| Austria-Hungary | |
|---|---|
 Civil Ensign of Austria-Hungary | |
|
Established |
1867 |
|
Dismantled |
1918 |
|
Monarchs |
The Habsburgs Franz Josef I (1867 - 1916) Charles I (1916 - 1918) |
|
Entered the War |
1914 |
The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, commonly called Austria-Hungary, was one of the countries responsible for the outbreak of World War 1.
The Road to War[]
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife Sophie.
In 1877, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire and won, which created pro-Russian satellite states in the Balkans. Fearing Russian influence over the region, the other European powers rolled back this move, and instead allowed Austria-Hungary to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina. With constant instability in the Balkans and tarnished relations with the Russians, Austria-Hungary, the German Empire and Italy forged an alliance.
In 1912, four south Slavic nations (Bulgaria, Montenegro, Serbia and Greece) declared war on the Ottomans, it was a crushing defeat for the Turks. This would cause a rise in pan-Slavism, especially in jingoist Serbia. There were only three south slavic nations left - Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia, all controlled by the Habsburgs...
On June 28th (ironically, a day special to Serbian ultranationalists,) Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne, visited Sarajevo. While there, multiple assassins from the 'Black Hand', an extremist nationalist group funded by the Serbian government, attempted to kill the archduke, but it was Gavrilo Princip who managed to kill Franz Ferdinand, and his wife Sophie. Austro-Hungarian officials believed that it was Serbia themselves responsible for the death, rather than a radical fringe group funded by them. The Austrians sent the Serbs an ultimatum - they declined, and war was declared...