, France and Britain were drawn into the war, with the Ottoman Empire joining in November the same year.
