On 28 June 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was assassinated on a visit to Sarajevo by a Serbian nationalist. The assassination set in motion the events that led to the outbreak of the First World War, bringing down the Austro-Hungarian Empire, ending nearly 8 centuries of Hapsburg rule and unleashing unrest across the European continent. By the end of that conflict, not only had the Austro-Hungarian Empire crumbled but the other two imperial rulers of Europe, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, had lost their grip on power. Over in Britain, the first cousin of both the Kaiser and the Tsar, George V, successfully retained the crown. Gareth Russell tells the story of the Austrian, German and Russian imperial families during the 4 years of WWI and the political and personal struggles that brought about their ruin.