Imperial and Royal Military Administration in Serbia Imperial and Royal Military Administration in Serbia The K.u.k. Military Administration in Serbia (German: K.u.k. Militärverwaltung in Serbien) was the Austro-Hungarian military administration in the Kingdom of Serbia from 1915 to 1918. It was formed by the Central Powers during World War I. On 28 June 1914 Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. This led to the diplomatic July Crisis between Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Serbia which ultimately led to a declaration of war by Austria-Hungary on July 28. The first Austro-Hungarian forays into Serbia began in August. After disappointing results at the Battle of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria employed a staff of sixteen. His authority was reinforced in 1907 when he secured the retirement of the Emperor's confidant Friedrich von Beck-Rzikowsky as Chief of the General Staff. Beck's successor, Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, was personally selected by Franz Ferdinard. Franz in 1913, as heir-presumptive to the elderly emperor, had been appointed inspector general of all the armed forces of Austria-Hungary ("Generalinspektor der gesamten bewaffneten Macht"), a position superior to that previously held by Archduke Albrecht and including presumed command in wartime. In 1894 Franz Ferdinand met Countess Sophie Chotek, a lady-in-waiting to Archduchess Isabella, wife of Archduke Friedrich,