The first catastrophe of the twentieth century began with two deaths. Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the crown of the Austro‐Hungarian dual monarchy, and his wife, Sophie, were shot by a dejected and disappointed Serbian nationalist by the name of Gavrilo Princip. No one expected for the diplomatic intricacies that followed the assassination as quickly as they did. The Austro-Hungarian government gave Serbia a list of demands three weeks after the assassination, to which Serbia agreed to all but one: the admittance of the Serbian government playing a role in the death of the Archduke. Serbia submitted a response to Austro-Hungary, stating that Serbia “cannot be held responsible for manifestations of a private character such as
