# Croatia in the First World War (1914)

URL: https://allhistories.com/croatia/timeline/1914-croatia-in-the-first-world-war
Location: Zagreb
Themes: Wars & Revolts

On 28 June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Habsburg throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, a member of the revolutionary youth organisation Young Bosnia. In the days that followed, anti-Serbian demonstrations took place in Zagreb and other towns, in which Serbian shops and property were attacked, encouraged by the Frankist Party of Rights. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914, and the conflict quickly became a European war. Croatia-Slavonia, Dalmatia and Istria mobilised tens of thousands of men into the common army, the navy and the Royal Croatian Home Guard (Hrvatsko domobranstvo). Croatian units, among them the 42nd Home Guard Infantry Division, nicknamed the "Devil's Division", fought in the failed invasions of Serbia in 1914, and later in Galicia and on the Italian front. Political life was restricted, censorship imposed and a number of Serbian politicians from Croatia arrested or interned. The Sabor met only intermittently. The war brought shortages, requisitions and heavy losses to the Croatian lands. As it dragged on, discontent grew, desertion increased, and many Croatian politicians began to look beyond the monarchy towards a South Slav state.

## Why it matters
The First World War exhausted the Croatian lands and set in motion the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the formation of a South Slav state.

Ruler at the Time: [Franz Joseph](https://allhistories.com/croatia/rulers/franz-joseph)

Ban of Croatia-Slavonia: Ivan Skerlecz (Independent)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — History of Austria-Hungary during World War I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Austria-Hungary_during_World_War_I)
- [Croatian Encyclopedia (Hrvatska enciklopedija)](https://www.enciklopedija.hr/)
- [Wikipedia — National Revival And Austria-Hungary (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_national_revival)