In The Assassination of the Archduke, Greg King and Sue Woolmans offer readers a vivid account of the lives - and cruel deaths - of Franz Ferdinand and his beloved Sophie. Combining royal biography, romance, and political assassination, the story unfolds against a backdrop of glittering privilege and an Imperial Court consumed with hatred, taking readers from Bohemian castles to the horrors of Nazi concentration camps in a compelling, fascinating human drama. As moving as the fabled romance of Nicholas and Alexandra, as dramatic as Mayerling, Sarajevo resonates with love and loss, triumph and tragedy in a vibrant and powerful narrative. It lays bare the lethal circumstances surrounding that fateful Sunday morning in 1914, examining not only the Serbian conspiracy that killed Franz and Sophie and sparked the First World War but also insinuations about the hidden powers in Vienna that may well have sent them to their deaths.

With a Foreword from the Archduke's great-granddaughter, Princess Sophie von Hohenberg, and drawing on a wide variety of unpublished sources and with unique access to previously restricted Hungarian and Czech archives, including Sophie's diaries and family papers, King and Woolmans have written the most comprehensive account of this momentous event available in English. In doing so, they offer readers an intriguing and startlingly revisionist look at this most famous of Archdukes, his family, and their momentous collision with destiny in 1914.

The tragic story behind 'the shot that rang around the world' - the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his beloved wife in Sarajevo in June 1914 The tragic story behind `the shot that rang round the world' - the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his beloved wife in Sarajevo in June 1914

About the Author
Greg King is the author of books, including the bestselling The Duchess of Windsor and the internationally acclaimed The Fate of the Romanovs. Sue Woolmans is a royal historian and writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications. With Paul Kulikovsky, great-grandson of Tsar Nicholas II's sister Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, she recently edited the Grand Duchess's memoirs, 25 Chapters of My Life. She lives in London.

Reviews
A rich biography . . . one that inspires genuine pity for and anger on behalf of its main subjects and their children * Bookbag *
Marvellous . . . put it on your Christmas list and if nobody buys it for you, then purchase it yourself . . . Simply wonderful * Random Jottings Books of the Year *
Carefully separates fact from fiction . . . [and] brings the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie to life -- Carolyn Harris * royalhistorian.com *



Book Information
ISBN 9781447201472
Author Greg King
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint Pan Books
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Weight(grams) 472g
Dimensions(mm) 203mm * 127mm * 25mm