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assassination of archduke Francis Ferdinand
On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were shot dead in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, one of a group of six assassins -
Austrias ultimatum to Servia
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. -
Austias declares war on Servia
The Royal Serbian Government not having answered in a satisfactory manner the note of July 23, 1914, presented by the Austro-Hungarian Minister at Belgrade, the Imperial and Royal Government are themselves compelled to see to the safeguarding of their rights and interests, and, with this object, to have recourse to force of arms. -
Russia movilizes
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 ultimatum to Russia
Because of the Austrian Invasion of Serbia, Russia began to mobilize troops
As they did, Germany issued at ultimatum against Russia
Ultimatum stated that if Russia entered... So would Germany
Russia ignored the ultimatum and Russia declared war against central powers
Germany them declared war against Russia -
Gemany declares war on Russia
The Imperial German Government have used every effort since the beginning of the crisis to bring about a peaceful settlement. In compliance with a wish expressed to him by His Majesty the Emperor of Russia, the German Emperor had undertaken, in concert with Great Britain. -
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. Hours later, France makes its own declaration of war against Germany, readying its troops to move into the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, which it had forfeited to Germany in the settlement that ended the Franco-Prussi -
German troops invide 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. The Belgian government mobilised its armed forces on July 31 and a state of Kriegsgefahr ("danger of war") was proclaimed in Germany. On August 1 the German government sent an ultimatum to Belgium, demanding passage through the country and German forces -
Great Britain 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. In fear of being surrounded by the might of Russia and France, Germany had put into being the Schlieffen Plan in response to the events that had occurred in Sarajevo in June 1914. By doing this, the German military hierarchy had doomed Belgium to an i
