Cvjetko Popović(Serbian Cyrillic:Цвјетко Поповић; 1896 – 9 June 1980)[1]was aBosnian Serbwho was involved inthe 1914 assassinationofArchduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.
Cvjetko Popović | |
|---|---|
 Cvjetko Popović during the Sarajevo trial, October 1914 | |
| Born | 1896 |
| Died | 9 June 1980 (aged 83–84) |
Early life and assassination
editHe was born in what is modern-dayBosnia and Herzegovina.He was an 18-year-old student, studying inSarajevowhenDanilo Ilićrecruited him and his friend,Vaso Čubrilović,to help assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand.[2]
Nikola Pašić,the prime minister of theKingdom of Serbia,heard about the plot and gave instructions for the three men to be arrested. However, his orders were not implemented and the three men arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina where they joined forces with fellow conspirators,Gavrilo Princip,Miško Jovanovićand Vaso's brotherVeljko Čubrilović.
On Sunday 28 June 1914, Franz Ferdinand andSophie von ChotekwereassassinatedbyGavrilo Princip.Princip andNedeljko Čabrinovićwere captured and interrogated by the police. They eventually gave the names of their fellow conspirators.Muhamed Mehmedbašićmanaged to escape to Serbia but Popović, Ilić, Jovanović, and the Čubrilović brothers were arrested and charged with treason and murder.[3]
All the men were found guilty. Under Austro-Hungarian law, an offender under the age of 20 could not be executed. Nedjelko Čabrinović, Gavrilo Princip and Trifko Grabež therefore received the maximum penalty of twenty years, whereas Vaso Čubrilović were sentenced to 16 years and Popović to 13 years in prison atTerezín.[4]
Popović was released when theAlliesdefeated theCentral Powersin November 1918, having served four years of his 13-year sentence.
Later life
editAfter his release from prison at the end of World War I, Popović returned to teaching as a professor ofphilosophyand eventually became Curator of the Ethnographic Department of theSarajevo Museum.[5]
The night before the 50th anniversary of the killing of the Archduke in 1964, Popović attended a lecture about the assassination in Sarajevo, but did not attend any of the events throughout the city, commemorating the anniversary.[6]He was quoted as saying that he would not have taken part in the assassination had he known it would lead to war.[7]
Marking the 55th anniversary of the event in June 1969, Popović, then aged 73, gave an interview recalling the assassination.[8][9]
Cvjetko Popović died in Sarajevo on 9 June 1980 at the age of 84, leavingVaso Čubrilovićas the sole surviving assassin. Čubrilović died 10 years and two days later on 11 June 1990 at age 93.[10]
References
edit- ^"Cvjetko Popovic, 84, Was Jailed In '14 Killing of Austria Archduke".New York Times.10 June 1980.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^"Deaths Elsewhere".Toledo Blade. 10 June 1980.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^Mitrović 2007,p. 5.
- ^Mitrović 2007,p. 77.
- ^"Yugoslavs Note Anniversary Of Shot Which Led To World War I".Toledo Blade. 15 June 1964.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^"Sarajevo Incident is Commemorated".The News and Courier. 29 June 1964.Retrieved6 August2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Errors in Assassination Led to First World War".Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. 4 July 1964.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^"Assassination Is Recalled".The Times-News.27 June 1969.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^"Ferdinand assassination recalled".Rome News-Tribune. 27 June 1969.Retrieved6 August2013.
- ^Elsie 2010,p. 69.
Sources
edit- Mitrović, A. (2007).Serbia's Great War, 1914-1918.Central European studies. Purdue University Press.ISBN978-1-55753-476-7.
- Elsie, Robert(2010).Historical Dictionary of Kosovo.Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.ISBN978-0-8108-7483-1.
External links
edit
Media related toCvjetko Popovićat Wikimedia Commons
