June 28 of this year will mark the 111th anniversary of the assassination in Sarajevo of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austrian throne, and his wife Sophie. Their murder set off a chain of events that culminated in the first World War.

I became interested in Franz Ferdinand at an early age. When I was growing up, one of the books in the household was a picture history of the world and it contained the iconic image of the couple leaving the Sarajevo city hall just minutes before they were killed. Over the years, I've assembled a small collection of medals related to Franz Ferdinand and the upcoming anniversary seems a good time to share it.

Franz Ferdinand was born in 1863. His father, Archduke Carl Ludwig, was Emperor Franz Joseph's youngest brother. In 1889, when Franz Joseph's son and heir Crown Prince Rudolf, committed suicide, Carl Ludwig became next in line to the imperial throne.

The earliest medal in my collection depicts Carl Ludwig and was issued in connection with an art exhibit held in Vienna in 1893 for which he served as royal sponsor it was engraved by Joseph Christelbauer and is 56mm in diameter Christelbauer was a prolific engraver particularly in the last decades of the 19th century See the entry concerning him on prazskamincovna.cz.

Franz Ferdinand became heir to the throne on Carl Ludwig's death in 1896.

In 1894 or shortly thereafter, the Archduke met and fell in love with Sophie Chotek, a lady in waiting to a member of the Hapsburg family. Though Sophie belonged to the Czech nobility, under imperial court protocol, she was ineligible to marry a Hapsburg archduke. Franz Joseph was vehemently opposed to their relationship as were most of the other Hapsburgs. However, Franz Ferdinand was insistent and ultimately a compromise was agreed to. The two would marry in 1900 but Sophie would not become an Archduchess nor would she become empress when Franz Ferdinand became emperor. Furthermore any sons they had would not be archdukes nor would they be in the line of succession to the throne (the Wikipedia biographies of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie provide a good summary. More details are available in Gordon Brook-Sheperd's biography "Archduke of Sarajevo").

I've acquired four medals that portray Franz Ferdinand prior to 1914. All were issued in connection with exhibitions for which the Archduke was royal sponsor.

The earliest was issued in 1894 when Franz Ferdinand was second in line to the throne. It commemorates an exhibition devoted to military hygiene, nutrition and related matters that was held in Vienna. This medal was struck in aluminum. It is 42mm in diameter and features a three quarters facing bust of the Archduke. The reverse of the medal has the name W. Pittner. Wilhelm Pittner was an Austrian engraver who is best known as the founder and owner of a firm that produced medals in late 19th and early 20th century Vienna. Information concerning Pittner is available on Numista.com.

I'm aware of but do not have two other medals that depict the Archduke when he was second in line to the throne. One was issued in 1891 in connection with an art exhibition held in Retz, Austria. The other was issued in 1894 for an agricultural exhibit in Vienna.

The second of the Franz Ferdinand medals in my collection dates from 1901, and commemorates a horticultural exhibit held in Vienna. It is 50mm in diameter and was designed by Johann Schwerdtner, who was active in Vienna in the late 19th century and the early years of the 20th. Information about Schwerdtner is available in medalbook.com.

The third Franz Ferdinand medal I have was issued in 1904 in connection with a furniture exhibition in Vienna. I found this item while browsing eBay just after beginning work on this article. It is gilt bronze or brass and was engraved by Arnold Hartig whose name is located at the bottom of Franz Ferdinand's bust under his medals along with the name of the manufacturer, the Pittner firm of Vienna. See the next part for information concerning Hartig.

The only other pre assassination medal depicting the Archduke of which I am aware was issued in 1913 to commemorate an exhibition held in Vienna to promote the culture and products of Austria's Adriatic Provinces. It is 50mm in diameter and was designed by Rudolph Marschall. See the next part for information about Marschall.

There are no pre-assassination medals bearing Sophie's portrait. Even had she been of royal blood, there wouldn't likely have been many, But if she had been of imperial rank, at the very least medals would have been issued to celebrate her marriage. This was the case in 1881 when Crown Prince Rudolf married Princess Stephanie of Belgium and in 1911 when Archduke Charles, who was then next in line to the throne behind Franz Ferdinand, married Princess Zita of Parma.

There is one additional medal relevant to Franz Ferdinand that predates his assassination. It was struck in 1910 to commemorate Emperor Franz Joseph's visit to Bosnia which Austria had annexed two years earlier after administering the province since 1878. The reverse of the medal includes a view of Sarajevo, hence its relevance to the Archduke. The medal is 75mm in diameter and was designed by Richard Placht.