Page:The History of The Great European War Vol 1.pdf/22

 THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT EUROPEAN WAR ITS CAUSES AND EFFECTS

BOOK I

INTRODUCTORY

CHAPTER I

THE ASSASSINATION OF THE ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND

Bosnia-Herzegovina—Annexation by Austria-Hungary—The Slavs of Bosnia—Servia and Pan-Slavism—Serajevo, the Bosnian capital—Its mixed population—Sunday, June 28, 1914—The town en fete—The visit of the Archduke—His religious and political views— His policy in regard to the Balkan States—The Austrian army and fleet—His reserved and brutal temperament—His public reception in the streets of Serajevo—The political treatment accorded to the Slavs—The knowledge of the crowd—The Archduke’s drive to the town hall—The first bomb—The scene at the town hall—The return from the town hall—The second and successful attempt on the Archduke’s life—The devotion of the Duchess—Their death—The Duchess a morganatic wife—Their romantic marriage— Declaration of war by Austria on Servia, July 28, 1914.

IN the extreme southern part of Austria-Hungary, south even of Croatia-Slavonia and the other southern Slav territories of Hungary, lies the Slav province of Bosnia, a province which with its neighbour, Herzegovina, had been seized by the House of Hapsburg as its prey, and added to the dominions of the Dual Monarchy in the year 1908. This annexation was effected with supreme disregard on the part of the Austrian monarch for the fact that he was not entitled to the sovereignty of the two provinces; that an annexation would be a flagrant breach of international law and treaty; and that all the Powers, except perhaps that of his ally the German Emperor, were bitterly opposed to his unlawful proceedings. All that Francis