cover of episode 467. The Murder of Franz Ferdinand: The Victim (Part 3)

467. The Murder of Franz Ferdinand: The Victim (Part 3)

2024/7/7
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The Rest Is History

Chapters

Franz Ferdinand's journey around the world reveals his curious nature, contrasting with his later image as a conservative. His life takes a turn when his cousin, Crown Prince Rudolph, commits suicide, leading to Franz Ferdinand unexpectedly becoming the heir apparent.
  • Franz Ferdinand's world tour in 1892-93 showed his intellectual curiosity.
  • Crown Prince Rudolph's suicide in 1889 paved the way for Franz Ferdinand's ascension.
  • Franz Ferdinand's succession was unexpected due to his father's age and health.

Shownotes Transcript

Archduke Franz Ferdinand, as heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was one of the most important men in the world. But he was a lonely man, not helped by the fact that, in spite of custom and tradition, he had chosen for wife Sophie, an aristocrat who nonetheless was not noble enough to marry a Habsburg Archduke. Public humiliation, enforced by the Emperor himself, would plague them for the rest of their lives. In an attempt to show a Habsburg presence in the Balkans, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie had been convinced to undertake a military inspection in Sarajevo, amidst rising nationalist tensions in the area. And for once, they would be allowed to perform their public duties together, as a couple. But, after the electricity went down in his train on the way there, the Archduke could feel something sinister was in the making…

Join Tom and Dominic in the third part of our series on the assassination that sent millions of men to war, as they discuss how Archduke Franz Ferdinand became heir, his strained relationship with his uncle, the Emperor, shooting parties with Kaiser Wilhem II and George V, and why he went to Sarajevo with his wife, Sophie…


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Producer: Theo Young-Smith

Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett

Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

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