Born: 25 July 1894 · Died: 28 April 1918 · Age at death: 23
How old was Gavrilo Princip when he died?
Gavrilo Princip died aged 23. He was born on 25 July 1894 and died on 28 April 1918.
Serbian nationalist who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Did you know?He was too young to face the death penalty under Austrian law, so he was sentenced to twenty years in prison instead.
Quick facts
Date of birth25 July 1894
Date of death28 April 1918
Age at death23
Cause of deathTuberculosis
NationalityBosnian Serb
BirthplaceObljaj, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Occupationrevolutionary
Editor's Take:
Gavrilo Princip fired the shots that set off the First World War. He was a poor, sickly student who dreamed of freeing South Slavs from Austrian rule. His group's plan nearly failed that morning in Sarajevo. Then the archduke's car took a wrong turn and stopped in front of him. The crisis that followed drew the great powers into war. Princip died in prison before it ended. He is still seen as a hero by some and a terrorist by others.
Key Milestones
1912: Moves to Belgrade
1914: Assassinates Archduke Franz Ferdinand
1914: Sentenced to 20 years in prison
1918: Dies of tuberculosis in prison
Gavrilo Princip (Serbian Cyrillic: Гаврило Принцип, pronounced; 25 July 1894 – 28 April 1918) was a Bosnian Serb student who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914.
