Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was born on 18 December 1863 in Graz. The heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary, Franz Ferdinand was the nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph and became the heir after the death of Crown Prince Rudolf. He married Sophie Chotek, a countess whose rank was considered too low for the dynasty, and their children were excluded from the succession. He favored reforms to give the Slavs more autonomy within the empire. While visiting Sarajevo in Bosnia with his wife, he was shot by the Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip. The assassination set off the July Crisis, and the declarations of war that began the First World War.
Before and after
- 26 October 1863The Football Association is founded in London
- 19 November 1863Gettysburg Address
- from 8 December 1863 to 31 March 1877Reconstruction Era
- 12 December 1863Birth of Edvard Munch
- 18 December 1863Birth of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
- 13 January 1864Birth of Wilhelm Wien
- from 1 February 1864 to 31 October 1864Second Schleswig War
- from 10 March 1864 to 22 May 1864Red River campaign
- from 14 April 1864 to 1 January 1866Chincha Islands War
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 1765 to 1783American Revolution
- from 18 June 1812 to 18 February 1815War of 1812
- from 18 March 1871 to 28 May 1871Paris Commune
- from 1885 to 1914Scramble for Africa
- from 25 April 1898 to 11 August 1898Spanish–American War
- from 8 February 1904 to 5 September 1905Russo-Japanese War
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.