The Black Hand (
Serbo-Croat ????? ????? / Mlada Bosna) is a term that came into use in the
Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes after
World War I to refer to individuals, groups and organizations who favored the violent destruction of
Austria-Hungary to make way for unification of the south Slavs with Serbia, the formation of Yugoslavia, or the creation of some other Slavic state.
Two notable organizations are often referred to under the banner Young Bosnia the "Narodna Odbrana" and "Unification or Death". Apis, a member of the central committee of "Unification or Death" and Chief of Serbian Military Intelligence by written statement to the Serbian Court stated that he ordered the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. In the process, he used not only his power over elements of the Serbia Military, but also "Unification or Death". Leaders of "Unification or Death" in turn had penetrated the "Narodna Obrana" and used the Narodna organization to infiltrate the arms and assassins into Sarajevo.
Claimed members of The Black Hand who participated in the assassination were Gavrilo Princip, Nedeljko Cabrinovic, Vaso Cubrilovic, Trifko Grabež, Danilo Ilic, Muhamed Mehmedbašic, Cvjetko Popovic, Miško Jovanovic and Veljko Cubrilovic.
