The forgotten story of Gavrilo Princip, the man who started World War One

Gavrilo Princip was born on July 25, 1894, in the remote village of Obljaj, located in the mountainous region of western Bosnia.

He was the second of nine children born to Petar and Marija Princip. His family, like many in the region, led a humble existence as peasant farmers, struggling to make ends meet in the harsh rural landscape.

Despite their hardships, the Princips were known for their strong sense of national identity and their deep-seated Orthodox Christian faith, both of which would play a significant role in shaping Gavrilo's worldview.

From an early age, Gavrilo was exposed to tales of Serbian heroism and resistance against Ottoman rule, stories that stoked the fires of his burgeoning nationalist sentiment.

His father, a veteran of the Serbian-Turkish wars, was a strong influence, instilled in his son a deep sense of patriotism and a longing for a united South Slav state.

At the age of nine, Gavrilo was sent to Sarajevo to receive his education. He attended the Merchant School, where he was exposed to a variety of intellectual influences.

It was during these formative years that he began to develop a keen interest in politics, particularly the nationalist ideologies that were sweeping across the Balkans.

However, it was his exposure to the works of revolutionary thinkers and writers, such as Nikolay Chernyshevsky and Peter Kropotkin, that truly ignited his radical leanings.

These works, combined with the political climate of the time, fostered in Princip a growing disillusionment with the Austro-Hungarian rule and a desire to see his homeland free from foreign domination.

In 1911, Princip was expelled from the school for his involvement in a demonstration against Austro-Hungarian authorities. 

Gavrilo Princip's political ideologies were shaped by a complex mix of influences. In Sarajevo, he was exposed to the growing tide of Slavic nationalism, a movement that sought the liberation of the South Slav peoples from Austro-Hungarian rule and their unification into a single state.

This idea of a united South Slav state resonated deeply with Princip and became a driving force behind his actions.

However, Princip's political beliefs were also heavily influenced by the works of European anarchists and revolutionaries, particularly those of Russian author Nikolay Chernyshevsky and anarchist Peter Kropotkin.

These works, with their emphasis on direct action and their critique of oppressive state structures, resonated with Princip's growing disillusionment with the Austro-Hungarian rule over Bosnia.

In 1912, following his expulsion from school, Princip joined Young Bosnia, a revolutionary movement composed of Serb, Croat, and Bosniac students.

Young Bosnia was characterized by its members' commitment to direct action, including assassination, as a means of achieving their political goals.

Princip's involvement with Young Bosnia marked a significant escalation in his political activism.

He became increasingly committed to the idea of violent resistance as a means of achieving political change. 

When news arrived that the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was due to visit Sarajevo, it appeared to be an opportunity too good to miss.

The Archduke was seen as a symbol of the oppressive Austro-Hungarian rule over the South Slav peoples.

If he was to be assassinated, his death would send a clear message to the world.

The resulting planning for the assassination was carried out by members of Young Bosnia, with support from the Black Hand, a secret Serbian military society.

Gavrilo Princip, along with his co-conspirators Nedeljko Čabrinović and Trifko Grabež, were chosen to carry out the assassination.

They were provided with weapons and training, and a plan was set in motion to assassinate the Archduke during his visit to Sarajevo on June 28, 1914.

On the day of the assassination, the conspirators positioned themselves along the route of the Archduke's motorcade.

The first attempt on the Archduke's life, a bomb thrown by Čabrinović, failed when the bomb bounced off the Archduke's car and exploded under the following vehicle.

Despite this, the Archduke continued on his planned route.

Later that day, Princip found himself face to face with the Archduke's car as it took a wrong turn near a café where he was standing.

Seizing the opportunity, Princip fired two shots, fatally wounding both the Archduke and his wife, Duchess Sophie.

Princip was immediately apprehended and taken into custody.

The assassination sent shockwaves through Europe. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, backed by Germany, issued an ultimatum to Serbia, which Serbia was unable to fully comply with.

This led to the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war on Serbia, which led to the beginning of World War I.

The assassination, intended as a statement of resistance, had set off a chain of events that would lead to one of the deadliest conflicts in human history.

Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Gavrilo Princip was swiftly arrested and subjected to a trial.

The proceedings began on October 12, 1914, in Sarajevo, with Princip and his co-conspirators charged with treason and murder.

Despite the gravity of the charges, Princip remained defiant throughout the trial.

He openly admitted to his role in the assassination and expressed no remorse for his actions, stating that his intention was to free his people from Austro-Hungarian rule.

However, Princip's age played a crucial role in the outcome of the trial. At the time of the assassination, he was 27 days shy of his 20th birthday, the legal age of adulthood in Austria-Hungary.

As a result, he could not be sentenced to death under Austro-Hungarian law. Instead, on October 28, 1914, Princip was sentenced to twenty years in prison, the maximum sentence for a minor.

Princip was sent to Theresienstadt prison, a fortress in what is now the Czech Republic.

In incarceration, Princip experienced harsh conditions and deteriorating health.

He was kept in solitary confinement, a punishment reserved for the most dangerous criminals.

These damp and cold conditions of his cell exacerbated his already fragile health.

In 1916, Princip contracted tuberculosis. The disease, coupled with malnutrition, led to a rapid decline in his health.

In 1917, the disease caused his right arm to be amputated.

However, Gavrilo Princip's health continued to deteriorate rapidly during his imprisonment.

On April 28, 1918, less than four years into his prison sentence, Princip succumbed to his illness.

He died alone in his cell, a far cry from the public spectacle of his trial and the world-altering event he had set in motion.

He was buried in an unmarked grave in the prison's cemetery, a final indignity for the man whose actions had changed the course of history.

The impact of Princip's actions extended far beyond the immediate outbreak of war.

In the Balkans, the aftermath of World War I led to significant political changes.

The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was formed, realizing the dream of South Slav unification that had motivated Princip and his fellow conspirators.

However, the new state was fractured by ethnic tensions and political instability, issues that would continue to plague the region throughout the 20th century.

In a broader European context, the war led to the collapse of empires and the redrawing of national boundaries.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire, which Princip had sought to resist, was dismantled, leading to the creation of several new states.

The war also set the stage for the rise of totalitarian regimes in Russia, Italy, and Germany, and sowed the seeds for the Second World War.

In the new Yugoslavia, Princip was hailed as a national hero, a martyr who had given his life for the cause of Slav unification.

Monuments were erected in his honor, and his remains were reinterred in Sarajevo, in the chapel dedicated to the Vidovdan Heroes.

However, in other parts of the world, Princip was viewed in a less favorable light.

To many, he was a terrorist, a murderer whose actions had triggered a devastating global conflict.

This view of Princip as a destructive force was particularly prevalent in Austria and Hungary, where he was seen as a symbol of the violent nationalism that had led to the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Modern views on Princip continue to be divided. In 2014, on the 100th anniversary of the assassination, a statue of Princip was unveiled in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, reflecting his status as a national hero in the eyes of many Serbs.

However, the same event was marked by solemn commemorations in Sarajevo and Vienna, reflecting the enduring pain and controversy associated with Princip's actions.