The Trigger

A trek through the Balkans, an exploration of the life of an assassin (the teenager who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and so triggered the First World War), and a journey into the history of this complex and fascinating part of the world...

Retracing Princip's journey from his highland birthplace, through the mythical valleys of Bosnia to the fortress city of Belgrade and ultimately Sarajevo, this book illuminates our understanding both of Princip and the places that shaped him while uncovering details about Princip which have eluded historians for a century.

‘The most original of First World War centenary books; it is a travel narrative of rare resonance and insight’ Sunday Times

On a summer morning in 1914, a teenage assassin fired the starting gun for modern history.

It was a young teenage boy named Gavrilo Princip who fired that fateful shot which killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo and ultimately ignited World War War. A hundred years later, Tim Butcher undertakes an extraordinary journey to uncover the story of this unknown boy who changed our world forever. By retracing Princip’s journey from his highland birthplace, through the mythical valleys of Bosnia to the fortress city of Belgrade and ultimately Sarajevo, he illuminates our understanding both of Princip and the places that shaped him while uncovering details about Princip which have eluded historians for more than a century.

‘A masterpiece of historical empathy and evocation...This book is a tour de force’ Guardian