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Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria-Este ( December 18 , 1863 – June 28 , 1914 ) was an Archduke of Austria , Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia , and from 1896 until his death, Heir Presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His Assassination in Sarajevo precipitated the Austrian Declaration Of War . This caused countries Allied with Austria-Hungary (the Central Powers ) and countries allied with Serbia (the Entente Powers ) to declare war on each other, starting World War I .12 BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE Franz Ferdinand (Full Name: ''Franz Ferdinand Karl Ludwig Josef von Habsburg-Lothringen''), was born in Graz , Austria , the eldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig Of Austria (younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph and Maximilian I Of Mexico ) and of his second wife, Princess Maria Annunciata Of The Two Sicilies . When he was only twelve years old, his cousin Duke Francis V Of Modena died, naming Franz Ferdinand his heir on condition that he add the name Este to his own. Franz Ferdinand thus became one of the wealthiest men in Austria. When he was born, there was no reason to think that Franz Ferdinand would ever be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. He was given the normal strict education of an archduke with an emphasis on history and moral character. From 1876 to 1885 his tutor was the historian Onno Klopp . In 1883 Franz Ferdinand entered the army with the rank of third Lieutenant . As a young man, Franz Ferdinand developed two great passions: hunting and travel. It is estimated that he shot more than 5,000 deer in his lifetime. In 1883, he visited Italy for the first time in order to see the properties left to him by Duke Francis V of Modena. In 1885, he visited Egypt , Palestine , Syria , and Turkey . In 1889, he visited Germany . In 1889, Franz Ferdinand's life changed dramatically. His cousin Crown Prince Rudolf committed Suicide at his hunting lodge in Mayerling , leaving Franz Ferdinand's father, Archduke Karl Ludwig, as first in line to the throne. Henceforth, Franz Ferdinand was groomed to succeed. Ancestors MARRIAGE AND FAMILY In 1895 Franz Ferdinand met Countess Sophie Chotek at a ball in Prague . To be an eligible marriage partner for a member of the House of Habsburg , one must be a member of one of the reigning or formerly reigning dynasties of Europe. The Choteks were not one of these families, although they did include among their ancestors, in the female line, princes of Baden , Hohenzollern-Hechingen , and Liechtenstein . Sophie was a Lady-in-waiting to Archduchess Isabella , wife of Archduke Friedrich, Duke Of Teschen . Franz Ferdinand began to visit Archduke Friedrich's villa in Pressburg (now Bratislava ). Sophie wrote to Franz Ferdinand during his convalescence from Tuberculosis when he went to the island of Lošinj in the Adriatic . They kept their relationship a secret for more than two years. Archduchess Isabella assumed that Franz Ferdinand was enamored with one of her daughters. In 1898, however, he left his watch lying on a tennis court at her home. She opened the watch, expecting to find there a photograph of one of her daughters; instead, she found a photograph of Sophie. Sophie was immediately dismissed from her position.
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