When Diplomacy Fails

The July Crisis Anniversary Project

A day-by-day account of the events that occurred 100 years ago.

Prologue. Today is the 28th of June 2014, and on this day, 100 years ago, occurred the following events.

Franz Ferdinand awoke on the morning of the 28th of June with a level of relief.

Soon his trip along the Balkans would be over.

His room, kidded out with an Arabian style decor, complete with Persian carpets,

were all very befitting of the heir to the throne of Austria.

But for the staunch Catholic Ferdinand, it had outstayed its welcome.

That was not the only thing that it outstayed its welcome. Ferdinand was all too aware of the levels of resentment underlying his Bosnian trip. Only a few years before, Austria had annexed the region of

Bosnia-Herzegovina into the Austrian Empire, an act

which dramatically affected its relations with Slav-friendly Russia, as well as causing

nationalistic dilemmas for the Austrians on the ground in the Balkan region itself.

Ferdinand had vehemently opposed the annexation as a needless provocation of Austrioslavic population

and as a slap to the face of Russia, whose foreign minister at the time was forced to quit

under a hail of Austro-German pressure. This sane foreign minister, a Count Alexander

Izvalski, humiliated and bent on revenge, positioned himself as the Russian ambassador to France,

a post which voted ill for any possibility of cooperation with either states in the future.

Ferdinand had reason to be positive, though.

Not only was this day, Sunday the 28th of June, the last day of his three-day trip to the corner of the empire that began on Thursday afternoon, but he had been allowed to bring his wife Sophie along with him.

The relationship between the Archduke and wife was a lesser-known portion of the now infamous assassination story.

Franz Ferdinand, having chosen to marry Sophie,

...