The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand occurred on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo, Bosnia. He was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and was shot by Gavrilo Princip, a member of a nationalist group called the Black Hand. This event is often cited as the spark that ignited World War I. Following the assassination, Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, where the nationalist group had ties. The tensions escalated, leading to a series of alliances being activated, ultimately resulting in a large-scale conflict involving many nations across Europe.