Austria-Hungary's Key Demands to Serbia in the 1914 Ultimatum

Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary issued a 10-point ultimatum to Serbia on July 23, 1914. Two of the most consequential demands were:

1. Austro-Hungarian participation in the investigation: Serbian authorities had to allow Austro-Hungarian officials to take part in the judicial inquiry into the assassination on Serbian soil—a direct infringement on Serbian sovereignty.
2. Suppression of anti-Austrian propaganda: Serbia was required to dissolve nationalist organizations (like Narodna Odbrana), remove inflammatory material from schools and press, and arrest specific individuals named by Vienna.

Serbia accepted most demands but refused full Austro-Hungarian involvement in its internal investigation. Austria-Hungary declared war on July 28, 1914—igniting World War I.