The spark that ignited the powder keg of the Balkans and triggered World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo. The assassin, Gavrilo Princip, was a member of the nationalist group known as the Black Hand, which sought to promote Slavic nationalism and oppose Austro-Hungarian rule. This event set off a chain reaction of political tensions, alliances, and mobilizations, leading to the outbreak of war in July 1914 after Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, which was partially rejected. Ultimately, this assassination highlighted the deep-rooted ethnic tensions and rivalries that existed in the region, which had been simmering for years.
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