At the turn of this century, it was the habit of all the royal families of Europe to gather annually for social and state occasions. The great houses of England, Austria, Spain, Germany, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, etal,were in reality one clan, since royal blood was only bred to royal blood in those days.

At these fashionable assemblies, matches were made, courtships begun, hunts were staged, balls, dinners and receptions filledthenights, and intrigue was rampant. Sarajevo, a city ...