archduke franz ferdinand of austria portrait

#ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND OF AUSTRIA PORTRAIT SERIES#
#ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND OF AUSTRIA PORTRAIT WINDOWS#

So utterly tragic too, was the accidental death of Sophie, who took a bullet meant for the Archduke - her death a regrettable mistake her assassin later confessed. Joint conspiracies across nations were suspected, trying to account for the incredible ease in which the government was blindsided by a young homicidal group of amateurs even the Archduke had premonitions of his death prior to this very visit, but allowed his fears to be allayed by those he trusted.

The scar of culpability was branded into the Serbian government like original sin, guilty by its blatant disregard of constant rumors of a murder conspiracy and its inexcusable neglect in taking measures for high level security for the royals.

#ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND OF AUSTRIA PORTRAIT SERIES#

It was fourteen years to the day of their marriage, on June 28th, 1914 when the heir apparent to the Hapsburg throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este and his wife, Sophie Duchess of Hohenberg were murdered in what was clearly a choreographed but badly executed series of attacks, considered to have been the catalyst that ignited the First World War. One pierced straight through Franz Ferdinand's plumed helmet, and as Sophie turned to him, registering the blood trickling down his mouth, she too contorted and slumped over. On the second lag of the motorcade's procession through the streets of Sarajevo, nineteen year old Gavrilo Princip readied his pistol.eeny, meeny, miney, moe., 'where I aimed I do not know.' Three shots. Franz commanded the vehicle to stop, amidst the panic and mayhem in the streets, while spectators caught up with the assailant shouting, 'I am a Serbian hero!' All was well again, they thought, and the motorcade proceeded to their destination.

#ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND OF AUSTRIA PORTRAIT WINDOWS#

Challenging a century of myth, The Assassination of the Archduke resonates as a very human story of love destroyed by murder, revolution, and war.ĭebris flew, windows shattered, and the crowd erupted in screams at the unexpected explosion, Sophie raised a hand to her neck where a splinter left its mark. Events in Sarajevo also doomed the couple’s children to lives of loss, exile, and the horrors of Nazi concentration camps, their plight echoing the horrors unleashed by their parents’ deaths. One hundred years after the event, it offers the startling truth behind the Sarajevo assassinations, including Serbian complicity and examines rumors of conspiracy and official negligence. Set against a backdrop of glittering privilege, The Assassination of the Archduke combines royal history, touching romance, and political murder in a moving portrait of the end of an era. The two bullets fired in Sarajevo not only ended their love story, but also led to war and a century of conflict. When Austrian heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand married for love against the wishes of the emperor, he and his wife Sophie were humiliated and shunned, yet they remained devoted to each other and to their children. One event precipitated the conflict, and at its hear was a tragic love story. Four years later all had vanished in the chaos of World War I. In the summer of 1914, three great empires dominated Europe: Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary. Drawing on unpublished letters and rare primary sources, King and Woolmans tell the true story behind the tragic romance and brutal assassination that sparked World War I

Archduke franz ferdinand of austria portrait