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FRANCIS FERDINAND AND WIFE SHORTLY BEFORE THEIR
ASSASSINATION
World War One History 1914
World War I Timeline - Year 1914
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June 28, 1914
Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia,
11.15 a.m.:
Assassination of Archduke
 Francis
Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian
throne, and his wife, Sophie,
the Duchess of Hohenburg.
The assassin, a Bosnian Serb and student
named Gavrilo Prinzip, is
arrested. |
July 5, 1914
German
Kaiser Wilhelm II (William II)
holds his War Council at Potsdam. German aid is promised to Austria
if Austria should need it against Serbia.
July 6, 1914
William II embarks on his
annual cruise to the North Cape, off Norway.
July 15, 1914
French president
Poincare and French vice
president Viviani leave for a
state visit to Russia.
July 19, 1914
Austria is done drafting its
note to Serbia but delays its delivery until July 23, because that
way French president Raymond Poincaré
and his premier René Viviani
would be on the road back from their visit to Russia. Thus, they
would not be able to confer with their Russian friends right away.
July 23, 1914
6.00 p.m. - The
Austro-Hungarian Minister at Belgrade presents to the Serbian
Government a note containing the demands of the Dual Monarchy with
regard to the suppression of the Pan-Serbian movement and the
punishment of Serbians alleged to have been concerned in the murder
of the Archduke
Francis
Ferdinand. The tone of the document is harsh and
provocative.
July 24, 1914
Russia responds to Austria's
note and declares that Austria should not be allowed to swallow
Serbia just like that.
July 25, 1914
Serbia responds to the
Austro-Hungarian note. It concedes all the demands except two, which
infringed upon its rights as a sovereign State, and these two it
offered to submit to arbitration.
The two points in question were, 1,
Austrian officials should be able to fire Serbian officials as they
see fit, and 2, Austrian officials should legally be able to do
in Serbia whatever they think necessary to obtain Austrian
national security.
July 26, 1914
Austria severs diplomatic
relations with Serbia.
July 27, 1914
The Austro-Hungarian Foreign
Office denounces Serbia's reply.
Austrian foreign minister
Leopold von Berchtold was a man
whose stand on the Serbian issue was one of the contributors that
led to
Francis
Ferdinand's assassination in the first place.
Now, and encouraged by the German
Foreign Office, Berchtold manages to convince Austrian emperor
Francis Joseph that war against
Serbia is the way to go. Francis Joseph gives his green light for
war against Serbia.
Meanwhile in Germany:
William II is coming home from
his cruise.
July 28, 1914
German
William II is brought up to
speed on current events. William tells his Foreign Office to tell
Austria that there are no legal grounds for war.
However, during William's absence, his
boys from the Foreign Office had already assured Austria nothing but
unlimited support and friendship.
The Austro-Hungarian Foreign Office
issues a formal declaration of war on Serbia, the text of which
reads as follows:
The Royal Government of Serbia not
having replied in a satisfactory manner to the note remitted to it
by the Austro-Hungarian Minister in Belgrade on July 23, 1914, the
Imperial and Royal Government finds itself compelled to proceed to
safeguard its rights and interests and to have recourse for this
purpose to force of arms. Austria-Hungary considers itself,
therefore, from this moment in a state of war with Serbia. [Signed]
Count Berchtold - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria-Hungary
World War I just broke out.
July 29, 1914
Austria starts bombardment on
Belgrade, capital of Serbia.
Russia orders partial mobilization
against Austria.
July 30, 1914
Austria orders to mobilize on
its Russia frontier.
Russia orders full mobilization
against Austria.
July 31, 1914
Germany issues a 24-hour
ultimatum to Russia to stop in their tracks.
Germany issues a 18-hour ultimatum to
France to promise neutrality in case of war between Germany and
Russia.
August 1, 1914
Russia and France ignore German
ultimatums.
Germany declares war on Russia.
France orders general mobilization.
August 2, 1914
Germany invades Luxembourg and
demands free passage from neutral Belgium.
Grand Duke Nicholas, also called
Nikolay Nikolayevich, becomes Russia's Supreme
Commander-in-Chief. He will keep this job until September 5, 1915.
August 3, 1914
Germany declares war on France
and vice versa.
August 4, 1914
During the night Germany
invades Belgium.
Germany declares war on Belgium and
vice versa.
Belgium's ally Great Britain declares
war on Germany.
August 5, 1914
Austria-Hungary declares war on
Russia.
August 6, 1914
Serbia declares war on Germany.
August 7, 1914
Montenegro declares war on
Austria.
Russia declares war on Germany.
August 9, 1914
Austria declares war on
Montenegro.
August 10, 1914
France severs diplomatic
relations against Austria.
August 12, 1914
Montenegro declares war on
Germany.
August 13, 1914
France and Great Britain
declare war on Austria.
Egypt severs diplomatic relations with
Germany.
August 14, 1914
The
Battle of the Frontiers
begins. This battle will last until September 5, 1914.
The Battle of the Frontiers is the name for all fighting that took
place during this time between the German and the French armies
along the German-Belgian border and the German border to France.
Over 2,000,000 troops were engaged.
Map of the Battle of
the Frontiers (North: Belgium and France)
Map of the Battle of the Frontiers (South:
Eastern France)
August 20, 1914
The
Battle of Morhange-Sarrebourg
begins. This battle is part of the Battle of the Frontiers and will
last until August 22, 1914.
August 22, 1914
The Battle of Morhange-Sarrebourg
ends. This battle started on August 20, 1914.
August 23, 1914
Japan declares war on
Germany.
August 26, 1914
Austria severs diplomatic
relations with Japan.
The new French Minister of War is
Alexandre Millerand. He succeeds
Adolphe Messimy.
The
Battle of Tannenberg
begins. Battle location now
Poland. 58,000 casualties. The
battle will last until August 30, 1914.
Map of the Tannenberg Campaign 1914 -
Movements August 17-23, 1914
Map of the Battle of Tannenberg - August 26, 1914
Map of the Battle of Tannenberg - August 27-30, 1914
August 27, 1914
Austria declares war on Japan.
August 28, 1914
Austria declares war on
Belgium.
August 30, 1914
The
Battle of Tannenberg,
which had started on August 26, 1914, ends.
September 5, 1914
Russia, France, and Great Britain conclude the
Treaty of London, which makes
them officially the Allies.
The
Battle of the Frontiers
ends. This battle started August 14, 1914.
September 6, 1914
The
First Battle of the Marne
begins. This battle will last until September 12, 1914.
Map of the First Battle of the Marne -
September 6-12, 1914
September 9, 1914
The
First Battle of the Masurian Lakes
begins. This battle will last until September 14, 1914.
September 12, 1914
The
First Battle of the Marne
ends. This battle begun on September 6, 1914.
September 14, 1914
The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes
ends. This battle had started on September 9, 1914.
October 12, 1914
The
First Battle of Ypres
begins. This battle will last until November 11, 1914.
November 3, 1914
Russia declares war on Turkey.
November 5, 1914
France and Great Britain
declare war on Turkey.
November 11, 1914
The First Battle of Ypres
ends. This battle had started on October 12, 1914.
The
Battle of Lodz begins.
This battle will last until December 6, 1914.
November 23, 1914
Portugal passes a resolution that authorizes military
intervention against Germany as Great Britain's ally.
Turkey issues a general declaration of
war against all Allies.
December 2, 1914
Serbia declares war on Turkey.
December 6, 1914
The
Battle of Lodz ends. This
battle had started on November 11, 1914
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