Gavrilo Princip

Gavrilo Princip

Name	Gavrilo Princip
Birth name
Birth date	25 July 1894
Birth place	Obljaj, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria-Hungary
Death date	28 April 1918
Death place	Theresienstadt, Austria-Hungary
Alma mater
Occupation
Years active
Organization
Known for	Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Notable works
Spouse(s)
Website

Gavrilo Princip was a Bosnian Serb nationalist who is best known for assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, on 28 June 1914. This event is widely considered to have precipitated the First World War.

Early Life

Gavrilo Princip was born on 25 July 1894 in the village of Obljaj, near Bosansko Grahovo, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was then part of Austria-Hungary. He was the second of nine children in a poor peasant family. His parents, Petar and Marija Princip, were ethnic Serbs and devout Orthodox Christians.

Princip showed an early interest in politics and was influenced by the rising tide of nationalism among South Slavs. He moved to Sarajevo to attend school, where he became involved with radical nationalist groups.

Political Involvement

In Sarajevo, Princip joined the secret society known as the Black Hand, which aimed to create a Greater Serbia by liberating South Slavs from Austro-Hungarian rule. The Black Hand was known for its use of violence and assassination as political tools.

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, visited Sarajevo. Princip and his co-conspirators planned to assassinate the Archduke as a statement against Austro-Hungarian rule.

The assassination attempt was initially botched, but Princip managed to shoot and kill both the Archduke and his wife when their car took a wrong turn and stopped near where Princip was standing. This assassination set off a chain of events that led to the outbreak of World War I.

Arrest and Trial

Princip was immediately arrested after the assassination. At his trial, he was found guilty of treason and murder. However, because he was under 20 years old at the time of the crime, he was not eligible for the death penalty under Austro-Hungarian law. Instead, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Death

Gavrilo Princip died on 28 April 1918 from tuberculosis exacerbated by poor prison conditions at Theresienstadt. He was 23 years old at the time of his death.

Legacy

Princip's actions had profound consequences, as the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand led to the July Crisis and the subsequent declaration of war by Austria-Hungary on Serbia, which escalated into World War I. Princip is viewed as a hero by some South Slavs for his role in opposing Austro-Hungarian rule, while others see him as a terrorist whose actions led to a devastating global conflict.

Also see

• Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
• Black Hand (Serbia)
• World War I
• Sarajevo
• Bosnia and Herzegovina