Gavrilo Princip was a name no one knew on June 1, 1914. Back then, he was a poor Bosnian student from a Serb family.
Gavrilo Princip
But on June 28, 19-year-old Princip murdered
Princip was apprehended at the scene. He was shoved to the ground and his pistol was seized. Princip had a capsule of cyanide on him. He had planned to kill himself, so as to face no consequences for his crime and he managed to swallow it. But amazingly it did not kill him.
An undated picture acquired from the historical archives of Sarajevo on June 28, 2014 shows Gavrilo Princip (first row-C) and other members of the “Mlada Bosna” (“Young Bosnia”) revolutionary group in court,. AFP PHOTO/HISTORICAL ARCHIVES OF SARAJEVO
Because Princip was 19 when he committed the murder, he was too young to be executed. Habsburg law required convicts to be 20 years old to be executed. Therefore, on October 28, 1914, Princip was found guilty of murder and high treason. He received the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, meaning he would be 40 years old when he was released.
But Princip did not serve 20 years or even 5 years. He died April 28, 1918 from tuberculosis, a disease which had already caused one of his arms to be amputated.
old spirituals 
There were several assassins along the Archduke’s route. Because the Archduke’s driver mistakenly turned onto the wrong street when he discovered the route had been changed, Princip, who was sitting in a cafe, was provided the opportunity to murder the Archduke and his wife, Sophie. Princip is now recorded in the annals of history.
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Isn’t it amazing how so many momentous events seem to hang on a thread?
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My Uncle Louis was in France during WW I and suffered from Shell Shock the rest of his life. It’s so sad that the actions of one man could set the whole world into chaos and ruin millions of lives for generations. The light sentence Princip received was ridiculous. The first picture shows his hands almost in a half fist. Could that indicate anger?
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I have seen shell shock videos from WWI vets and it was just terrible! The mustard gas and the shells… I know every war is awful but I can’t imagine the terror of Great War vets. Most people had yet to ride in a car and suddenly they’re facing tanks and airplanes dropping bombs… terrifying!
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Considering the consequences, Princip deserved the death penalty as few men ever have!
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