Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austria-Hungary had annexed the Balkans in 1908 and in turn infuriated the Serbian nationals there. Thanks to this annexation, many nationalist groups had been created as they believed they should be allowed to join the new independent Serbian nation. On the day that he was assassinated, Franz Ferdinand had travelled to Sarajevo in order to inspect his troops there. On June 28th, 1914, the archduke and his wife, Sophie, travelled in an open top car through the streets of Sarajevo. It was at this point that a Serbian nationalist from the Black Hand Gang, Nedjelko Cabrinovic, threw a bomb into the car. The bomb hit the back of the vehicle and missed the Archduke, hitting and wounding bystanders.
