The assassination of the archduke

the long version

In the summer of 1914, three great empires dominated Europe: Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary. Four years later all had vanished in the chaos of World War I. One event precipitated the conflict, and at its heart was a tragic love story. When Austrian heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand married for love against the wishes of the emperor, he and his wife Sophie were humiliated and shunned, yet they remained devoted to each other and to their children. The two bullets fired in Sarajevo not only ended their love story, but also led to war and decades of conflict. Challenging a century of myth, this moving portrait of the end of an era also offers the startling truth behind the Sarajevo assassinations--including Serbian complicity--and examines rumors of conspiracy and official negligence.--From publisher description.