The heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne who was assassinated and is said to have started World War I was?

The heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne who was assassinated and is said to have started World War I was?

• A. Archduke Ferdinand
• B. Gavrilo Princip
• C. Franz Joseph
• D. Karl I

Answer: (A)

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, carried out by Gavrilo Princip, set off a chain of diplomatic crises and mobilizations among the great powers that rapidly pulled Europe into war. The incident is widely viewed as the spark that started World War I, because it directly triggered the July Crisis and the ensuing declarations of war through alliance commitments. The other names refer to people involved in the event in different roles: Gavrilo Princip was the assassin, Franz Joseph was the emperor at the time, and Karl I was the later emperor who came to power after Franz Joseph.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, carried out by Gavrilo Princip, set off a chain of diplomatic crises and mobilizations among the great powers that rapidly pulled Europe into war. The incident is widely viewed as the spark that started World War I, because it directly triggered the July Crisis and the ensuing declarations of war through alliance commitments. The other names refer to people involved in the event in different roles: Gavrilo Princip was the assassin, Franz Joseph was the emperor at the time, and Karl I was the later emperor who came to power after Franz Joseph.