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Assasination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
On june 28, 1914 the heir to the Austrian throne, Archude Francis Ferdinand, was assasinated in the Bosnian city of Saravejo -
Austria declares war on Serbia
On July 28, 1914, one month to the day after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were killed by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, effectively beginning the First World War. Threatened by Serbian ambition in the tumultuous Balkans region of Europe, Austria-Hungary determined that the proper response to the assassinations was to prepare for a possible military invasion of Serbia. -
Austria's ultimatum to Serbia
The Austro-Hungarian government waited three weeks following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne currently held by Franz Josef before issuing its formal response. -
Russia mobilizes
One of the main causes of World War I was the mobilization of Russia. After facing defeat in the Franco Prussian War, Russia did not want to seem vulnerable to the other European countries. Therefore, Russia promised to support France when it found out that Germany had declared war on France. -
German uitimatum to Russia
The Russian mobilization was quickly reported to the German Kaiser, who stated that there exists " a state of danger of war." At midnight, 31 July, the Kaiser sent an ultimatum to the Russians demanding that they stop all mobilization activities or face war. -
Germany declares war on Russia
The choice between war and peace hung in the balance on Saturday, 1 August 1914. Austria-Hungary and Russia were proceeding with full mobilization: Austria-Hungary was preparing to mobilize along the Russian frontier in Galicia; Russia was preparing to mobilize along the German frontier in Poland. -
germany declares war on france
On the afternoon of this day in 1914, two days after declaring war on Russia, Germany declares war on France, moving ahead with a long-held strategy, conceived by the former chief of staff of the German army, Alfred von Schlieffen, for a two-front war against France and Russia. -
German troops invade Belgium
The German invasion of Belgium began on August 4, 1914. Earlier, on July 24, the Belgian government had announced that if war came it would uphold its neutrality. -
Great Britian declares war on Germany
On August 4th 1914, Great Britain declared war on Germany. It was a decision that is seen as the start of World War One. Britain, led by Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, had given Germany an ultimatum to get out of Belgium by midnight of August 3rd.
