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Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire, visits Sarajevo, Bosnia with wife Sophie - their wedding anniversary.
The couple head to the Town Hall, where a lavish reception awaits them. Little did they know they were about to run a lethal gauntlet - along the route were assassins - young men committed to freeing Bosnia from Austrian rule and uniting with Serbia.

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The convoy reaches Nedjelko Cabrinovic - a young man dying of tuberculosis, desperate to complete this mission before his death. He threw a bomb as the Archduke's car passed, a 20 yards range it bounced off the back of the car and rolled underneath the car behind, blowing up and injuring around 20 people. The Archduke's driver accelerated away down the road, passing the necks of the assassins.

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Assassin Gavrilo Princip does nothing, perhaps assuming that the bomb has done its job. Franz Ferdinand is shaken, but attends the reception at the Town Hall. The speech he reads out is covered in the blood of his assistant - injured in the crash. They decide to visit their wounded colleagues and the bystanders in the Sarajevo Hospital.

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The Royal Group leave Town Hall; they drive along the same road on which they've survived one assassination attempt already today. Meanwhile, Princip - having failed in his assassination attempt - is standing around on a street corner. Nobody has informed the Archduke's driver about the change of plan, so at the very same Junction the driver slows down and turns right.

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The Archduke's car rolled in, turned right and stopped - as the driver was told they actually wanted to go another way. The driver stalled the car; Princip took his pistol out of his pocket and fired two shots at a meter and half range. First hit Sophie in the abdomen. The second shot grazed the jugular of the Archduke - they were mortally wounded.

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They were the first two shots fired in what would become the First World War - a war that would see well over 10 million people killed, fired on a street corner in Sarajevo.

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The Kaiser's 'blank cheque' to Vienna - July 5th 1914

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The Kaiser's 'blank cheque' to Vienna - July 5th 1914

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Austria-Hungary had Germany's support if Russia intervened, and the Kaiser and von Moltke sought early war with Russia and France, believing Germany was better prepared. They advised swift, harsh action by Austria against Serbia and didn't expect Russian retaliation/mobilisation. If Russia acted, Germany would reciprocate by declaring war on St Petersburg. The Kaiser and several Austrian politicians went on holiday after the conclusion of this agreement; likely a deliberate ploy to suggest their disinterest in the crisis.

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Spark of the July Crisis - The Austrian Ultimatum - July 23rd 1914

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Spark of the July Crisis - The Austrian Ultimatum - July 23rd 1914

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On July 23rd, four weeks after the assassination, the Serbian government received an ultimatum from Austria-Hungary. It contained a set of 10 firmly worded demands and an obligation for the Serbs to agree to its conditions within 48 hours.

Winston Churchill, at the time in charge of Britain's Royal Navy, called the Austrian Ultimatum "the most insolent document of its kind ever devised". The British Foreign Minister, Sir Edward Grey, intervened in an attempt to avoid war. Grey suggested a mediation conference between all nations with a stake in the crisis- but this was rejected by both Berlin and Vienna.

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Austria-Hungary Declares War - July 28th 1914

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Austria-Hungary Declares War - July 28th 1914

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Once the reply of Serbia was received, the Austrian ambassador immediately left Belgrave (Serbia) for Vienna. After some cajoling from his advisors, Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph declared war on Serbia on July 28, marking exactly one month of the ordeal since the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. This declaration of war triggered a chain reaction that quickly dragged in the rest of Europe. Bound by their alliances - or more precisely, their leaders' commitment to these alliances - nation after nation was drawn into the spiral of war.

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Russia, a long-time protector of Serbia, condemned Vienna's aggression and immediately began mobilising its forces against Austria-Hungary. Germany's rulers declared Russia on August 1st.