The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in June 1914 is often credited with sparking World War I. His assassination, carried out by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist, was a direct result of rising tensions between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, which were part of a larger web of alliances and nationalistic fervor in Europe. The assassination triggered a series of diplomatic crises and mobilizations among the major European powers, ultimately leading to the outbreak of war in July 1914. This event highlights the dangers of nationalism and political conflict in an interconnected world.