The Spider of Sarajevo

1899–1902

Second Boer War

1903

Erskine Childers publishes The Riddle of the Sands

1904

Entente Cordiale signed between Britain and France

August Niemann publishes The Coming Conquest of England

1905–6

Moroccan crisis follows Kaiser’s visit to Tangier

1906

Launch of H.M.S. Dreadnought, and a new era of battleships

1907

Anglo-Russian Convention completes the Triple Entente

1908

Revolution forces Ottoman Sultan to reinstate the constitution and parliament

Austria–Hungary annexes Bosnia–Hercegovina

1911

German provocation at Agadir

Theft of Leonardo’s Mona Lisa

1912

First Balkan War: Balkan states defeat Ottoman Empire

Declaration of Albanian independence from the Ottoman Empire

1913

Second Balkan War: victorious Balkan states fight among themselves

Coup in Constantinople

1912–13

London Conference arbitrates after Balkan wars and delineates Albania

7 March	Wilhelm of Wied arrives in Durrës as King of Albania
16 March	Henriette Caillaux shoots Figaro editor Gaston Calmette
20 March	Curragh Mutiny: British Army officers refuse to act against Irish loyalists resisting Home Rule
24 April	Larne gun-running delivers arms to Irish loyalists
17 May	Protocol of Corfu: Albania grants autonomy to Northern Epirus
21 May	Third Reading of Government of Ireland (‘Home Rule’) Bill
22 May	Berliner Tageblatt publishes details of British–Russian naval conversations
23 May	Gustav Hamel takes off from Paris for London in new Morane-Saulnier aeroplane
	King Wilhelm abandons Durrës temporarily
26 May	Kaiser Wilhelm II meets Archduke Franz-Ferdinand, Konopischt
29 May	R.M.S. Empress of Ireland sinks in the St Lawrence River
23 June	Kiel Regatta of British and German navies begins
28 June	Assassination of the Archduke Franz-Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire
6 July	Germany guarantees support to Austria–Hungary
23 July	Austrian ultimatum to Serbia
26 July	Howth gun-running delivers arms to Irish (nationalist) Volunteers
28 July	Austria–Hungary declares war on Serbia
30 July	Russia begins general mobilization against Austria–Hungary
1 August	General mobilization ordered by France and Germany Germany declares war on Russia
3 August	Germany declares war on France
4 August	Germany invades Belgium British ultimatum to Germany expires; war
3 September	King Wilhelm leaves Albania