Konopište Meeting of 1914

a meeting of the German emperor William II and Admiral von Tirpitz with the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, on June 12 in the Konopiště Castle (near the city of Benešov in present-day Czechoslovakia).

At the meeting the participants discussed a plan for AustriaHungary’s attack on Serbia, in which case William II promised to Austria-Hungary the help and support of Germany. Both sides also agreed on the necessity of strengthening their relations with Rumania, on ironing out differences between the latter and Bulgaria, and on encouraging a rapprochement between Bulgaria and Turkey, all with the aim of drawing these states into the Triple Alliance of 1882. Plans for expanding construction of the Austro-Hungarian Navy were also reviewed. The meeting was one of the immediate diplomatic moves preparing the way for World War I.