Please Define the Following Key Terms

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The Answer is Archduke Franz Ferdinand was an important figure in European history, best known for his assassination, which served as a catalyst for the outbreak of World War I. Born on December 18, 1863, in Graz, Austria, he was the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His full title was Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria.

As the eldest son of Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria (who was the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I), Franz Ferdinand was thrust into the line of succession after the suicide of his cousin, Crown Prince Rudolf, in 1889, and the death of his father in 1896. Despite his high rank, his marriage to Countess Sophie Chotek in 1900 was considered morganatic, meaning that she did not share her husband's rank and their children were not in line to the throne.

Franz Ferdinand is most famously known for his assassination in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. He and his wife were shot by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist associated with the group known as the Black Hand. The assassination led to a series of diplomatic crises and alliances being triggered, which ultimately resulted in the outbreak of World War I, as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, setting off a chain reaction among the European powers.

His death marked the end of a potential reformist period for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as Franz Ferdinand had considered changes to the empire's structure to accommodate its many ethnic groups. The assassination and the subsequent war led to the eventual disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, dramatically altering the political landscape of Europe.

Please Define the Following Key Terms

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