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Two bullets that killed millions, Muhammad, who escaped execution, confessed 80 years later

Yadigar Sadiqli

On June 28, 1914, a young Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip, opened fire in Sarajevo. As a result, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Crown Prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife, Duchess Sofia, died. These events sparked the First World War. Figuratively speaking, two bullets fired in Sarajevo killed millions of people.

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In 1815, the Serbs revolted against the Ottoman state. As a result, an autonomous principality of Serbia was established within the Ottoman Empire, and Milos Obrenovic became prince. Although the principality was autonomous, it began to pursue an independent foreign policy in the 1860s. In 1867, under Russian pressure, Turkish troops were withdrawn from Serbia. Thus, the principality became de facto independent.

Serbia’s independence was recognized at the Berlin International Congress to reconsider the terms of the San Stefano Peace Treaty signed after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. was also given to the principality (became a kingdom in 1882).

According to another decision of the same congress, condominiums were applied to another area inhabited by many Serbs – Bosnia and Herzegovina: the area was formally part of the Ottoman Empire, but Austro-Hungarian troops were deployed here. It is clear that whoever has an army in the area has a say.

The process of restoration of the Serbian state went hand in hand with the popularization of pan-Serbianism and the idea of ​​a Greater Serbia. The idea was to unite all the southern Slavs under Serbian domination. Therefore, the decision of the Berlin Congress on Bosnia and Herzegovina was not in the hearts of Serbian nationalists. However, the ruling Obrenovich dynasty still had warm relations with Austria-Hungary.

In May 1903, King Alexander I and Queen Draga were assassinated by assassinated officers. Thus, the Obrenovich dynasty was cut off, and Peter I ascended the throne from the Karagorcevich dynasty. The new king Russia began to pursue a policy of rapprochement, which was not welcomed in Vienna.

Taking advantage of the turmoil in the Ottoman Empire after the Young Turks’ Revolution of 1908, the Viennese government announced on October 6 that it had annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This step is more in Belgrade and St. Petersburg than in Istanbul protest gave birth and caused tensions called the Bosnian crisis. Although the crisis ended peacefully and with the Austro-Hungarian diplomatic victory, the annexation was one of the events that fueled international relations in Europe and led to the First World War.

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In 1911, an organization called “Unity or Death” was established in Serbia, better known as the “Black Hand” (Црна рука). Among the members of this organization were those who assassinated the king and queen in 1903. They held important positions in the army. For example, the leader of the organization Dragutun Dimitrievich military led intelligence. Allegedly, Franz Ferdinand was the “Black Hand” behind the plot.

The Serbian nationalists were particularly angry with Franz Ferdinand. The Crown Prince of the Austro-Hungarian throne advocated the expansion of federalism, reforms, and greater empowerment for the peoples of the empire. Serbian nationalists feared that these steps would reduce Bosnia’s sympathy for Serbia and its desire to unite with it.

At that time, the Young Bosnia (Mlada Bosna) organization, which aimed to unite with Serbia, was also active in Bosnia. In March 1914, members of the organization decided to assassinate the governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Oscar Potiorek. But an instruction from Belgrade rejects this intention. Black Hand members are learning that Franz Ferdinand will be in Bosnia military He arrives in Sarajevo to watch the exercises and is instructed to kill the duke instead of the governor.

Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia arrived in Sarajevo by train on June 28. They first military inspected the barracks. Then they drove along the Milyachka River in the middle of Sarajevo to the town hall. The convoy consisted of six cars. Gräf & Stift convertible with the Duke and his wife, as well as Governor Potiorek car was the third. Many Sarajevo residents lined the road to greet the high guest. The assassins were among them.

The general leader of the action was 24-year-old Danilo Ilich. He had placed six people on the road along the coast. The sequence was as follows: Mohammad Mehmetbashich, Vaso Chubrilovich, Nedelko Chabrinovich, Svetko Popovich, Gavrilo Princip, Trifun Grabej. All of them were Serbs, with the exception of Austrian-Hungarian and Bosnian Mohamed Mehmetbasic as Bosnians.

For some reason, Mehmetbasic and Chubrilovic did nothing as the procession passed by. Only the third terrorist Nedelko Chabrinovich about an hour 10:10He threw the bomb in the prince’s car, but the bomb hit the car, jumped aside and exploded under the fourth car. As a result 20up to people were injured. After that, five cars crashed into the town hall at high speed, and the other three terrorists could not do anything.

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It took Franz Ferdinand a short time at the town hall to calm his nerves, and an official welcoming ceremony was held. After that, discussions were held on what to do. Baron Rumerskirkh will leave the Crown Prince’s body route to line up the troops, and to remain in the town hall until then offer did. Baron Morsi generally advised to leave Sarajevo. Governor Potiorek said, “Do you think Sarajevo is boiling with murderers?” saying protest did.

According to a pre-arranged plan, which was also published in the newspapers, the guests had to go from the town hall to the opening of the city museum. They said they wanted to go to the hospital to visit those injured in the bombing. But no one informed the drivers about it. Ali The car in which the high-ranking guests were riding was not replaced by such a closed car. While the motorcade had to travel along the coast to the hospital, the drivers turned right instead of going straight when they reached the city’s Latin Bridge, following instructions they had received earlier.

One of the assassins, Gavrilo Princip, was waiting for the Duke on the announced route in front of the Maurice Schiller Delicatessen store near the northern end of the Latin Bridge, and the motorcade came straight to him because the drivers were unaware of the new address.

Oscar Potiorek, who was sitting in the same car with the Duke and Duchess, shouted at the driver that he had made a wrong turn and told him to go back. The driver stopped the car and the engine stopped while trying to give the car back. Thus, the work of Gavrilo Princip became much easier, the man he wanted to kill was right in front of him and in a motionless car.

The principle was able to fire twice. The first bullet hit Franz Ferdinand in the throat and the second in Sophia’s abdomen. Those around him jumped on him and neutralized him. In a later statement to the investigation, Princip said he wanted to kill Governor Potiorek, not the Duchess, with a second bullet.

To the wounded medical The car went to the governor’s residence to help. But before reaching there, they passed first the duke and then the duke.

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Captured Chabrinovich and Principin torture Danilo Ilich, Vaso Chubrilovich, Svetko Popovich, Trifun Grabej, as well as several others who helped the assassins. arrest has been done. Only Mehmetbasic managed to escape from the country. Arrest They also named those who had helped them in Serbia, including military intelligence officers. This gave Vienna grounds to accuse Belgrade.

Austria-Hungary to Serbia on July 23 10 issued an ultimatum consisting of a clause and demanded a response within 48 hours. The conditions were humiliating enough for an independent state, but the Serbs said in a July 25 reply that they accepted all the conditions, only Article 6, which rejected the Austrians’ request to participate in the investigation into the Sarajevo killings.

On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Seeing himself as the protector of the Slavs Russia two days later announced a general mobilization. A day later, Germany, Austria-Hungary’s ally, issued an ultimatum to Russia (suspend mobilization) and France (remain neutral). On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia and on August 3 on France. On August 4th British He declared war on Germany. Thus, according to various estimates, 15-22 million people killed The First World War began.

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On 25 people accused of the murder of Franz Ferdinand court The trial was held in Sarajevo on October 12-23, 1914, and the verdict was read on October 28. Gavrilo Princip, Nedelko Chabrinovich, Trifun Grabej, Vaso Chubrilovich, Svetko Popovich were killed at the time of the murder. 20 they could not be executed because they were not old. Therefore, the first three people 20 years, Chubrilovich 16 years, and Popovich 13 years arrest were punished. Danilo Ilich and two others were executed. Eight others were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, and nine were acquitted.

In principle, Grabej and Chabrinovich were infected with tuberculosis, which was considered an incurable disease before the murder. Severe prison conditions made their health worse. Chabrinovich died in January 1916 and Grabej in October. Gavrilo Princip died in April 1918, in the last months of the war.

At the time of the murder, 17-year-old Vaso Chubrilovich was the longest living participant. Vaso, who was released after the end of World War I, was arrested by the Gestapo during World War II and held for some time in the Banitsa camp. 1 year in the communist government of Tito after the war the village farm and 4 years Forest Minister of Economy worked. Vaso Chubrilovich, who admitted in the last years of his life that the murder of Franz Ferdinand was harmful, died in June 1990.



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