The carpenter who joined a secret society to change the course of European history
In short: Muhamed Mehmedbašić was an impoverished carpenter from Herzegovina who became a key conspirator in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. A member of the revolutionary Young Bosnia and the Black Hand, his path from a failed attempt in Sarajevo to a political trial in Serbia reveals a life defined by turmoil.
Born in 1887, Mehmedbašić was a Muslim who identified as a Serb nationalist. His radicalization began through friendships with Mustafa Golubić and Danilo Ilić, leading him into the orbit of the Black Hand, a secret society led by Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijević, known as Apis. By early 1914, he was recruited for high-stakes operations, initially tasked with killing the Governor of Bosnia, Oskar Potiorek. However, the mission shifted to Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose visit to Sarajevo on the Serbian national holiday of Vidovdan was viewed as a profound provocation.
On 28 June 1914, Mehmedbašić was positioned along the Appel Quay as part of a six-man assassination team. Despite his role, he failed to act when the motorcade passed, fearing intervention from a nearby policeman. While Gavrilo Princip eventually succeeded in the assassination, Mehmedbašić escaped to Montenegro. His subsequent capture and dramatic prison break—allegedly facilitated by the Montenegrin government—allowed him to return to Serbia, where he fought in World War I alongside Chetnik detachments.
His life remained entangled in political intrigue. In 1917, he was caught in the Salonika trial, where Serbian authorities purged the military clique surrounding Apis. Though sentenced to 15 years, he was eventually pardoned and released in 1919. Decades later, in 1953, the Supreme Court of Serbia exonerated all defendants from the Salonika trial, acknowledging the charges were false. Mehmedbašić’s life ended violently on 29 May 1943, when he was executed by the Ustaše during their campaign of genocide against Serbs in World War II.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Muhamed Mehmedbašić
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